Here are three tips that you must read to plan an awemazing fall color tour. Some of these tips require a little extra research or energy to find the perfect vantage point but it is worth it! If you can’t make the extra effort this year – at least take a walk around your neighborhood or local park to enjoy all that the season has to offer.
Tip 1: Timing – Get out there at the right time for the Peak Colors.
Yes…the purple grasses and the pop of color in the pictures above are helping me with timing…I go to this park often. But…when I am going to other places I check a few of the online color guides and maps. (Like this one: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/fall-leaves-foliage-dates-map) It is great to arrive on the peak day and have nice weather and have everything work out perfectly. Good luck with that! That is not how my life works. Last year I booked a ticket to travel to Canada with my family for a Fall color tour. I booked my ticket for the wrong date (a date that I was already traveling for a wedding) so I had to pay the change fees. That ticket was much more than I was planning to spend for on a quick weekend getaway and…it rained all weekend. We ventured out anyway and the wet colors made it look like a watercolor painting. It was beautiful and I got to wear my rain boots. (I usually don’t go out much in the rain!) I would share some of those pictures but I recently washed my phone in the washing machine and lost all of my pictures that weren’t properly backed up. So…timing is everything…and with that – Enjoy the moment – pictures don’t always last forever! Oh, one last thing about timing: just like always, check the sunrise and sunset times of the location that you are visiting. Timing is very important when it comes to lighting and lighting is everything!
Tip 2: Look up, down, and all around – find vantage points for awe!
Not all vantage points are created equal. I have climbed waterfalls (and slipped closer than I was comfortable with – be careful). I have hiked to the tops of hills ( and squatted down further than my knees liked) to snap a picture of a nature made bouquet of fallen leaves. One of my favorite vantage points for awe is standing under a towering tree and looking straight up at the beautiful fan of color with the sky peaking through. If you have the opportunity – seeing the colors from the water or near the water is another great vantage point. Small lakes are the best – color all around. The reflection on the water is like a buy one, get one free view! You see colors or the reflection of colors in every direction that you look. One last thought about where to look to find color…I just happened upon this pop of fall color on my last walk – glad I was looking down!
Tip 3: Research the Area – Find the colors you are looking for.
Some areas don’t experience much for fall colors. In any of the areas that have great fall colors you can find a lot of information online about the best roads, roadside parks, hikes, etc. to enjoy the fall colors. There will also be a lot of pictures online. View the online pictures to see if the colors are what you are looking for. Some forest areas, depending on the types of trees in the location, are mostly all one color or may have some pops of color with a lot of evergreen trees that stay green year round. Both of those are good options…it just depends what you are hoping to see. I prefer as many colors and shades of colors as I can get! Check out the areas that you can travel to – know that it is the kind of trees that determines the colors that you will see. That seems simple and like common knowledge…but it’s not so much I have found from talking to people about their fall color tour disappointments.
I remember traveling with my husband to a lake in western Pennsylvania in the spring. I said to him that I couldn’t wait to come back in the fall – it was going to be beautiful! He is from Jamaica. He didn’t look at that spring landscape and think the same thing that I did. It may have been my sixth grade leaf project in Michigan that made me so fascinated with fall colors. I guess the more you learn about something the more you can appreciate all of it’s wonder. I have found that not everyone is so into it…but my husband and I did take his family back to the lake in the fall and they loved it! Don’t take this opportunity for granted – share it with someone! (Check out an online virtual fall color tour if that is your best option!)
Enjoy your fall color tour! Also, enjoy everything else fall brings – apple cider, pumpkins, and thanksgiving just to name a few. Seasons changing is awe inspiring. Embrace the change and notice how all of the changes work together with perfect timing year after year. What a thing to experience. And, as much as I love the fall color – I can’t be mad when the leaves all fall…the sunrise view from my house gets even better!
