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There is no leaf peeper phenomenon per se, but there is plenty of advantageous leaf peeping by folks out to the mountains on a drive.
In my opinion, the best leaves in New Mexico are on the east face of the Manzanos (take NM 337 south to 55 towards Tajique and Torreon) because of the rare stands of Maple that grow there interspersed with Gambel Oak and Aspen. It is the closest thing to Northeast style color I have seen in New Mexico. I don't know how last year's forest fires have affected the area though.
I actually read about the maples in one of the hikes listed in the book 60 hikes within 60 miles of ABQ. I was intending to do the hike while in the area, but wasn't aware it had been hit by fire.
You can hope all you want, but by the end of October expect the mountain foliage to be brown. You still have a very good shot at lower elevation cottonwoods along the Rio Grande, Jemez, and Chama rivers.
Great pics, Aries. Being from the midwest, I find it SO interesting that there are maples in the Manzano mountains! I'm assuming this is the same "strand" as decribed in my hiking book (Fourth of July Canyon-Cerro Blanco hike). Even if I'm too late for the maples, I think I'll do the hike anyway. How fun to see pictures of what I've been reading about!
This one is at a pond near Tingley Beach in Albuquerque, the "quiet" side of the tracks where there are a couple of ponds, showing the cottonwoods, picture taken November 2:
I make a point of seeing fall colors in various locations around ABQ/Santa Fe every year. Several years I procrastinated, only to find the upper elevation colors were done even by the second week of October.
I was up in the Santa Fe ski basin last weekend to do some hiking and was saddened to see on the drive up there that lots of the aspens were brown already, apparently due to the abnormally dry conditions. It wasn't an early fall, they looked like they were dying off. Many had fallen over due to lack of moisture in the soil. Lots of dead and dying trees up there and in the Sandias.
Next picture from the Rio Grande coming into Albuquerque, dated November 6 (a canoe trip):
I find it SO interesting that there are maples in the Manzano mountains!
I know of one cluster of maples in the Sacramento Mtns. within walking distance of the business district in Cloudcroft. I suspect there also must be other clusters in that general area.
Speaking of aspens, I was surprised at the appearance of a grove of aspens where fires this past summer decimated the trees. Whereas other trees still standing were scorched black, the aspens were still an "ash" color - although totally scorched and totally dead. The aspens are the streak of white behind the foreground blackened fir and spruce in this photo montage.
More good pics! Yes, I imagine the "quality" of fall foliage varies greatly from year to year depending on the weather. We have droughted this year as well, so it remains to be seen if our fall colors here in WI will be as spectacular as usual. (Went for a long bike ride out in the country today, and while I saw Sandhill cranes, there wasn't any fall color yet.) Very sad about the dying aspens. The person I will be renting the house from in Cedar Crest indicated that a lot of leaves were turning brown from the drought, rather than turning colors with the season.
Joqua--Where are the fire pictures from?
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