Do you want to visit Asheville, North Carolina, soon? It’s easy to see why. With stunning mountain scenery, vibrant local culture, and endless activities to explore, Asheville is quite a popular tourist destination!
As you start planning your trip, you may wonder: When is the best time to visit Asheville? Of course, there’s no one “best time”—everyone has their own tastes and preferences that will impact their opinion. However, there are pros and cons that come with vacationing here during each season that we’d be happy to share. After all, you want the full picture before you book your trip!
Without further ado, let’s dive into it. Follow along as we cover the best time to visit Asheville for you!
Gorgeous springtime wildflowers with a scenic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
What is the Weather Like in Asheville?
Simply put, the weather in Asheville varies significantly throughout the year. It’s not a vacation destination with a temperate climate year-round, so the weather will likely be a big deciding factor when you’re choosing when to stay!
What is the Coldest Month in Asheville?
January is Asheville's coldest month, with average high temperatures of 44°F and lows of 27.7°F.
What is the Hottest Month in Asheville?
July is historically the hottest month in Asheville, with high temperatures averaging 84°F and lows averaging 62°F.
Is Asheville Humid?
Asheville can be pretty humid. It varies from month to month, but average humidity sits around 74%. Humidity starts to rise in spring and begins to taper off by the start of fall. Summer is the season with the most humid months, reaching a peak of 84% in August/September.
Visiting in the Spring:
Springtime in Asheville is a beautiful sight. The weather is pleasant, and it’s the ideal time to pursue outdoor activities like hiking. Our favorite part: the wildflowers bloom in full force!
What Kind of Wildflowers Can You See in Asheville?
Wildflower blooms vary by month! Here’s a general guideline:
- March: Daffodil, Iris, Dutchman Breeches, Spring Beauty, Yellow Violet
- April: Painted Trillium, Dogwood, Pink Lady Slipper, Dogwood, Pinkshell Azalea, Redbud, Tulip
- May: Flame Azalea, Mountain Laurel, Violet, Painted Trillium, Dogwood, Crab Apple
- June: Flame Azalea, Ox-Eyed Daisy, Rhododendron, Fire Pinks, Turkeybeard, Flame Azalea
Check out our blog piece on Wildflower Bloom Sightings & Hikes in Western NC for even more information on these gorgeous blooms.
Like we mentioned, spring is a great time to go hiking! The gorgeous wildflowers along the way only add to the ideal weather conditions for getting out on the trails. Read about some of our favorite spring trails here!
Summer
Stay in a lakefront vacation rental like the 4 Bed, 4.5 Bath Blue Gill Lodge on Lake James.
It can get pretty hot in Asheville in the summertime, but that’s no reason not to visit. You can still have a great time!
Summer is a great time to stay in one of our waterfront rentals! Stay right on Lake James, just steps away from the gorgeous water. Not only will the view be spectacular, but you can cool off right in the lake.
Other exciting summer activities include:
Fall – See Stunning Fall Foliage
Fall in Asheville is remarkably beautiful and is hailed by most as the ideal time to visit our city. The fall foliage here is hard to beat; seeing the once-green leaves turn gorgeous shades of red, orange, and yellow is a stunning sight. Plus, it’s one of the longest fall foliage seasons in the country! Typically, leaves start turning in early October (sometimes even late September) and stay on the trees through early November.
Fall Activities:
- Take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Enjoy a seasonal fall beer at an Asheville brewery
- Go hiking! (See how many waterfalls you can find!)
- Go Apple picking
- See the fall foliage from atop a zipline
- Visit the Biltmore Estate
Experience Asheville as a Winter Wonderland
Though fall and spring are consistently brought up as favorites, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the wintertime here. Many folks love visiting North Carolina in the winter!
Does it Snow in Asheville?
It does! Of course, being located in the south, we don’t get the same winter snowfall you’d see in the Northeast, but we get our fair share of flurries. The average snowfall in Asheville is about 12 inches a year. That’s well below the national average of 28 inches, but we’re still more likely to see snow than destinations even further south, like Florida or Georgia.
Can You Ski in Asheville?
Downtown Asheville doesn’t have the best ski spots, but we are close to some of the best places to ski in the south. If you’re looking to spend time on the slopes, check out one of these resorts:
Hatley Point (Formerly Wolf Ridge Ski Resort)
Asheville Winter Golfing
Perhaps surprisingly to some, golfing is one of the top winter activities in Asheville. With the average winter temperatures hovering around 45 degrees, with room for about ten degrees of fluctuation either way, you could end up with beautiful golfing temperatures.
Of course, it’s important to be flexible—that means that though you could end up with a breezy 55° day, you could just as easily be stuck in 35° weather. Brr! Flexibility is the name of the game when vacationing in Asheville in the winter.
If you do decide to go golfing, here are some top courses:
Asheville Municipal Golf Course
See the Stars
Winter is also a wonderful time to go stargazing in Asheville! Many of our favorite constellations are the most visible in wintertime, and with Asheville being a smaller city, we have less light pollution than some of our larger counterparts. Check out our full guide to stargazing in Asheville to find the best places to spot your favorite constellation!
Book Your Trip to Asheville Directly with Greybeard Rentals!
Stay at the pet-friendly Rondette-style Raven House with 4 BD, 4.5 BA for a luxury mountain vacation!
Wow! We certainly covered a lot in this blog. Like we said at the beginning, the best time to visit Asheville is really up to you and your personal preferences, but we hope that reading through our guide has been helpful to you in your decision-making process!
No matter when you book your trip to Asheville, make sure to choose the best vacation rentals around when you stay with us at Greybeard Rentals. With years of top-notch property management experience, it’s safe to say we know the area well, and we’re here to guide you every step of the way!
Whether you’re looking to stay in a pet-friendly rental so you can bring your pet along or you want to check out our selection of gorgeous Asheville log cabins, you can’t go wrong when you stay with us. Browse our available Asheville vacation rentals now and book your vacation directly with Greybeard Rentals!