Foliage Update

[harley0711]

I was at Willoughby yesterday, both ends, and in surrounding areas. The areas off the lake are much better than the lake itself, which is still mostly yellows and greens, quite a few days to go, I thought. Try Job's Pond. It was foggy when I was there, but it looked like reds, yellows and oranges across the way. Rte 114 was great in many places, the full range of color peak, reds, oranges, yellows and greens all at once. 105 over to NH also was very good.

Thanks for the great advice - in mapping Jobs pond - I found Joes pond, lol - another place to check out. Now I am new to the area but I can only find 105 in VT - it looks to stop at the border with NH??? what am I missing??
Thanks again.

[minnesotaman]

Joe's Pond is not worth your time. A completely different kettle of fish.

105 from Island Pond to the NH border is what I was referring to. 105 is a Vermont state highway.

From what I saw in the last two days, the northeastern quadrant of VT will be spectacular for the next five or six days, some of the brightest color I have seen in 16 years of doing this.

Tim from the NEK has posted on this site in the past some wonderful drives in the NEK. I expect they will be memorable routes during this period, especially once the clouds lift tomorrow pm.

[harley0711]

Joe's Pond is not worth your time. A completely different kettle of fish.

105 from Island Pond to the NH border is what I was referring to. 105 is a Vermont state highway.

From what I saw in the last two days, the northeastern quadrant of VT will be spectacular for the next five or six days, some of the brightest color I have seen in 16 years of doing this.

Tim from the NEK has posted on this site in the past some wonderful drives in the NEK. I expect they will be memorable routes during this period, especially once the clouds lift tomorrow pm.

thanks, will scratch Joes pond off the list.... our plan is to spend wed night in Burlington then head north to 105 and follow it East....

[Kerry29]

I was at Willoughby yesterday, both ends, and in surrounding areas. The areas off the lake are much better than the lake itself, which is still mostly yellows and greens, quite a few days to go, I thought.

I concur with this completely--the trees on the slopes of Lake Willoughby are running behind just about everything else I've seen in the NEK. Hit May's Pond, Burton Hill Road, Bean Pond and Wheeler Pond this morning. All are at peak with the exception of Bean Pond which is running a bit behind. Spent the afternoon with Carol, and took in Crystal Lake (at or very near peak), Wheeler Pond (peak), Long Pond (peak), Willoughby (see above) and then ran to the Groton State Forest area via US-2. GSF is at or very near peak also. Drove the length of the forest on 232 and stopped at Peacham, Osmore and Ricker Ponds. All are essentially at peak, along with much of 232 itself.

[deaner1971]

As I am not arriving until Monday, it sounds like I can cross off any of my northern locations other than Mount Philo (do you think being on Champlain will keep that a possibility?).

I deeply appreciate the updates. I started with 26 shooting locations/drives and still have 23 so, I am hoping I will have a dozen left by then.

I hope everyone has a great time, gets great shots and stays safe. Thank you all again.

[CGandolfo]

Looks like Hurricane Matthew will skirt the New England coastline sometime on Sunday....hoping the worst of the winds stay a good distance away from the prime color.

[harley0711]

We arrive in Burlington, VT tomorrow late afternoon - See you all on Thursday

[Fallleafechidna]

My quick update is three letters OMG!

[Fallleafechidna]

Yeah it's plenty just as well I didn't come up until Monday night. Avoided the worst weather and the keys spots were total peak today not at all too late.

91 just out of St. Johnsbury up to the Barton exit out of this world!
Crystal Lake fantasic.
Wheeler Pond out of this world, looks exactly like 2012! Total peak! But should be good still at max peak through Thursday I think.
Willoughby Lake was actual not yet quite peak though, might actually be another two days, might peak fri, sat, sun.
Long Pond, the best foliage spot in the world the hill just leading down to it coming from Willoughby, was total peak and amazing! Maybe not quite 2012 in that year had an even wilder array of different colors and trees and leaves with multi colors but the hot red were crazy and really it was just about 2012 did it again. Simply utterly out of this world!
And Newark Pond was very good if not quite 2012.
The roads down from Newark Pond and down Abbot Hill road and Newark Road and Hill Road were stunning just like 2012 wow! And the infamous mind boggler along left wow good grief fantastic this year again. Not quite the multithreaded insanity of 2012 but ridiculously intense and really just there about.
And then 114 up to Canada was out of this world maybe even stronger than 2012! Absolutely fabulous stuff.

All should still be superb tomorrow still and probably really good still Thusday. Maybe by Friday a few the peakiest spots might have some of the most advanced reds fading a little but Willoughby Lake will likely only just be hitting peak.

It is a little on the later side this year.

But OMG get here now! Wow. Definitely a fantastic year. And believe me I know my fall leaves. NEK is having a ruling year again wow!

[Kerry29]

I spent all of this morning and about half the afternoon in the NEK before departing for New Hampshire (where I am now). Started out at May Pond (actually got a legitimate sunrise--first and only one in five days in VT) then checked Long Pond...both are absolutely at peak right now. Ultimately slowly worked my way up 5A and 105 to the Island Pond area, than back south on 114 (with a stop at Jobs Pond). These areas are all jaw-dropping right now. These were all reruns for me (except Jobs Pond--today was my first visit there) and, incredibly, I think 5A/105/114 were all better today than they were on my first visit (Saturday)...which is really saying something. When the clouds basically disappeared in five seconds around 2 PM, I left Jobs and slowly returned through Lyndonville. I then headed south (and east) and spent the afternoon shooting in and around Franconia and Sugar Hill...both of which are also incredible right now. Ditto the Wild River area. It was dark by the time I hit the Kanc so I can't say for sure how that looks, but based on what I could see when I had the high beams on the Kanc, too, is at peak right now. I'll find out for sure tomorrow.

I still can't get over how the areas between Barton, Island Pond and Lyndonville looked today--just spectacular color.

[Fallleafechidna]

Yesterday, once again amazing color along 91 starting around Lyndonville to Barton, simply crazy, and then great across over (I think that was 16?) to Willoughby (which had more color than the day before, but still not peak), the northern cut over from Willoughby to 105 had some great areas of color, then great 105 to 114, and the little stretch of 114 from just north of Abbot Hill/Neward Road to just south of that was was just insane again, that amazing patch on the northern (really more western) stretch there was utterly radioactive! Probably the most radioactive stretch in the world in a good year. Hope it stays safe (some land for sale). And then 114 heading north towards Canada was absolutely amazing again! 114 heading south somewhat below Abbot Hill/Newark Rd was fairly nice to start but there were less great spots for color and the color less intense and not as turned etc. the more you got towards Lyndonville, the stretch north to Canada is way better for leafing. Really great stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And that radioactive patch with the late day sun, radioactive beyond all possible words, burned into the brain!

Then 91 south from Lydonville to St. Johnsbry, that stretch a little less turned and maybe a bit more dried out and same for a bit, off and on and the way south there would be some areas were the turn looked great, others where it was still very green (quite a few) and others where it looked a bit dried out (quite a few) tracking at least half way down all of VT, even pretty far south here and there some nicely turned areas already mixed in. By Brattleboro it was getting a bit hard to see.

[Kerry29]

In case anyone cares about NH, I spent the early and mid-morning on the Kanc between Kancamagus Pass and Bear Notch Road...it's absolutely at peak right now, and hanging in there very nicely. I spent late morning and the rest of the day on Bear Notch Road and (primarily) Crawford Notch; both areas are essentially at peak as well...maybe just a hair prior in parts of Crawford Notch, but only a hair; most areas in the notch are at peak.

[harley0711]

Yesterday, once again amazing color along 91 starting around Lyndonville to Barton, simply crazy, and then great across over (I think that was 16?) to Willoughby (which had more color than the day before, but still not peak), the northern cut over from Willoughby to 105 had some great areas of color, then great 105 to 114, and the little stretch of 114 from just north of Abbot Hill/Neward Road to just south of that was was just insane again, that amazing patch on the northern (really more western) stretch there was utterly radioactive! Probably the most radioactive stretch in the world in a good year. Hope it stays safe (some land for sale). And then 114 heading north towards Canada was absolutely amazing again! 114 heading south somewhat below Abbot Hill/Newark Rd was fairly nice to start but there were less great spots for color and the color less intense and not as turned etc. the more you got towards Lyndonville, the stretch north to Canada is way better for leafing. Really great stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And that radioactive patch with the late day sun, radioactive beyond all possible words, burned into the brain!

Then 91 south from Lydonville to St. Johnsbry, that stretch a little less turned and maybe a bit more dried out and same for a bit, off and on and the way south there would be some areas were the turn looked great, others where it was still very green (quite a few) and others where it looked a bit dried out (quite a few) tracking at least half way down all of VT, even pretty far south here and there some nicely turned areas already mixed in. By Brattleboro it was getting a bit hard to see.

Been enjoying following your choices but found some interesting dirt and gravel, lol... 114 north from 105 - good??
did 105 to island pond but did not go north

in the morning taking 100 from south to north and over to 111?
will be back up there tomorrow,,,, may try 111 over to 114 and go north?
then take 114 back south to 91?
check out Bean pond?

thoughts

[Fallleafechidna]

@harley071 - yeah, 114 north from 105, maybe go up 3/4 of the way to Canada and turn around (maybe around the top end of Norton Pond? although one nice spot a bit farther on) or go up to the border and then head east and then looking left, to the north, some amazing, solid red slopes in the distance at times too if you have time for that (maybe go to around Lac-Wallace and turn around). I thought 114 north from 105 to near Canada was way better than 114 from one mile south of Newark Road intersection down to 91, that stretch was simply no match at all for the 114 from 1 mile south of Newark Rd to 105 (RADIOACTIVE!) to the turn north to Island Pond and then the twist left and then straight up towards Canada stretch which was all insane and awesome. That said, tomorrow is two days later, so there is always a chance what was utter peak on Wed might be a bit past on Friday and maybe the 114 to 91 will intensify a bit (some of the more northern bits of that stretch were pretty great too though, but the last half, maybe even last two thirds wasn't a match, either simply not the views of the right sorts of slopes and trees, not yet peak or just not as brilliantly turned).

On the 114 north part, there is one big paved pull out on the right with some brilliant trees along the edge on the way back down south, on that side of the road on the way back, another pull out across from a pond that had stunning color rising up from it. All that stuff is probably better past any sort of morning hours since you want sun, straight overhead at worst, and coming from the west even better.

[Fallleafechidna]

@harley071- I can't say much about 111 since we hit that in the pitch black. The next day we cut over on 16 and that was really great (could also try cutting over sooner from 100, but maybe that northern bit is great? didn't see it).
If you have word that the ponds are still on, I might try to maybe do your 100 to 111 then up 114 then turn around and then take Newark Road back up to the ponds? I've never seen Bean Pond but the photos above (or maybe it was another thread, not sure where I am typing right now) that someone posted from today or maybe yesterday looked amazing. I guess you probably did Nwewark Road/Abbot Hill already? If not amazing stuff!!!! Just a few hundred yards up Newarkd Road from 114 the view back down to N,W, and E is amazing! Beautiful fields and hills to the west, radioactive trees and distant mountains to the northwest, stunning bright slope with a few wild reds on it to the northeast, some brilliant little trees closer in to the east. And of course, the little stretch before you get there, from 105 to Newark Rd has RADIOACTIVE trees to the left (north), fantastic in the afternoon and early evening. Also the little bit from Island Pond down 114 to where 105 meets it, to the right (west), a few long view openings between buildings and homes, stunning, and nearer the evening the sun just lights some intermediate distant glowing red trees, superb.

For something possibly new, after going 114 south for a few miles past Newark Rd you could turn around and go back up to 105 and go on that a bit and then turn left onto Hudson to Westmore to Hinton Hill Road and take that over and down to Willoughby which might finally even be peak tomorrow.