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The rites of autumn
By DAN LEETH
The East presents a paint-by-numbers masterpiece. On a tapestry that stretches from Maine to Alabama, it offers a montage of pigments ranging from cautionary ambers through traffic-halting reds. On this paisley landscape, family farms fill valleys, small towns line riversides and leafy cemeteries proffer eternal peace. This is a place to hop in a two-horse carriage and slowly savor the countryside. Across the Great Plains rise the fairly young mountains of the West, a land of peaks and crags, forests and deserts. Autumn here could be drawn by a kid with three crayons: gray, green and gold. Granite summits float like battleships above an evergreen sea mottled with islands of glimmering yellow aspen. Rails and trails lead to now-lonely sites where miners once tunneled for mineral fortunes. What the West lacks in variety, it makes up for with tints of wildness and shades of grandeur. East or West, which is best? Tourism professionals offer expert evidence, only slightly tainted by regional pride.
"We have a greater density of trees because things are more moist in the East than the West," says Vermont's Greg Gerdel. "It's also the diversity of our vegetation, in New England especially. The maples come in three varieties of color alone." Those maples, varying from shimmering gold to flaming red, mix with stands of oaks, elms, chestnuts and birch bearing leaves ranging from yellow to russet. The trees often crowd near narrow roads through mountain valleys. And forested hills rising above pastures and farms. Villages, most filled with inns, craft shops, farmers' markets and white-steepled churches, dot this Norman Rockwell country. Visitors and locals start days at pancake breakfasts and end them with chicken-pie suppers. The only downside: At the height of the foliage season, those roadways often stand clogged bumper-to-bumper with leaf-peepers. Besides that amusing nickname, the regional visitors are called shun-pikers, because they hope to ogle the leaves by getting off the highways (the pikes) and cruising the back roads. Just down the roadFrom Sorting Gap in New York's Adirondacks to the Cumberland Gap of Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic states present colors similar to New England. But here there are more species changing over a longer period of time. The result is a mosaic of pigment-dappled hills, valleys, town sites and parks. The mix increases as one heads south. "Come to Tennessee for the most beautiful fall," advises LaDonna Pettis of Knoxville. "We have wonderful drives in the Great Smokies on mountain-top roads, so you're not stuck in the valleys." The Southern Appalachians feature slopes covered with deciduous trees and shrubs. Narrow roads twist down from treeless mountains -- called "balds" -- and wind beneath canopies of forest. Small burgs offer home-style restaurants featuring barbecue and trout. This is the place to rent a convertible and motor along, engulfed by the sights and smells of autumn. "If you like rustic retreats we, too, have mountains," says Ami Simpson of Alabama. "We hide them in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountain chain. "In fall, you're going to see not only oranges and yellows, but our dogwoods turn a beautiful russet. And we've got a lot of wild dogwoods growing in Alabama." Across the continent"People are pleasantly surprised to learn we have autumn colors," advises Kristin Jarnagin from Arizona. "You can sun yourself or play golf, then drive two hours north of Phoenix and see fall foliage."
As with much of the Southwest, Arizona displays diversity. Higher mountains feature stands of golden aspens and patches of red sumac set against ponderosa pine. Lower down, cottonwoods, oaks, walnuts, ash, sycamore and even maples flash gaudy leaves against bluffs of pink quartzite and red sandstone.
Even in the low desert, cactus fruits offer golden bulbs cradled in silvery spines. Extending from the Mojave Desert on the south to the volcanic cones of the north, California serves up more topological variation than any other state. "If you're a fly fisherman, this is something akin to heaven," says Roy Stearns of the California State Parks system. "While you're looking at pretty trees, you can sit on a rock and do some angling. Even the poison oak turns a pretty red." Autumn's brush strokes through Oregon and Washington, a land of glaciated peaks, plunging waterfalls and lush forests. Although conifers predominate, enough deciduous growth covers the terrain to provide brilliance. Here, autumn can bring sightings of wildlife. "There's a resident herd of elk that lives right here in the Dungeness Valley," says Kristi Agren of Washington's Olympic Peninsula. "I see them every time I go to (the town of) Sequim." More elk put on similar shows in the national parks of the Rockies. Stretching north from New Mexico, these mountains of the Great Divide feature forests of spruce, fir and pine on their lower slopes. Come autumn, patches of aspen make the hillsides look as if they were smeared with mustard. "I came from the East Coast," says Colorado's Stefanie Dalgar, "and I was surprised to see that it was just as nice here. We don't have all the different color schemes out West, but we have these beautiful golds and greens of trees not seen back East." Those leaves brighten ski resorts and ghost towns, mountain lakes and trout streams, highways, horse paths and hiking trails. In the heartland
Plenty of vibrant color can be found in mid-America, and it's not just from leaves. "The most spectacular autumn drive in the country is called the Cranberry Highway," claims Gary Knowles of Madison, Wis. "You aren't going to see a more brilliant red than that of cranberries floating on the tops of marshes." Sprawling hardwood forests, common in the upper Midwest, surround the berries. Here, maples and birches produce the eye-candy flavors of fall. Flocks of migratory birds often stop to feed. What the region gives up in vertical topography it overcomes with its Great Lakes and great rivers. "Don't think of Michigan as just Detroit," says Peter Fitzsimons, from Boyne County in the Upper Peninsula. "We have 11,000 lakes and streams in Michigan, with a wide variety of trees." Midwestern mountains spread from Missouri south through Arkansas and Oklahoma before fading into northeastern Texas and northern Louisiana. Their rounded knobs are cloaked with oaks, gums and buckeyes. Here, roads seem uncrowded, prices are reasonable and hospitality reigns. Between the hills of the Midwest and the peaks of the Rockies lie the nearly treeless Great Plains. The region still touts its own version of autumn majesty. "You can see trees anywhere," reports Kansan Beverly Hurley, "but you don't normally think of grass as turning color. In our Flint Hills, you can see the bright blue of the sky against orange and crimson blades." Who presents the best fall foliage? As the temperatures drop, the deliberations will soon begin. -- Freelance writer Dan Leeth lives in Aurora, Colo. If you goWhile colorful fall foliage can be found throughout each region, most states feature a few places that are special. Here are the favorites chosen by the experts, with toll-free telephone numbers and Web sites to provide more information on each: Vermont (1-800-VERMONT or 1-800-837-6668, www.vermontvacation.com). One of the best fall color drives is Vermont Route 100, which traverses the spine of the Green Mountains from Newport on the north to Whitingham on the south. The color season runs from September to early October in the north and late October in the south. Pennsylvania (1-800-VISITPA or 1-800-847-4872, www.fallinpa.com). U.S. 6, the Grand Army of the Republic Highway (www.paroute6.com), cuts a swath through Victorian villages and color-dappled woods across the top of Pennsylvania. Peak color usually arrives during the first two weeks of October. Tennessee (1-800-GO2-TENN or 1-800-462-8366, www.tnvacation.com). A popular drive for fall color is the Cherohala Skyway (1-800-245-5428, www.monroecounty.com), a mountain-crossing roadway south of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The best color often can be found around mid-October. Alabama (1-800-ALABAMA or 1-800-252-2262, www.touralabama.org). A favorite for autumn color is DeSoto State Park (not toll-free, call (256) 845-5380, www.desotostatepark.com) in northeastern Alabama. Accommodations include camping, chalets and rustic cabins. Leaves traditionally peak the third week of October. Arizona (1-888-520-3444, www.arizonaguide.com). One of the state's most popular fall color drives leads up Arizona Route 89A from Sedona to Flagstaff, through scenic Oak Creek Canyon. Because of altitude variation along the way, color usually can be found from early October through November. California (1-800-862-2543, www.visitcalifornia.com). For color and history, California Highway 49 from Oakhurst through Grass Valley winds through the heart of the Sierra gold country, where the gold rush began. The foliage is typically best around mid-October. Washington (1-800-544-1800, www.experiencewashington.com). U.S. 101 on Washington's Olympic Peninsula (1-800-942-4042, www.olympicpeninsula.org) offers both leaves and wildlife. Color surrounds Lake Crescent in Olympic National Park, and elk wander near the town of Sequim. Leaves typically turn during the first two weeks of October. Colorado (1-800-COLORADO or 1-800-265-6723, www.colorado.com). For a different fall experience, ride the Durango & Silverton narrow-gauge railroad (1-888-TRAIN-07 or 1-888-872-4607, www.durangotrain.com) through southwestern Colorado or the Leadville, Colorado & Southern (not toll-free, (719) 486-3936, www.leadville-train.com) near the state's center. The best color usually occurs during the last two weeks of September. Wisconsin (1-800-432-8747, www.travelwisconsin.com). The Cranberry Highway (1-800-554-4484, www.cranberryhighway.com) offers brilliant colors on a route that wanders the cranberry marshes near Wisconsin Rapids. Late September and early October offer the best of both berries and leaves. Michigan (1-888-784-7328, www.michigan.org). Located in Lake Huron between Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas, Mackinac Island (not toll-free (906) 847-6418, www.mackinac.com) features fine fudge and fall foliage on a wooded resort isle. Color normally peaks in early October. Missouri (1-800-877-1234, www.missouritourism.org). A favorite fall drive is along the Missouri River from Hermann (1-800-932-8687, www.hermannmo.com) to St. Louis, taking either Missouri Highway 94 on the north side or Missouri Highway 100 to the south. Color begins around the first week of October. Kansas (1-800-2KANSAS or 1-800-252-6727, www.travelks.com). The grass-covered Flint Hills surrounding U.S. 77 from Junction City to El Dorodo offer blades of fall foliage in one of the country's last stands of tall grass prairie. For the best Kansas color, visit from late September through early October.
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