It’s a 2.5 hour drive from Columbia, SC to milepost 371 at the overlook of Lane Pinnacle on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. The muted reds mix with yellows and greens along the exposed rocks teasing travelers on the road north into the Asheville watershed and beyond, to Virginia’s Skyline Drive — hundreds of miles north. Forecasts show performances continuing along the parkway at varying elevations over the next few weeks.

Photos copyright Sean Rayford