Early fall colour around Mt. Snow

[oudi14]

Hi folks. I have been a member here for 10 years, but never posted anything until now, mostly because I had nothing to contribute. I joined in '09, when my wife and I came up to Vermont in October. As I recall, that year was a poor foliage year, with a lot of wind and rain, and there had been quite a bit of leaf drop before we arrived, but we enjoyed it anyway, we like VT period. We are here again, this time for a month. We came to the state on the 10th of this month, and will be here for exactly 30 days, having rented a condo at the base of Mt. Snow. The day we arrived, I noticed that some trees already had some colour, but it was just isolated ones. But since then, I have seen an amazing progression, now, its happening everywhere! I look at a distant hillside, and can see the reds, especially. I have almost no knowledge of when these changes are supposed to take place, or how long it takes to peak, but to my totally untrained eye, this could reach peak here about October 1st. Yesterday I asked 2 locals, who bore this out, saying it often goes like this. I know altitude has a lot to do with this, as does latitude, and we are high up here. But honestly, I was expecting to take a long day's drive up to the NEK and back, in about 10 days, so we could see an area at peak, [and still may] But I think we are in for a real treat here as well. Now, there is still a lot of green, but I can notice the changes daily, and the 37 degrees we have at the moment is probably a good thing. Handle Road, which runs west of, and parallel to, VT 100 through the village, is awash with reds, yellows and oranges.

Sorry for the long post

Reggie Patterson

[ctyanky]

Hi Reggie!!!! So glad you are here on the forum! Long posts welcomed any time. Great report. Please take the Blue Bird Express up Mt. Snow for views of Somerset Reservoir. They are mind blowing. I think they already started the lift rides.

https://www.mountsnow.com/the-mountain/scenic-rides/

Your report is spot on. Mt. Snow, as you mentioned, due to the high elevation will probably reach the peak as you stated perhaps sooner. With the cold temps, things can progress overnight! Keep us posted on the changes you see and it looks to be a wonderful season!

Glad you are back posting!

[ctyanky]

PS: if you take a drive on route 9 west towards Bennington to the highlands (Woodford) you may see some gorgeous colors popping out now. It always changes first there!

[ctyanky]

Guess you'll be going to the wine and harvest fest up at Mt. Snow this weekend?

https://www.mountsnow.com/events/calend ... -festival/

[oudi14]

Yes, I am going to be at the festival. I'm a Rotarian, and I volunteered to work with the local club during the festival.

[wentworth]

Reggie, 2009 was actually a very good year but only if you came up for the last week in September 22nd to 30th, that's when most of NEK and Killington and even 1-89 and 1-91 were at peak, but that was when we had 'normal' Falls, with many low temps in the 30's--Because of Global Warming, last few years, Fall has been getting later and later, but this year seems to be bucking that trend, those three nights in the 30's have really kicked up the color in Killington, but as I am far away, all I can see is the Peak 360 Killington Webcam, so its hard to tell the quality of the color there--Thx for your report on current conditions from Rt 100 and other places, we depend on people like you to give the latest and the honest accounts of what's really happening up there, and it sounds good so far