Peak Foliage ends

[Sharon]

Foliage is past peak, but I got a few nice photos just before the vibrant colors dropped off on the route to my house.

This is the view from my pond

This is my pond

 

[Admin]

Fixed it for ya -- you had used the wrong BBCode tags for the first three images.

 

[Sharon]

Thanks Marc...I thought I used the same code tags for all of them. hmmm

 

[Tony Crocker]

Am I correct in assuming this is a very good fall foliage season? From what I've read, as for winter skiing rain is the main risk to curtail fall foliage in the Northeast. I've been there for it about 4x I think. Around this time in 1993 was the best, at Concord and Lake Winnepesaukee. Late October 1988 (my first October ski day) there was very little. Timing was late, but in southern NH and Boston area there was a lot of rain too.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Can't speak for New England, but here in northern NJ, we're closing in on peak colors and it's gorgeous. The leaves seem to be a week or two ahead of schedule due to the drought this summer (<< my theory).

I've got my mountain bike in the back of my car and plan to ride for a couple hours after work. Gotta take advantage while we still have sunlight after 5 pm.

 

[rfarren]

Here in NYC its just getting started as well, I would imagine the heat island within the city allows the trees to change even later than in the burbs. Interestingly enough, here in brooklyn the trees have changed more than they have in manhattan, I guess thats the urban island for ya.

 

[riverc0il]

Am I correct in assuming this is a very good fall foliage season?

Yup. Been sensational here in between the lakes and the whites. Best I have seen it in years. There was an early cold snap early in the month and then moderate temps with little wind or rain for two weeks. Great show. Just rained and the wind started blowing earlier this week and peak has past in the mountains and just passing this past week in the northern lake region. I suspect southern NH is probably going off right now.

Interestingly enough, having lived in north eastern MA, the north shore of MA, the NEK in VT, and between the mountains and lakes in NH and having driven all over the place in these states during the fall... my conclusion is that the best leaves are in the I-95 corridor between Cape Ann and NH. The northern lake region of NH and especially the northern lakes region offer a good compromise of a decent amount of open space with mountain views but the mountains are not mostly needle trees such as the whites. The White Mountains is, IMO, not a great place to see great colors unless you hit it RIGHT at peak since there is such a high amount of non-color trees. VT I have less experience with but I gotta imagine colors are better in Warren than say in Jay.

 

[Anthony]

Nice shots , the leaves are all down in our Laurentian area as the peak time is usually last week of September . City metro heat does keep the leaves on the trees longer as this is always evident in the Montreal area in comparison to surrounding areas.

 

[Bobby Danger]

nice pictures sharon. the foliage here has come down below the ski areas to the bottom of the mtn. but not really into the city there is some color though. alot of green inside the beltway.

 

[Sharon]

Am I correct in assuming this is a very good fall foliage season? From what I've read, as for winter skiing rain is the main risk to curtail fall foliage in the Northeast. I've been there for it about 4x I think. Around this time in 1993 was the best, at Concord and Lake Winnepesaukee. Late October 1988 (my first October ski day) there was very little. Timing was late, but in southern NH and Boston area there was a lot of rain too.

I want to confirm that the foliage seems to be particularly more vibrant than usual. Typically, foliage peaks here around Columbus Day, and it was right on time. We had stellar weather both in Sept and Oct. Bright and sunny with a nice warm Indian Summer. A bit on the dry side, but enough moisture to keep the lawn growing. I am hoping that today was the last mowing of the season.

This autumn's weather has been ideal for mtn biking. I am grateful to be able to ride for an hour right out my door. I am getting off work a little early (going in earlier in the morning) so I can get in a good ride after work.

What would they do without it.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Sorry for the heresy, but mountain biking through peak northeastern foliage is, at least for me, as good as a powder day. As I mentioned to Jason, it's like riding through a yellow, red, purple, orange, and brown cathedral, the odor of leaves is incredible... and it never gets old.

 

[pointpeninsula]

Thanks for the great pictures of the Southern Tier, Sharon. I sent the link to my wife, who likes your pond picture so much it now graces her work computer's desktop.

Tom

 

[Sharon]

Thanks for the great pictures of the Southern Tier, Sharon. I sent the link to my wife, who likes your pond picture so much it now graces her work computer's desktop.

Tom

Wow, quite the compliment. Thanks!

I have that one on my desktop at home.

This is the picture on my desktop at work

 

[Sharon]

Sorry for the heresy, but mountain biking through peak northeastern foliage is, at least for me, as good as a powder day. As I mentioned to Jason, it's like riding through a yellow, red, purple, orange, and brown cathedral, the odor of leaves is incredible... and it never gets old.

Well, almost, but not quite.

I do love the smell of Autumn and cruising through the colorful forest. I do it daily...but unlike powder, the leaf cover makes the riding a whole lot more challenging (powder makes skiing easier and smoother). I find that this time of year, when the leaves are piling up in the trails, I need to ride slower and stay more balanced and use less lean and angle, or else my bike might slide out beneath me in the slippery leaves. Rocks, roots and stumps are hidden. My goal is to not fall, and so far, so good. I did have a few spills when it was wet though...but that was on the slick log crossing. Just no traction on an off camber log cross. I ended up moving the log off the trail because I had slipped there enough times (and had the bruises to prove it). I kept others in place (at least 6) as they are on level ground and have not caused me much trouble.

Ride it while you can...those days are numbered. Snow in tomorrow's forecast.

(unfortunately not the skiable kind)

 

[Harvey]

Sorry for the heresy, but mountain biking through peak northeastern foliage is, at least for me, as good as a powder day. As I mentioned to Jason, it's like riding through a yellow, red, purple, orange, and brown cathedral, the odor of leaves is incredible... and it never gets old.

It's great I admit. And I'll admit that it never gets old. Plus... you can get it for a month in Sept in the mountains and another month in October in the flatlands.

But as good as powder? No way Jose. Not as good as packed powder, or soft carveable bumps or cross country skiing or cocoa by the fire apres ski.

I've thought about starting a thread encouraging people to rank seasons in order of preference. For me...winter, fall, spring and summer. But fall is only ahead of the part of spring that doesn't have skiing. After all the snow is gone. And summer is definitely a distant dead last.

 

[Sharon]

I've thought about starting a thread encouraging people to rank seasons in order of preference. For me...winter, fall, spring and summer. But fall is only ahead of the part of spring that doesn't have skiing. After all the snow is gone. And summer is definitely a distant dead last.

For me the ranking is Winter, Summer, Fall then Spring.

Winter is obvious...that's why we are all here in this forum. But besides alpine skiing, I love xc skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and sledding. Just being out in the snow and then going in the hot tub while flake falls onto your head.

Summer...love the water, long days, warm weather. So much to do and long days to do it all...swim, waterski, windsurf, mtb bike and more.

Fall...the wind just starts getting good for windsurfing and the foliage is spectacular. Mtn biking nearly every day. After Halloween though, things start to get bad. It is dark. Days are short. Hunting season starts in early November, so I cannot go in the woods. I end up spending too much time indoors, watching TV, eating pie, watching the padding form on my midsection. It just doesn't get better until the snow falls. I can only hope for an early winter, because "the dark times" can be a bummer.

Spring...well, when there is still snow on the ground, spring is good, but that is really leftover winter with nice temps. It doesn't last very long, especially here in CNY...but after the snow is gone, I'm a mess. I get depressed and it is the time of the year I am most likely to get sick. Can't bike because it is too muddy. Hikes are messy and the dogs get very muddy. Too cold to swim and still too cold to windsurf. Allergies make me miserable when trees begin to pollenate. My absolute least favorite of the seasons. Once summer sets in, then I get out of the funk.

November through early Dec, and Mid-April-May are my least favorite months. February, March, July, August, Sept and Oct are my favorites.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Of Sharon's disliked months, the spring ones are great in the right areas of the West, where skiing is still high quality and many of the summer sports are coming to life, along with the longer daylight to take advantage of them. I think nearly all advanced skiers share the sentiment about November/early December. Only the very geographically fortunate see much quality of skiing then.

I vote accordingly with my ski $, days skied:
Oct: 2
Nov: 14
Dec. 1-15: 16
VS
Apr. 16-30: 27
May: 57
Jun: 8
Jul: 9

And FYI:
Dec. 16-31: 56
Apr. 1-15: 78