Scenes of Vermont Forums

Route 232 between Groton and Marshfield held the best color I saw on my visit today! Stunning, considering Cabot was a major disappointment with dismal brown on the Danville Hill Road and behind the Foster Covered Bridge. My only Cabot recommendation is the free cheese samples at the factory.
I greeted the dawn with 27 degrees and frost on a hill in East Peacham. I was disappointed with the overall state of colors while I frooze by fingers to the bone. This is a scene I've photographed every fall for the past 25 years, and it did not impress. Also lacking was any color along Route 25, including Waits River, East Topsham and East Corinth. I assuaged my pain with a fine lunch at P&H Truckstop in Wells River, which I can heartily recommend.

I was mostly disappointed today as well. I saw a lot of leaf drop. I took 302 west to 232 North and most of the color looked a bit past it. There was some over by Kettle Pond that looked to be ok. I then went up Rt. 2 east and stopped a Molly's Pond. I found a bit of good color there. Then back onto Rt. 2 east with a small detour up Mack Mountain Road, there was still some decent color up there. Then it was onto Rt. 15 and Hardwicke for the craft fair. There were pockets of good color, but it is starting to fade. The craft fair was a bit smaller than I had expected. I stopped for a bite at a coffee shop/cafe and I had a grilled cheese with caramelized onions sandwich. That was really good. Next it was down Rt. 14 South, again some good color in spots, not so good in others. I ended up back at 302 and went east to East Barre and picked up a flannel shirt at the Vermont Flannel Company Store there. Then it was west again to catch Rt. 89 South to exit 3 and Bethel, VT. From there I took Rt. 107 south until it turned into 100 south. There was some decent color in places along 107. Still kind of green, too. Some nice color around Colton Pond when I got to Killington, but I didn't stop. It was after noon and I needed to get to Rutland to test drive a car. In Killinton, the smaller mountains weren't too bad, Pico Mountain looked decent, but lots of leaf drop especially in the higher elevations in the other mountains.

We went on Rt 103 towards Mt. Holly on the test drive. Again, some spots had decent color. Rutland itself was mostly green still. On the way back home I took Rt. 4 through Killington, Woodstock and Quechee. Quechee is still pretty green. Not much color around the Taftsville Bridge, either. What had turned was faded. I didn't see much color at Quechee Gorge either.

VINS is opening up is brand new Forest Canopy Walk next weekend. I hope they have some color by then for that. I heard from someone that tried it a few weeks ago before it was finished said it was pretty awesome. I'm excited to try it.

Overall, a very bad day for photography. I took a few shots at Ricker Pond and a few at Molly's Pond and that was it. Didn't find much else worth shooting. Generally a sunny, cloudless day is bad for fall photography as it washes out the color and then the light becomes harsh. I guess I'll find out if my new polarizer worked well. I don't know what to do about tomorrow. Should have some clouds, but I wonder if there are still leaves left. It's supposed rain at some point in the afternoon. I may go to the White Mountains again. You can almost always find something good there. Generally, though, I like to try new places.

Outside of Killington, the landscape seemed to be acres of red/rust foliage. I did the drive on Route 100 North to Route 125, side roads to Route 17 and back to I-89. Nothing I saw made me want to take pictures. I'm not sure why the color was so poor.

I was in Tunbridge on 10/5 and all along Route 110 from Washington to Tunbridge was all rust looking as well. Very disappointing and I don't think it will look any better bfore all the leaves are gone.

However, This morning we took the dogs up to Victory Basin and it is really quite beautiful up there still. A lot of reds and not as much leaf drop. It may be protected from the wind somewhat in there. If you take Victory Road off of Route 114, (on the right just North of East Burke, there is spectacular color all along that road. When you get to River Road, take a right on that and you will eventually enter the Victory Basin. You will get to an area called Damon's Crossing with spectacular views to the West towards Burke Mountain. The whole area was still a blaze of red this morning. You can keep following River Road and it will take you to Route 2.

I didn't have my camera with me today, but here is a shot I took Friday on Victory Road, and that spot still looked the same today.

I'm not planning on being in Vermont again this Fall for foliage. Alot of the state is near peak and the upcoming rain next week will put most areas past peak. I had a good time last month at Mt Snow with peak foliage in September.

Here in Connecticut we have some really nice color around Enfield. There was a frost/freeze yesterday and I think that will help develop the foliage color.

So, it seems like ever since 2017, besides NEK and Higher elevations in the southern part, Vermont foliage has been struggling to show off properly.
Do you think it is just the climate change? Is it rainfall or the temperatures? It feels like NH is overall holding up better, am I wrong?

Yes, a buddy I bumped into in Peacham was saying the same thing, that climate change seems to have had a negative effect on the foliage. But there have been good years and bad years for vibrant colors, so who is to say next year won't knock our socks off. Meanwhile, I take great pleasure in finding smaller colorful scenes when the grand scene cannot be found.

As more time goes by and more of the Fall seasons have poor foliage quality, I'm starting to think it might be climate change. The last season that had good quality foliage color for all of New England was 2016. I could see one poor quality season, but not 3 in a row.

I wasn't in far N. Vermont this season, but 2016 - 2018 had excellent foliage color.. If you want to believe in climate change, it stands to reason that N. New England stays cooler in Summer and Fall to a degree and warming hasn't negativity affected the foliage yet.

I think that the lower Pioneer Valley and valley areas of N. Connecticut are remaining okay because we go later into the Fall with green foliage and change color after the Fall temperatures become more stable. Right now it's about 85% green here.