Eastern Region

October14, 2009

Fall color has reached its peak throughout the Allegheny National Forest and the woods are from painted head to toe with vibrant color!  From the scarlet sumac lining the edge of the roads to the tips of the stately golden oaks the forest has come alive.  Turn onto Longhouse Scenic Drive located off of State Route 59 and explore this beautiful 36 mile loop as it winds it way through the woods.  To see some gorgeous views of the Allegheny Reservoir don’t miss the Jakes Rocks Overlook found on this loop. 

Be sure and take some time to take a stroll through the woods and savor the unforgettable sights and smells of autumn in the forest.

For more information about the Allegheny National Forest visit our website at www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/allegheny

No report.

October 22, 2009

You may still catch some great color along forest roads this weekend!  The past week in the Chippewa National Forest, we have had windy, rain and snow mixed weather which brought many leaves to the ground.    The maples did reach their peak with some beautiful shades of red, and some of the yellow and gold birch leaves are still hanging on.  Many aspen and ash have dropped their leaves, some still green.  The Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway is an enjoyable route.  A little past peak, the beautiful colored leaves are still showing nicely!  The route is from Grand Rapids to Effie, MN on State Highway 38.

No report

October 15, 2009

We are having peak color now through this weekend pretty much everywhere in the central upper U.P.

October 20, 2009

We welcome you to the Hoosier National Forest with its beautiful hues of fall!  Once again nature has outdone herself with the array of yellows, oranges and deep reds bringing lovely vistas throughout southern Indiana.  The Brownstown District is 60% ablaze with vivid tree color and most likely be at high color this weekend (10/23-25).  The Tell City District is about 30% colored with blackgums and their yellows and oranges, oak/hickory trees and their brilliant yellows and the sassafras bringing in the deep oranges and reds.  Tell City District will be at high color around Halloween.  Do come for a drive, hike or trail ride to enjoy the wonderful colors of fall.  Remember, hunting seasons are in for deer and turkey.  Please, be safe when you are in the Forest!

No report.

October 15, 2009

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/

There are many outdoor events in Pocahontas, Greenbrier, Nicholas, Randolph, Tucker, Pendleton, Grant, Preston, Barbour, Webster Counties and at Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort, Blackwater Falls State Park, Canaan Valley Resort, and WV State Parks in the Fall.  Information on these events and others around the State of WV can be found at: 

http://www.pocahontascountywv.com/planningyou/upcomingeve.aspx

http://www.wvtourism.com/

http://www.greenbrierwv.com/home/index.asp

http://www.wvparks.com

http://www.blackwaterfalls.com

http://www.canaanresort.com

October 6, 2009

The Ottawa National Forest in the Western portion of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is very alive with color right now. Although there are portions that are still quite green and a few small areas that may have peaked, overall the color is at 50% - 75% - absolutely breathtaking. We've been experiencing some cool, rainy weather for about a week, however, the color really stands out against the darkened skies.

October 15, 2009

We have approximately 30% color at this time. The forecast is for cooler temperatures by the weekend which could hasten the color show.

Typically, we expect peak fall color to be around the 3rd week of October.

Please check back with us in a week or so to see how the colors are progressing.

October 29, 2009

The spiked iron gate
Grasps feebly at darkened trees -
Graveyard moon rises
-   Morpheus

It was raining and dreary today, and I didn’t want to go out to do the fall color report.  It seemed a better day to sit at my desk and hope someone was bringing in brownies from home, or was going out for coffee.  Strangely though, now that I’m back, if I were to choose a day for you to have gone into the woods this season, this would have been it.  We are far past peak colors, we are even past the first magical snow, but this last day of the fall color report was not to be missed.

All Hallow’s Eve, Samhain, Halloween, call it what you will, this is a darkly mysterious time of year.  It was misty out, trees fading into the distance, with an unclear horizon that left it questionable as to where exactly the earth ended and something else began.  Fragments of ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ and ‘Danse Macabre’ floated in my mind, strangely juxtaposed with bits of ‘The End’ by the Doors.  Every time I stepped out of the car, there seemed to be ravens nearby.  They refused to be captured by the camera, dissolving into the mist, leaving only croaking calls in totally still air behind.  A prescribed burn was underway, and the heavy wet air was shot through with the acrid scent of smoke.  In the burn area, smoke wraiths slowly twisted into the air, vanishing as they became one with the drifting fog.  Roads with which I was totally familiar seemed to lead off into different places, warped and half hidden by skeins of mist.   The route would be clear and normal, then suddenly just…gone.  Scabrous patches of lichen stood out on the trees, their normally muted colors seeming to almost glow in the dim light beneath the fog.  It was an eerie and unsettling day of constant twilight.

And yet, it was completely appropriate for a final fall color report.  While a bit creepy, it was also beautiful in a way that maybe is a little more challenging than the peak fall colors.  I enjoyed every minute of my trip into the woods, despite (or maybe because of) the Halloween ambiance, and learned once again a lesson I keep forgetting. 

It is always a good day to get outside.

No Report.

No report.