New England Foliage Blog →
The scent of fall is on the wind
Seeking "only" peak foliage is always a gamble
by Jeff "Foliage" Folger
A stream winds it's way through a stand of birch
My first year in NH and I was greeted by color like this.
The sumac out side my back door is right on schedule...
Other things the fall brings...
Howdy Foliage gang! Today we are only 12 days away from the first day of fall. (and 50 days until Halloween!!) The standard question I've been seeing in the blog and in the forum is:
"how can I ensure I find peak foliage"
My answer is simple you can't! It's like trying to time the stock market or go to Vegas with the intent of beating all the casino's.
What you can do is plan for the best experience possible by planning to spend your days with multiple objectives. But before I go on, I have a quote from Mike Blanding, the author of "a travel guide to Vermont".
"When and where can you see the best color"
" The general rule of thumb for Vermont is that the color starts getting good in mid-September, and the show is over by late October.
All that said, you should know that trying to predict when the color will be absolutely perfect is a loser's game, and frankly not necessary. Being overly preoccupied with chasing the elusive "peak" of foliage is a great way to spoil a trip?and takes away from all of the other things that make a fall weekend in Vermont so magical: harvest festivals, farm-stands, fresh-pressed apple cider, and sunny days of crisp mountain air."
I think that says it all!
Color report for Northern Maine Heather from The Cozy Moose Lakeside Cabins says: **Hi Jeff,
No significant change to report", still just the start
We have a lot of white birches in our yard and I am seeing some of them just starting to turn yellow. The swamp maple outside my window is progressing slowly"**
If you wonder what I do when I'm not blogging about fall foliage. Well I just had a photography show open in the King Hooper Art Gallery in old town Marblehead MA. The show will run until 28 September and if you are in the area during this month you can stop in and see my show and explore this quaint little town.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this and any other subjects in either the comments section or over in the foliage forum.
Jeff "Foliage" Folger
Reader Comments
Comment from Peter Buffa on September 14, 2008
Hi...I'm a foliage "rookie." We'll be in the Berkshires Sept. 25 - Oct. 1. I know you shouldn't obsess about peak color, but those dates seem a little early to me. Anyone want to venture a guess on whether we'll see any color at all at that time? Thanks!
Comment from Jeff Folger on September 17, 2008
Well if you think you're obsessing now, wait until you see you first trees in color... Then you'll be obsessing. I drove 4000 miles last Sept/Oct looking for color to photograph and report back on... As to the Berkshires... I think you'll get to see something and up near North Adams could be nice due to the higher elevations. I think you'll be early for full peak given that this year seem to be on track for closer to what Yankee has on their automated maps (or slightly earlier). I think if you get out to the hairpin turn above North Adams in the early morning and go to the Golden Eagle restaurant parking lot on the side of the mountain and watch the sunrise and I think you will get a great view... If you find you are too early then you are in a great location to head north into Vermont and head for Bennington or up route 7 a bit further and maybe over 4 and back down 100. This is a real beautiful area of VT and the farms belong on post cards. I hope you find great color and be sure to let us know in the foliage forum what you found and where you went and then upload some of your pictures into the reader gallery and share with the rest of us. Jeff "Foliage" Folger
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