GSMNP Update. It's been a long day. Started out this morning at the Foothills Parkway south. 20%-25% color. Next, I drove to Gatlinburg by Little River Road. Since Little River Road runs along the Little River, nearby vegetation has changed more than the surrounding vegetation. 40%-50%. Bypassed Gatlinburg, which as usual this time of year was extremely crowded with tourists, by taking Roaring Fork Motor Trail. 40%-50% color. Then took the Foothills Parkway north to I-40. 40%-50%. Since I was fairly close to Cataloochee, I decided to check it out. 40%-50% color. Unfortunately it was a warm day and the elk were seeking shade in the woods. When the weather is cool they come out into the fields. Since they are used to people and cars, you can get pretty close to them. All in all, it was a beautiful day for a drive through the mountains.
garyroach wrote:
GSMNP Update. It's been a long day. Started out this morning at the Foothills Parkway south. 20%-25% color. Next, I drove to Gatlinburg by Little River Road. Since Little River Road runs along the Little River, nearby vegetation has changed more than the surrounding vegetation. 40%-50%. Bypassed Gatlinburg, which as usual this time of year was extremely crowded with tourists, by taking Roaring Fork Motor Trail. 40%-50% color. Then took the Foothills Parkway north to I-40. 40%-50%. Since I was fairly close to Cataloochee, I decided to check it out. 40%-50% color. Unfortunately it was a warm day and the elk were seeking shade in the woods. When the weather is cool they come out into the fields. Since they are used to people and cars, you can get pretty close to them. All in all, it was a beautiful day for a drive through the mountains....Show more →
saaketham wrote:
@garyroach ... so when would be the peak in GSMNP? I'm thinking about going there. Loved the place in spring, and fall can only be better. Thanks.
Where? The park ranges in altitude from 1400' to above 6000'. Above 5000' has already peaked. 3000'-5000' is peaking right now. The lower elevations will peak between now and the end of the month. I've tried to be specific in my posts of particular places in and around the park. I can tell you what I observed when I was there. But, I can't predict when a certain area will peak. Hope you enjoy the park.
We spent the weekend down the Eastern Sierra. From Conway Summit to the top of Bishop Creek (Sabrina Lake) is in full neon glory. I was down there last week and it was mostly green, what a difference a week makes! There is some green, but mostly neon yellow/orange. North Lake is past peak because of the snow a few weeks ago.
Debbie
GSMNP Update. I thought I'd try to sneak into Cades Cove this morning before the hordes (also known as tourists) descended. I got there at 9:00AM and the traffic was already bumper-to-bumper. What's even worse is that the leaves have gone from green to brown and fallen from the trees. So, I bailed out and took Rich Mountain Road out of the Cove and back to Townsend. There wasn't much color along Rich Mountain Road, but more than Cades Cove. The road from the Y to Cades Cove is probably at it's peak or just past. And the road to Tremont is also about done. Unfortunately the color is not as good as in past years. In all, kind of a disappointing fall.
Update to the Update. A cold front will move through Tuesday night. This will accelerate the remaining leaves to turn. In fact, they are predicting snow flurries in the higher elevations!
Was back in the eastern Sierra this past weekend. If you can, go now!
Having been there a week earlier to see high elevation trees negatively affected by the early and strong cold storm and lower elevation trees still almost all fully green, I was anticipating that high elevation color would largely be gone and low elevation trees still in the process of changing.
Instead I was surprised to find that not all of the higher elevation trees were quite "done" yet, and good color was still around. (Though very high there were many trees with few or no leaves.) But more surprising, trees that had been green a week ago were changing color with surprising speed, even down to relatively low elevations at the edges of Owens Valley.
I like to say that each aspen season has its own personality. I think this quick change a bit more than a week after the cold storm will be the main thing that characterizes this particular season.
A disclaimer: The areas I visited over the past few days ranged from Glacier Lodge Road and a few nearby areas, through the South Lake drainage of Bishop Creek, then a number of areas around Mammoth Lakes, the Parker Lake trailhead area in the north portion of the June Lakes loop, Lee Vining Canyon, and Conway Summit. I can't report anything about other areas, where the conditions could well be different from what I saw.
sadly looks to be one of the poorest fall foliage season in years, maybe in my lifetime
last years was one the greatest in recent years
upper jefferson to sparta appeared to be much poorer than normal and past peak today (although it was VERY dark by time I got to try to check that area out, so take that with a bit of grain of salt), seems it turned both earlier overall and much more unevenly this year than last
rockaway, fairly pre-peak with lots of green in some spots but peak in others, earlier turn than last year but much more uneven and sadly some amazing trees are already partly bare without ever having really turned, lots of rot of sugar maple leaves
similar story for denville/boonton
didn't check kinellon yet
northern 287 mostly green or burnt orange brown not a single insanely color little sugar maple or red maple along the edge, either they are turning late compared to other northern nj locals this year or just won't turn this year well at all
some of the parking lot trees in the route 10 west strips malls (near walmart, B&N, etc.) were an early full peak last weekend, they looked rich
oddly southern route 53 half way between denville and morristown had some nearly full peak sugar maples a week ago (along with plenty of green) even though they usually ALL turn way later than the other locations mentioned, the early few turners there looked good
NY (north):
Lake George on 13th, the sugar maples in town were at tops peak as were many on road over to Vermont from there once you got a bit aways from Lake George warming espc., the hillsides above Lake George had some total peak trees but i'd say it was 20% were 100% peak and 80% were green
-----------------------------------------
NY (south):
Harriman State Park not turning nearly as nicely as last year
much less even turn than last year, very patchy in when each tree or area or part of a tree decides to turn this year
driving up 7 seven lakes from the south it is all green or burned out sickly looking not an impressive tree to see, maybe some will still turn later, until the second circle
the interesting maple near the first circle around coming up 7 lakes drive that is awesome when shot up towards a blue sky with sun backlighting it is putting on a good show this year, not quite as good as last year, but close, it only peaks for two days, it goes green to peak to fallen boom, today and tomorrow will be the days for it (mon/tues 17th and 18th)
if you turn east at the first circle coming up from teh south, the circle mentioned above, and go down a little until you hit the swampy lake with reeds on teh right side the two maples just past it are on the last day or two of peak today (mon 17th) and look pretty solid although unlike last year the background trees are green and not turned and the small maples at water's edge are already fallen so not the drama of last year overall at that spot and the brilliant little maples along that road are either still well peak or past peak or looking sickly this year last year everthing was amazing there and all at once
coming up 7 lakes from south if you turn onto the dirt road to the left that goes to the water towers and camp up in there it is near peak, i'd say 16-19th will be the height for that area, it looks very nice but all the same nothing like the magic it was last year with the brilliant little red maples turning max (this year long gone and sickly) at same time as the older sugar maples, they did turn yellow this year but parts of the trees are a little green and parts bare now and last year they all turned at once and made for an impressive yellow
everything else in that part of the park is green or sickly an dnot good yet and maybe never for this year
they have the beautiful drive down from teh second circle going west to 17 closed at the circle and at 17 so one of the nicest stretched in the park is bike or walk only, so be prepared and make time for a long trip, didn't check it out, not sure how it's turning
north of the second circle past the bridge that is down to one lane with the traffic light for repairs the sugar maple forests there are right at peak now (surprised since the southern part of the park other than down the one dirt road is all pre-peak or sickly early drop) and are pretty beautiful, although again not overwhelmingly breath taking as last year
certainyl some nice sights ot be had but nothing even close to last year, not remotely close, a poor turn year for sure, one of the poorer in years
i'd try to hit it tomorrow before storm on wed since the nicest parts of the park are around peak now even if much of it is green
Vermont (west central/southwestern):
crossing into the state on route 4 was about as peak as it will get there on 13-15th i suspect, some green on the first hill or two with more color slightly deeper in, there was some nice stuff there 13th driving in, flaming sumacs, pastel hillsides, it seemed slight more faded on 16th
going south on 30 near border and cutting down from 4 on 16th was just a mess, hills mostly a burned out brown or brown orange not sure what leaf report hotline meant by great color (granted report was from a few days before for there but it looked to me like it never did anything there; the entire northwestern and central western green mtns southern district looked pretty bad, so bad it's hard to believe they ever get good color there, although i did see a near photo of northern rupert once so maybe that's not the case, sickly green, burned orange and brown) i kinda wasted a few hours there, much better bet is to zip down 7 and get to near bennington as fast as you can, as 7 nears bennington the color suddenly starts popping like mad with some real rich deep vermont red on the sugar maples, popping like mad on exit 2 off route 7 south on the 16th, Bald Mtn there, the lower and mid slopes looked to have some really nice color, the trees all throughout bennington were popping like mad on the 16th, total peak, same for chapel and east rds north out of bennington along 7
first parts of 9 east going up and across green mtns there looked peak 16th and very nice beech and birch and some maple low to mid slopes, the entire higher elevs were long bare or sickly and although turned around it seemed the east side was probably psat peak and or poor turn at all elevations (in general the turn appeared to be both later and better on the western than eastern flanks on both sections of GMNF)
farther north the Kelly Stand Rd crossover is closed at some point but you can go a while and it has some very nice peak color on the 16th, that pocket turned pretty well
Vermont (central western):
lots of nice pastels 13th, 14th, already perhaps a day or two past peak in quite a few areas
rutland up into mtns heading toward killing had good color 13th, espc. the lower and mid parts
killington to a bit north of stockbridge on 100 were at the end of peak on the 13th
some of 100 more north of that area was more past peak and or bruned out sickly looking with not the best turn
although it got nicer again, very nice, for a stretch even a bit farther north again with granville gulch with very nice color if a bit just past abs peak on the 15th but south of there until you got nearer to stockbridge was past peak and or not well turned this year
73 is closed but you can get a bit past the top and mt horrid coming from the west (well past the closed sign, i'd turn around at mt. horrid and head back west) up at top it is def past peak but lower on coming up had some colors 15th, again colors on western slopes but top and east side are past peak or burned out sickly turn
125 crossover similar story (aside from road closure, this one is open fully)
lincoln gap crossing was past peak 15th but still had enough color remaining to look quite pretty, some giant maples and hemlocks on one part that look old growth (same for gifford woods and parts of granville gulch, nice big trees)
braintree hill, bent hill, thresher, 12a were just past ult peak but still with lots of color, on maybe the last day of peak, 13th, some beautiful pastels on some of them and some fairly rich yellows on the one back down to 12A more farther up north just past the 12a closure
Vermont (northwest):
heading out of burlington up 15 on the 14th it started near peak (right near burlington still some green) and then became past peak perhaps near westford or so although there were still occasional areas of full peak brilliance, as you went north most smaller trees near road were long bare or looked poorly turned and dropped in many places but you would hit stretched of peak, cutting back on waterville rd it was prob a day or two past abs peak but still very nice color, the understory beech and birch were all at top peak although some over story sugar maples were dropped, the first, northern parts of 108 from jeffersonville towards stowe we maybe a little past peak 14th but still quite a lot of amazing pastels still up and some deep rich radioactive full peak stunners near smuggler's notch alogn with the amazing peak pastel trees, quite nice indeed! and decent color heading up for a ways until past peak near very top, coming down the other side towards stowe it seemed more past peak than the slopes heading up as you went south and the area appeared as if it may not have turned quite as well
15th 89 waterbury to burlington some areas nearish peak more westerly
14th east of 89 looked past peak and burned/sickly turning for the most part
overall:
plenty of areas 13-16th had peak pastels very striking and artistic, all sorts of light but saturated pastel shades, some areas had deep red maple hues or intense yellow, beautiful
some chunks of 100 in the middle and most of 30 on southwest were past peak and or burned out sickly turned
entire northwest corner of southern green mtn district was a mess
for the south west i'd go straight to 7 and down to bennington, the later parts of 7 have some awesome rich, deep red sugar maples as do the lower parts of the lower two crossovers of the southern green mtn district
anyone know what i should expect for fall colors in NYC (Central park), between October 28-31. I've got to make another trip to Toronto and was thinking of spending the weekend in NYC.
I'd also appreciate any other suggestions for fall colors in and around NYC.
khurram1 wrote:
anyone know what i should expect for fall colors in NYC (Central park), between October 28-31. I've got to make another trip to Toronto and was thinking of spending the weekend in NYC.
I'd also appreciate any other suggestions for fall colors in and around NYC.
generally that is awfully late for fall colors in the area, but central park is a lot warmer than the surrounding areas, being heated up by the city, so perhaps that might actually be peak there
stuff like the nearby harriman/bear mtn, nj highlands and such will totally past peak
in a late year you might find some stuff in lower elevations in NJ nearer to the city, i'm not so familiar with those areas though
colors in the region are much worse than normal this year, however central park is a different world in so many ways so i really can't say how it will be there, there is also the bronx botanical garden which has some old growth forest which should have some trees of types that would turn nice colors and then you also have parks such as inwood hill park at far northern tip of manhattan which has ancient forest of climax type and so should have sugar maples. Pelham Bay Park is also near the warming waters and city. All of these might well peak as late as 28-31.
NCAndy wrote:
There are still plenty of bright spots to be found around the Smokies but the highest elevations are gone. Mid elevations and now along the valley floor are the best bet. These were taken this evening from my front porch. The first is a bit soft though I'm working on another version. Still some nice color to be had.
you really should've looked for a home with a better view!
