Leaf-peeping
3So, for the last few years, my wife and I have been exploring the Northeast at this time of year for fall color. We live in Central Alabama where it’s predominantly pines, so color change is minimal.
We did the Poconos a few years back, Berkshires last year, and this year we’re in the Green mountains in Vermont.
We are staying near Smugglers Notch for a week, then headed to the area east of Montreal for several days. Even though it’s been cloudy since we’ve arrived, the color is still pretty spectacular. Plus, this area has multiple waterfalls and a ton of covered bridges.
So, my question for you, the meh community, is this:
Is the autumn color in the area you live in spectacular enough that we need to plan a trip there in one of the upcoming falls?
If that’s the case, what time of year is your peak color? What other outdoor hiking/driving/visiting activities would you recommend.
Thanks for your input.
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I got to go to a pretty little cabin in upstate VT over the weekend. Here was my view from the front porch:
So northern VT is right now. Upstate NY isn’t there yet.
@Thumperchick
Nice. What lake? We’ve been exploring the area around Smugglers Notch down to Stowe. Went looking for moose at dusk on Belvidere pond yesterday
Jeffersonville area today, then headed to Montpelier/Barre tomorrow and Friday probably go to Shelburne since it’s supposed to be raining.
@Thumperchick
Yep, area around us has really good color at the moment. I was afraid we might be a little bit early because it’s been so warm. Evidently west of here is a couple of weeks behind. That being said, the local color is very nice even on cloudy days…
Lots of trees here in NW Oregon. Unfortunately (for leaf-peeping) most are either evergreens (that don’t change) or maples and alders (which turn dirty yellow, then brown). So - not so spectacular.
@macromeh
For us in Central Alabama the best color we got was from the (trash) “popcorn” trees (Chinese tallow) in our yard which are invasive and a PITA but very pretty (scarlet to bright yellow) none the less. We cut a big one (that was just outside our back bedroom window) down when we put the pool in. Used to love having the windows open in the fall and hearing the birds in it in the morning eating the popcorns. We still have some that pop up every now and then around the acre we own.
Like you, most of our deciduous trees go from green to brown to bare.
@chienfou We have several specimen trees in the yard that do turn nice colors in the fall, but the many wild maples surrounding us are kind of ho-hum. (And a PITA to rake up after.
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Mrs. & I went on a tour of NY last year. From Buffalo to the Finger Lakes, & from Schenectady up to Plattsburgh in the northeast side. We did this all over 11 days, so it was a little rushed. Unfortunately, it was a bad year for the colors they are known for, but the areas we experienced were still pretty special, to the point that we absolutely would return!
As far as colors around our area (Fargo, ND), not really so much…but we aren’t far from it…We make several leaf peeping journeys every year into the state parks of Minnesota (several close enough to be easy day/weekend trips) & Wisconsin & would highly recommend anything about & around Lake Superior/Arrowhead & northern Wisconsin. Great views & Great hikes to be had.
We just got back from a trip to The Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. We chose this time specifically to beat the crowds that head that way for peak leaf viewing season which is around mid to late October. It’s been awhile since we visited (~3 hr. drive for us) and we enjoyed our trip so much that we plan to return to stay at one of the two hotels that are on the 8,000 acre property. There is a show projected against the home at night (Luminere?) that we would like to view but it runs March-October 18th. Hubbie wants to select one of the guided tours next time that allow entry to the boiler room. I am giddy with anticipation. The aspect that I enjoyed the most was getting to see Christmas decor being placed around the home. I did not expect to see whole trees already decorated in some rooms so that was a nice surprise. Yes, it is too early for all that but there are long lines to get in around the holidays. We had very little wait time to get inside on this trip.
I just looked up the info for leaf changing times by elevation in the NC mountains because we also went to the swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain. Early October is listed as a start for that elevation whereas Boone and Blowing Rock are mid to late October. Lower valleys go into early November. Our oldest went to ASU in Boone. We do our best to avoid Boone during home games but Blowing Rock can be a cute town to explore. A drive along “Blue Ridge Parkway” is usually lovely in October but all of the little towns have only increased in popularity over the years. We do our best to avoid crowds these days but we also want to do our part to aid in their recovery since many of their businesses are dependent on tourism. The flooding the NC mountains experienced will take time to fully recover from but it has come a long way.