Fall foliage in Kentucky

Kentucky’s color begins in the eastern highlands and moves west. The Red River Gorge and the Daniel Boone National Forest turn in the third week of October; the Cumberland Plateau and the Bluegrass follow at the end of the month; the western lakes and the Mammoth Cave country finish in early November. Maple, hickory, sassafras and dogwood give the east a wide range of color, while oaks and sweetgum dominate the lower west.

Color somewhere in the state: October and November
Trees: maple, hickory, sassafras, dogwood, oak and sweetgum
Region: Appalachians & Southeast

Those are the months when color is present somewhere in Kentucky, from its highest ground to its lowest. Any one location changes over a much shorter period than that.

Why the timing shifts from year to year

Shortening days start the process, so most places in Kentucky change at close to their usual time each year. Within the state, elevation and latitude account for most of the difference: higher and more northern ground generally changes first, and lower, sheltered ground last. Weather has more effect on how strong the color is than on when it appears. Cool nights and sunny days favor the reds, a dry summer mutes them, and a hard freeze or a windstorm can strip a slope in a day. What determines the timing goes through this in detail.

Nearby states

Fall color does not follow state lines. Kentucky borders:

Timing for a specific place

This page describes a whole state, which is about as precise as a season can be described in words. Conditions at one overlook on one weekend are a narrower question, and that is the one Fallcast answers: an expected period of color for a specific location, with a confidence attached, updated through the season as the trees change. It is coming to iPhone this fall.

Questions, or somewhere in Kentucky you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.