Forest Service Offers Planning Tools for Fall Colors Viewing

Forest Service Offers Planning Tools for Fall Colors Viewing

Thursday, September 19, 2013

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The U.S. Forest Service is urging people to get outdoors, spend time in rural communities and urban forests, and enjoy one of nature's most spectacular seasons with its Fall Colors 2013 campaign.

"America's public lands, particularly our national forests, are among the most spectacular venues to view the changes in fall colors," said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. "The Forest Service offers numerous resources to help you plan your experience. Nature is closer than you may think."

The Forest Service has launched an online map to help visitors see if trees are peaking in their state. The map will be shaded in green (not peaking) to bright red (peaking) to brown (past peak). Another map will help visitors find a national forest nearest them to enjoy the colors of fall.

For a more analogue approach to trip planning, the Forest Service is once again offering its Fall Colors Hotline – 1-800-354-4595. The hotline provides audio updates on the best places, dates and routes to take for peak viewing of fall colors on national forests.

Fall colors provide an economic boost to communities across the United States. The New England area alone receives an estimated $8 billion annually in local revenues from fall visitors. In the Midwest, millions of visitors hit the road to enjoy the sights, and in the West, the mountains offer destinations filled with tourists seeking views of shimmering gold aspens.

To visit the new USFS fall color map page, please click here.


Jeff
Hiking in the Smokies

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Regional Fall Color Round-up

Regional Fall Color Round-up

Saturday, October 16, 2010

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The following are the latest fall color updates for the various park areas in the Great Smoky Mountains region:

* Tom Harrington's latest update on the GSMA website states that fall colors are now at their peak in the upper elevations of the Great Smokies (above 3,000 feet), and will remain at peak for the next couple of days. He also expects autumn colors for the lower elevations to be at or near peak by next week.

* Virtual Blue Ridge posted this report late Thursday:

In Virginia the Peaks of Otter is reporting color in Tulip Poplar, Dogwood, and Sourwood on the mountainside. A variety of Oaks and Mountain Ash are also showing fall colors. The Rocky Knob and Mabry Mill area are probably at peak color this coming weekend. Dogwood and Poplar are also pretty, along with Sassafras along the roadsides in the area of the Blue Ridge Music Center. This weekend will probably be the peak of color there.

High up on the sides of Mount Mitchell north of Asheville, visitors will also see some color showing nicely. The area south of Asheville is one of the highlights now with Graveyard Fields turning peak after a cold night in recent days. This is by far the best place to see good color along the southern end of the Parkway. A few of the higher elevations around Devil's Courthouse, Richland Balsam and more are about 50% right now while the rest of the Parkway south of there is about 30%-40% color. Still a nice drive with enough color to show that fall is finally here.

You can read the full report by clicking here.

* Tennessee State Parks has a new “color watch” tool on their website to help visitors plan for the best leaf peeping opportunities. For nearby Roan Mountain, ETSU professors are projecting a magnificent season of color throughout October. The website also highlights state park events, including fall hikes at South Cumberland, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and along the Cumberland Trail.

* Grandfather Mountain State Park in NC is reporting that fall colors are at their peak right now.

* And finally, earlier this week, the National Park Foundation announced its 2010 ‘Top National Parks for Fall Foliage’ list. Included on the list was the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area where peak fall colors are expected through Thanksgiving.



Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Fall colors in Smokies to arrive a little late this year

Fall colors in Smokies to arrive a little late this year

Sunday, October 3, 2010

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Steve Kemp from the Great Smoky Mountains Association has posted his latest fall leaf color report on the GSMA website.

Mr. Kemp is reporting that fall colors will likely be peaking a little later than average this year.

His report states that fall colors will be at their peak in 2-3 weeks in many areas of the Smoky Mountain high country (above 4,500'). He also stated that peak colors at the lower elevations are likely to be a month away.

You can view his entire report by clicking here.

For additional suggestions on some of the best hikes for viewing fall colors in the Smokies, please click here.

On a related note, TripAdvisor recently published their list of the top ten fall foliage destinations in the U.S. Not surprisingly, Asheville ranked number 1, while Galinburg came in at number 3.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Autumn postcard from the Great Smoky Mountains

Autumn postcard from the Great Smoky Mountains

Monday, November 2, 2009

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In case you couldn’t make it to the Smokies this fall, you can still check out this excellent video from the Great Smoky Mountains Association. It's called An Autumn Postcard from the Smokies:







Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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Fall colors peaking at highest elevations in Smokies

Fall colors peaking at highest elevations in Smokies

Monday, October 19, 2009

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Steve Kemp of the Great Smoky Mountains Association is reporting that fall colors at the highest elevations in Great Smoky Mountains are peaking right now. He goes on to report that peak colors at the higher elevations are predicted to last through October 23.

He also reports that fall colors are still spotty at the lower and mid elevations, but very vibrant in some places. The peak for fall color below elevations of 4000 feet is expected to occur from October 26 through November 6.

Tom Harrington is reporting that some scattered foliage is beginning to show on the way to Laurel Falls, and beyond that, up to Cove Mountain, there is some really brilliant red foliage.

You can read their updated reports over at the GSMA website.

Also, if you want to check out what the fall foliage looks like in a variety of spots across the Mid and Southern Appalachians, check out the comprehensive list of live web cams on the Blue Ridge Country Magazine website.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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