Craggy Pinnacle
Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina · 5,892 ft
A bare rock summit above the Craggy Gardens rhododendron thickets with a full circle of ridgelines, the Parkway tunnel below and the Asheville watershed reservoir to the north. Yellow birch and mountain ash color the slopes while the summit heath goes rust, and the gap here traps morning cloud.
Typical peak
Oct 6 – Oct 14
Long range. Treat as a planning estimate only.
Best light
Works at both ends of the day
Crowds
high
Busy through peak. Be parked before sunrise or expect to walk in.
Getting there
Park at the Craggy Dome Overlook lot at Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 364.1 and walk 0.7 mile up the graveled Craggy Pinnacle Trail.
What turns here
- yellow birch
- mountain ash
- red maple
Color progression
Typical peak Oct 10Typical color progression for Craggy Pinnacle. No change from Sep 2 to Sep 19. First color from Sep 19 to Sep 28. Approaching peak from Sep 28 to Oct 6. Peak from Oct 6 to Oct 14. Past peak from Oct 14 to Oct 24. Bare from Oct 24 to Nov 7.
Color starts around Sep 19.
Light at peak
Craggy Pinnacle on October 10, the day it typically peaks. Knowing when color arrives is one thing. Knowing where the sun will be is another.
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| First light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:06 AM |
| Sunrise Rises E · 97° | 7:31 AM |
| Morning golden hour ends 34 min of low, warm light | 8:06 AM |
| Solar noon Highest sun, flattest light | 1:16 PM |
| Evening golden hour starts 34 min before sunset | 6:27 PM |
| Sunset Sets W · 262° | 7:01 PM |
| Last light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:26 PM |
Times in America/New York · day length 11h 30m · computed from NOAA solar equations
Which way to point the camera
Sun rises E, sets W.
Aim within 45° of those and the canopy glows translucent. Turn your back to them for flat, accurate color.
Location pages name the light directly.
Shooting conditions
Glassy water, wind blur, and what the cloud will do to your light.
Recent reports
What people actually saw here. Been recently? Add yours.