Bristol-Vergennes Area 10/15/14

[MinnieB]

I was in the Bristol-Lincoln-Starksboro area on the 11th and 12th and it was fabulous. I was in Shelburne on the 12th and found it a disappointment. It seemed to be a mix of trees that were fading and a bit past it and trees that were still green. A few spots of color here and there, nothing much. I stopped at Shelburne Farms, they had a few trees with good color, but seems like a lot of green still. Didn't see much in South Burlington, either, but wasn't there very long. Over the weekend I was also in Arlington, Manchester and Mt. Tabor area and all of those were great. I took 103 to 11 west early on Saturday morning and RT 11 was terrific most of the way. Couple of small areas of leaf drop, but mostly spectacular.

[ct999]

Thanks for the info! I'm confused... I realize there's a trend for foliage to become ripe first in the North, then it moves Southward, and that elevation also plays a role -- higher altitudes are often exposed to more winds and thus reach/exceed peak faster than low elevations. However, I thought I read that even a week ago the Green Mountains were past peak. If this is true, is it common for an area as north as Bristol to be at peak whereas the Green Mnts are past-peak? (or maybe whomever described the southern area was just more critical... it's all subjective/different definitions of 'past-peak'?)

p.s. I'm looking to drive up to VT (or Berkshires) to do an all-day hike, as extreme as necessary, and would like to show my friend (who is visiting from NYC) the amazing foliage and scenary. Any recommendations? Thanks!