Fall foliage hotlines and online reports

There are countless opportunities to enjoy the colors of fall from trackside public parks and railroad museums, and aboard special fall foliage train excursions.

The U.S. Forest Service, as well as many state tourism and forestry offices, have established fall foliage telephone hotlines and online Internet foliage reports to help you track autumn’s progress.

Many reports categorize the changing foliage conditions in stages, which can be generally defined as follows:

Patchy: Scattered areas of color. (0 – 10 percent color)
Early: Some clearly defined areas of color starting to appear. Most
foliage still green. (10 – 40 percent color)
Mid: Halfway to peak. Colors are bright in earlier changing trees, while late-changing trees remain primarily green. (40 – 60 percent color)
Near peak: Abundant color in most trees. Some early changing trees at or near peak. (60 – 90 percent color)
Peak: Full, vivid color. (100 percent color)
Past peak: Some leaves have begun to fade, and will soon fall, but still generally colorful.
Isolated: Spotty color conditions.

Below is a state-by-state list of hotlines and web sites.

NATIONAL

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE
1-800-354-4595 (Fall color hotline tracks foliage conditions across the country)
http://www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/ (On-line reports available at the fall colors web site)

FOLIAGE NETWORK
www.foliagenetwork.com
(On-line reports updated Wednesday and Saturday from September through November. Covers the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest.)

NEW ENGLAND

CONNECTICUT
800-282-6863 (CT-BOUND)
http://www.dep.state.ct.us/updates/foliage/foliage.htm (Online foliage
reports available mid-September through October)

MAINE
800-777-0317 (Foliage hotline runs from mid-September through Columbus Day, with updates each Wednesday)
http://www.state.me.us/doc/foliage/ (Online foliage reports updated each Wednesday)

MASSACHUSETTS
800-227-6277 (Fall foliage hotline updated three times a week)
http://www.massvacation.com (Online foliage reports, updated Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, located under the category “Things to do,” in the section “Science and Nature.”)

NEW HAMPSHIRE
800-258-3608 (Fall foliage hotline updated Mondays and Thursdays from
mid-September through mid-October)
http://foliage.visitnh.gov/index-flash.html (Daily foliage reports online)

RHODE ISLAND
http://www.visitri.com (Maps and foliage reports available online)

VERMONT
800-837-6668 (VERMONT) or (802) 828-3239 (Fall foliage hotline updated Mondays and Thursdays; report sponsored by state department of travel and tourism, and Amtrak)
http://www.vermontfallfoliage.com/ (Fall foliage report online, with weather forecasts, hotel reservation links, and more)

MID-ATLANTIC

MARYLAND
800-532-8371 (LEAVES-1), (Weekly foliage reports, updated Mondays, beginning in mid-September)

NEW JERSEY
800-843-6420 (in-state) or 609-984-0370 (out-of-state)
http://www.state.nj.us/travel/foliage_report.shtml (General foliage information available online)

NEW YORK
800-225-5697 (CALL-NYS), (Fall foliage hotline updated Wednesday afternoons)
http://www.iloveny.com (Weekly foliage report available online, updated Wednesday afternoons)

NORTH CAROLINA
800-847-4862 (VISIT-NC), (State tourism bureau fall foliage reports)
800-921-9698 (Fall color reports from Asheville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, available from late September through early November)
http://www.visitnc.com (State tourism Web site)

PENNSYLVANIA
800-325-5467 (FALL-IN-PA), (Fall foliage hotline updated Wednesdays, beginning in mid-September)
http://www.fallinpa.com (Weekly foliage report online, with maps, web cams, and more)
http://www.poconos.org/poconofoliage.htm (Weekly report available online, updated Wednesdays, from Pocono Mountains Vacation Bureau)

VIRGINIA
Shenandoah Valley foliage hotline: 800-434-5323 (434-LEAF), updated Mondays; Skyline Drive/Shenandoah National Park: 540-999-3500; Blue Ridge Parkway foliage hotline: 828-298-0398
http://climate.virginia.edu/foliage.htm (Fall color information from state climatology office)

WEST VIRGINIA
800-225-5982 (CALL-WVA), (Fall foliage reports, updated Wednesdays)
http://www.wvtourism.com/ (Weekly fall foliage reports available on online)

SOUTH

ARKANSAS
1-800-628-8725 (800-NATURAL) and (501) 682-7777 (Weekly foliage reports updated Thursday afternoons beginning in late September.)
http://www.arkansas.com/calendar/fall_foliage.asp (Text of weekly reports available online, updated Thursday afternoons)
http://www.ozarkmtns.com/foliage/index.asp (Weekly online reports from the Ozark National Forest, beginning early October)

KENTUCKY
800-225-8747 (Foliage hotline in operation from late September through late
October)

TENNESSEE
800-697-4200 (Fall foliage updates beginning third week of September)

MIDWEST

INDIANA
317-232-4002 (Foliage updates available throughout the month of October)

IOWA
515-233-4110 (Weekly foliage reports updated Mondays from mid-September through mid-October)
http://www.traveliowa.com/ (Text of foliage hotline report available online)

MICHIGAN
888-784-7328 (78-GREAT) or 800-644-3255 (Weekly foliage reports updated
Wednesdays)
http://travel.michigan.org/ (Weekly reports online, updated every Tuesday beginning mid-September)
http://www.usaring.com/travel/color.htm (Online reports updated every Thursday beginning in mid-September)

MINNESOTA
800-657-3700 (Weekly fall color reports, updated Thursdays, beginning in
September)
www.exploreminnesota.com (Weekly fall color reports online, can also be e-mailed to you)
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/current_conditions/index.html (Online reports
available for all regions of the state)

MISSOURI
http://www.ozarkmtns.com/foliage/index.asp (Ozark National Forest online foliage reports begin in early October)

OHIO
800-282-5393 (BUCKEYE) and (614) 265-7000 (Foliage reports updated each Thursday beginning late September)
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/tabid/9584/default.aspx (Online foliage report, event calendar, driving tours, and webcams)

WISCONSIN
http://www.travelwisconsin.com/fallcolor_report.aspx (Daily foliage updates available online)

WEST

CALIFORNIA
http://www.calphoto.com/fall.htm (Individual observations posted on Calphoto.com’s fall foliage hotsheet)

COLORADO
http://parks.state.co.us/fall (online foliage information for Colorado state parks)

TEXAS
800-792-1112 (Foliage reports updated weekly in October and November)
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/lost_maples/foliage.phtml (Online reports updated weekly in October and November)