“The foliage change appeared to slow to a near standstill during the misty, atmospheric weather of this past weekend. But with a frosty night or two before the coming weekend and sunny weather forecast through Monday, near-peak to full color change is expected along the spine of the Green Mountains and will begin to emerge in the mountain valleys.
Ray Toolan, who reports from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, observes a variety of foliage in the area. ‘Not a great deal of change from last week, most likely due to the wet weather. Still, we have a lot of variation, with the best colors in the higher elevations and around swamps and wetlands. In many places mid-slope forests are still in early stages while other areas are at or just past peak. Pretty much any of the paved roads in Lamoille and Orleans counties are showing nice color,’ Toolan says.
Elsewhere, expect various stages of color across the state, including the mountain and river valleys where the foliage change ranges from early to mid-stage.
The foothills east and south of Burlington are at mid-stage, reports Forester Keith Thompson. ‘The highlights are Jericho, Underhill and Huntington. It’s not as far along near the lake,’ Thompson says.
‘Overall a full array of vibrant fall colors are popping out from Middlebury Gap south to Killington, Bridgewater south to Ludlow, and Rutland south to Mt. Taber,’ reports spotter Tom Olson from the Maple Museum.
The cooler temperatures are also moving the color change in the lower Champlain Valley and the foothills of the Taconic and Green Mountains into mid-stage, while the red maples in marshy areas are nearing peak. ‘Look for brilliant shades of red, yellow and gold in these areas,’ says Olson.
In southern Vermont mid-stage color predominates along the higher elevations while the early stages prevail in the valleys where swampy areas are splashed with the crimson of red maples.”
The Fall Foliage season in Vermont is one of the busiest times of the year while visitors flock from all over the world to witness the beautiful changing colors. This year it will be more important than ever to call ahead for reservations and check on Road Conditions.
Parts of our updates are thanks to the USDA Forest Service, the Vermont Department of Tourism, and various “Leaf Peepers” around the state. If you’d like to be on Vermont.com’s “Leaf Squad” to help report the Foliage conditions in your area of Vermont, please contact us!
To view our first-hand reports throughout the state of Vermont, visit our Vermont Fall Foliage Reports.