October 24th or bust! (never mind, trip canceled)

[ixl]

So, this foliage season has been a really confusing bit of an ordeal for me personally. With the lack of cold weather everything was late, I didn't end up going up north like I wanted, I figured the color wouldn't get good up north but it did and I missed it, and now I'm sitting here hoping all the green in the valleys here still has a chance to turn.

This COULD happen. I have seen good color here as late as the 26th even in a year not as late as this one.

It will be cold this weekend. Could even be some snow up north. I am hoping that this will finally get this area kicked into gear and the weekend of the 24th I can do some shooting around here.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, please keep the color reports coming. Especially anyone in the lower elevations, and along the route 7 corridor from Bennington through Burlington. I might even try to shoot the route 22 area in eastern NYS, a very underrated area.

Here's hoping the leaves don't all blow off the trees this weekend.

Hope the rest of you have fared well.

[Fallleafechidna]

You can always rush down to NJ tomorrow . Sparta area of the highlands was max peak, to even past peak already. Best color in over half a decade! Insane you are still green up in Bennington !

It is a bit weird even here though in that some of the low elevation in towns here have many trees max peak, incredible! And some protected, cold hills that should turn earlier and more green.

Harriman/Bear Mtn is probably at least peak.

Upper Catskills were great on Monday. Down way low and east like in Kingston though it was awfully green.

[ctyanky]

The color down here in Northern CT is the best I've seen in years as well. The deepest reds and oranges and golds and no leaf drop yet. I'm resuming my exploration both days this weekend! What a stellar year for color! I knew Mother Nature would catch up in all her glory!

I wish I could take all of next week off so I can soak it all in before the leaves come down. I still have 2 weeks to chase it down to the CT shoreline.

For those interested, the CT report states that the NE corner of CT (aka The Quite Corner) should be peak by end next week and surely by next weekend.

[loafer89]

This was Mohawk Mountain, Cornwall Connecticut last Sunday:



View from the top of Mohawk Mountain looking towards Mt Greylock:

[loafer89]

The foliage color here in Central Connecticut varies from about 25% where I live in Enfield to 50-60% in the nearby Eastern Hills and probably near peak in Litchfield by now. The Oaks are still about 95% green, but changing this week.

[ixl]

Thanks for the photos.

There is a fair bit of color change around Bennington now. I think absent any mega-windy-storm, we are in good shape for SOMEWHERE around here to be peak next weekend.

[ixl]

I drove around again this morning. The hard freeze is leading to a lot of drop of already-changed leaves. I am not sure where to go that will have good color next weekend. It may end up being a bust.

If anyone hears any reports of good color this week, please post them. Thanks.

[loafer89]

Lake George and the Fort Ticonderoga area where peak last Saturday. Rutland was also peak as well, with good color change for the Oaks. By next weekend the only foliage in great quantity that will be left will be along Route 5, Route 30, Route 7 and the Champlain Valley area.

[loafer89]

Northwestern Connecticut is now past peak. I did the drive yesterday afternoon on Route 44 to Route 8 and then to Route 4 and the non Oaks are about 50% bare. Route 44 from Norfolk to Winsted had good color, but green Oak tree's. Route 318 will have peak Oak color sometime in the next 7-10 days.

[Fallleafechidna]

Maybe a bit of a drive, but Harriman State Park down in NY was hanging on pretty nicely today and should still look fine tomorrow. 7 lakes drive and the side cut overs. They closed the awesome dirt road super early this season though, kicked us out at 3PM, on only the 19th! Usually that road isn't closed until 20th or even 22nd. But you could still walk that one, that looked awesome today.

It might hang on for Wednesday too, maybe THurs?? probably best to hit it tomorrow though, as once you are in the thick of peak it can go away fast and tonight will also be cold.

As with many areas it is a bit odd as one pair of trees there that ALWAYS turn together, one is 80% bare, remaining 20% awesome, but the other is 90% green, never, ever seen that before. A few lower elevs with less maples are a bit shriveled but those parts are rarely spectacular anyway.

[Fallleafechidna]

I can give detailed instructions on places there.

[loafer89]

I am going to check out the Pioneer Valley on Saturday. I-91 and Route 5 through Central/Southern Massachusetts should be peak this weekend and the weather forecast looks ideal. I think I am done with Vermont for fall foliage this year.

[loafer89]

The hard freeze that we had yesterday (20F here yesterday morning) seems to have had a negative effect on the foliage. Tree's that where colorful on Sunday are now brown/bare.

[ixl]

It's a little known fact that a hard freeze drops more leaves (if they have turned) than anything but a serious windstorm.

On Sunday morning I was standing waiting for a sunrise hoping for foliage in the valleys and snow on the mountaintops (which of course we didn't get, but they did up north, they get everything up north!) and there was just a shower of leaves falling on me in a dead calm wind.

[loafer89]

It snowed most of Sunday here in Northern Connecticut and accumulated in spots in the Litchfield Hills. We saw snow OTG in Vermont as far south as the summit of Okemo on Saturday. I'll take a quick peak into southern Massachusetts on Thursday or Friday morning to see if there is any decent foliage worth driving for on Saturday.