19 October 2023, New England Foliage Report
Greetings Leaf peepers far and wide! I have been getting… feedback, you might call it, People telling me “that this season was a Fizzle”, or it was Blah, Meh, or several other terms I won’t post here. I was told, “It’s the tourism industry’s marketing plan/fault, Bloggers (like me?), or blaming others for not warning them“. (*Note: Those who read my blog KNOW that since July I have been saying it will be a tough autumn)
Thankfully for my happiness, there were so many people like Krista, who said: “We are returning home today and traveled all over New England and enjoyed what we saw. Some areas were better than others but still did not disappoint.”
It’s all about your expectations, Lisa and I try very hard to set those expectations early (if we can). Let’s face it, I’m not Mother Nature and I can’t give you more, than my experience of “so many years” that I “Think” it will go one way or another. But if you read my articles, I hope to prepare you the best I can.
Lisa and I drove up into the Lakes Region not expecting to find anything all that great but even on I-95 heading into NH we saw really nice roadside color. It wasn’t continuous color, there were holes as I have seen all over New England but the color was better and brighter. By the time we got to Alton New Hampshire, we were finding…
We traveled up Route 11 to Route 28 up the Eastern side of Lake Winnipesaukee stopping in Wolfeboro and then a ride over to Lake Wentworth but the views were uninspiring. We got back on 109 heading North and stopped at the Abenaki Tower. This can be a plan A or B because if the fall colors are drab like this year, it becomes a plan B with views that allow you to see across Moultonborough Bay and Lake Winnipesaukee.
We also hit Castle in the Clouds and Center Harbor and then headed home through Gilmanton and Pittsfield NH where we got a pretty sunset. All in all the colors in the lakes region are well worth a visit. But as many of you know, this Friday and Saturday (20-21) are going to be rainy and I hope to head out on Sunday when it clears to see how bad the damage is.
Even if you have gone home for the season or don’t plan to be here till next year, I suggest you sign up for my Newsletters so you don’t miss out on what is going on fall foliage-wise in New England.
My photographer friends have been posting pictures from around New England which combined with my webcam views of New England gives me a pretty good idea of what is going on.
What has been seen in the past few days…
I have published my 2024 fall foliage calendar. This year I created my calendar with 12 scenic months of New England images. This will allow you to explore New England from top to bottom in all seasons. Also, on the same page, is my 2024 covered bridge calendar and a Winter in New England. Click the link on my calendar page to go to Lulu.com and view/purchase.
Maine
Maine is still providing some color but the storms going up the coast have taken down some of the colors and they suffer from the same slow-to-develop fall color as the rest of New England. Here are some webcam images from 19 or 20 October. You can get up-to-the-minute shots by going to my webcam page.
Massachusetts
I’m adding an addendum, this is 22 Oct. Lisa and I drove from Salem to Harvard Massachusetts on or near Route 62. We passed through Concord, Maynard, Hudson, and many other little towns.
All in all, it was a nice drive but the ride was… uninspiring as far as the colors go. I hate to say it but the very best fall colors were found while coming home on I-95. That’s right, the highway has the best dang colors. Oh and in my backyard as well and NO I’m not inviting you all over. 🙂
But even in my yard, my oak which usually turns a nice yellow is looking more brown this year, so I’m happy to have what you see below.
John Burk Photography provided this image of a southeastern Massachusetts cranberry bog. You can see a map of cranberry bogs here.
New Hampshire
A lot of Photographers (myself included) went to New Hampshire this week. We’ll start with Chris Whiton of White Mountain Images.
Chris is a bit of a mountain goat and I’m not sure if he has hiked all the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire but if you show him a trail, he’s all for it. Unlike me, I try to climb the easiest trail for 50 yards and I’m winded… Which is why I have a drone…
Chris says: If you are sending folks to the White Mountains this weekend, It is looking very nice and colorful on the hillsides from the southern half of Crawford Notch through Hart’s Location, Bartlett and Glen, then up through Jackson to partway up Pinkham Notch, where the color starts to fade the further north you go. Along the way were good reds, yellows, and even still plenty of greens. If you go further west, Bretton Woods is very much burnt sticks, Twin is past peak, but Bethlehem has vibrant roadside colors all along 302.
Another Photographer is Joann Vitali Photography who was all over New Hampshire on the 19th and she sent me these two images. The first is the Coombs Covered Bridge and the 2nd is Dublin Lake also in New Hampshire.
Joann tells me that she is back on the road today (while I sit here typing this up) and you can see more of Joann’s artwork in her gallery here.
We also visited the Castle in the Clouds. The entrance is off Route 171 and you drive up to the upper parking lot. There are trails for wandering the lower areas and if you want the full experience you head up to the gate and carriage house. From there you get on the trolly and rid the rest of the way up. (only those who pay go to the top, no walking)
You can still visit the Museum part of the property for another week or so and here are the hours and admission.
Vermont
The reports I’ve been getting are saying Bristol Vermont (on the western side of the Green Mountains) was looking pretty on the 19th of Oct. Also, Camels Hump was putting on some nice yellow (sorry no pictures)
Connecticut/Rhode Island
Jonathan Steele Photography sent over these two images from down in Connecticut.
Jonathan’s images are both drone images and he says: “Colors are coming in here in CT. As with Northern New England, Southern New England has spotty colors, some areas just turning brown and dropping, other areas turning color but muted and other areas rather vibrant. This is Upper Case Pond in Manchester CT 10/17/23. I’ll be hitting other areas later this afternoon”. Visit his gallery here
Mark Spremulli Photography sent in this shot from Providence Rhode Island.
Jeff’s thoughts for the coming week
Well, let’s see… The temps have been pretty good up north which has helped turn the remaining color a bit more in places I wouldn’t expect to send you. (Crawford Notch and Bethlehem should have been baresticks by now…) To the south, the warmer temps combined with everything else (rain this summer) has not helped the southern three states. I am just now starting to see very nice colors from images submitted on our Facebook Group (click the link) and I just saw one from Winnecunnet Pond in Norton Massachusetts.
Some lower temps are happening this week in Massachusetts but not cool enough to speed up the turning too much and it looks like we are going to be seeing the fall colors in MA/CT/RI through Halloween and beyond into November.
This weekend through the coming week
There are going to be fall colors found in the strangest of places this week if the rain today and Saturday doesn’t do too much damage. South Central VT/NH and coastal Maine may have some good viewing left and pumpkin picking is a popular activity, the Wiscasset, Waterville, and Farmington Railway Museum has some tickets left for the Pumpkin picking trains read about it here.
Visit the many parks, ponds, and conservation areas throughout Southern New England. I will be doing another report next week and this will probably be my last report but you never know, if I find enough to write about I may post another, Let me know if you want to keep Jeff on the road, clicking on this page is one way to keeping Jeff on the road longer…
Jeff Foliage Folger
Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage
- Visit my Fine Art America Gallery
- Visit my Amazon store to pick up New England-related materials
- Visit my Pictorem Gallery (Free shipping in the US and Canada)
- My Facebook foliage page
- Threads.net/@Jeff_Foliage
- Follow our new Fall Foliage FB Group!
- You can visit Lisa’s Artist Facebook Page by clicking here
The colors were not as good as past years but that is exactly what you have been saying all summer..I believe that all of the rain that Vermont experienced this year definitely contributed to the duller than normal colors I do appreciate you keeping all of us posted on what to expect…You were dead on…Thanks,
Hoss
Just as you have been telling us and based on the temps,rain etc no surprise but there are some great pockets of color and I am receiving lots of pretty photos from some of my friends and clients out on the roads . Thank you for the accurate prep all year and the excellent reports
You warned people of the questionable autumn. Still if you looked carefully, and weren’t stuck on one spot, beautiful color could be found. In New York State you could see both the effects of the rain & wind, but color seems to show itself anyway.