Fall Foliage Resources: Trip Mapping Sites
Autumn marks the time when the foliage becomes a virtual kaleidoscope of beautiful colors—reds and oranges, yellows and golds. Even browns, pinks, purples and blues are known to appear. It’s a beautiful time of year in many parts of the world, but it’s also fleeting. If you're thinking of making a fall color pilgrimage this year, it pays to take a little time to discover when the leaves will be at their peak colors.
No one can say for sure when the leaves will change colors in any given place—that's Mother Nature's secret— but that hasn’t stopped plenty of people from trying over the years. You could of course rely on the advice of your favorite weather professional when you watch the local news, but why not take it a step further? There are sites available that can make estimates based on temperature and precipitation. The Weather Channel, for example, offers various maps of the US, with a key to the prime times to see the changing foliage.
We've found some other resources to help you get more leaf-related goodness in your fall vacations:
- Yankee Magazine offers a Leaf Peepr app to help fall-foliage fans make foliage reports by posting photos, writing comments and rating foliage status for your location.
- Leafsnap uses visual recognition software to help identify tree species from photos of leaves. This electronic field guide app is available for both iPhones and iPads.
- Nature has more to offer than leaves. There are apps to help you identify birds, insects and even animal tracks, too.
- If you prefer some exercise along with your leaf viewing, the AllTrails app has a guide to trails you can hike or bike.
- Combining some or all of these activities into one trip is a snap with the Road Trippers app. This lets you layer multiple search terms, such as “scenic routes” on your map.
- Or maybe you’d like to take the road well-traveled. Explore some drives recommended by others at Yankee Foliage.
- The Northeast Foliage Network, the Foliage Network and the Farmer’s Almanac frequently update to provide current information for travelers.
Some of these resources may come in handy whether you're hitting the road or just exploring your own backyard this fall. Your phone will be one of your best friends while leaf peeping, so be sure it's fully charged and ready for action.
Happy Hunting!