Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ignorance. Fall foliage happens to a decently large extent in every state but Florida, Hawaii, and Nevada.
Florida has deciduous trees, and thus has fall color as well; check the area around Tallahassee, for instance. Nevada has its areas too.
Deciduous trees in warm climates like the South are relics of the Ice Age, when the world was much colder. They will be going extinct in due time, as broad-leaf evergreens replace them.
The most impressive fall foliage I've ever gotten to see was up in the Smoky Mountains of Western NC and Blue Ridge of Western VA. Blue Ridge Pkwy is especially stunning as is Linville Gorge
The southern Appalachians are probably the most reliable place in the South for foliage, a lot of which has to do with drier, crisper air and wetter springs and summers.
The Ozarks can also be a great place to view it, but that depends on the year. The Ozarks sometimes deal with summer droughts where there is 60+ days without rain in late summer and when that happens, leaves usually just turn brown and fall off. If it has been a wet year though, it looks something like the picture below.
Yes, the Ozarks can be good as well. The Piedmont areas of the South have good and bad patches. Sections with too many loblolly, longleaf pines, Sycamores, or Tulip Poplars will generally not be as great in autumn. The oak/hickory-dominated forests are often good though, depending on the type of oak. Also, the quality of peak autumn depends on the year. It's luck of the draw really.
Its fall foliage comes the earliest on the east coast, in early October, which is when people have gotten over the end of summer (if they like summer) and are in the fall spirit. In the south, however, or it is still green out and at least 70 degrees during much of October. When November comes, marketing is focused on Christmas and fall is not be or exciting anymore and people don't think about how beautiful the foliage is in the south at this time.
I have no clue why people skip over the Mid-Atlantic considering that it's timing isn't too far after new England or the mountains if the south for that matter, because high elevations in Virginia can be colorful at the same time as parts of New England.
This isn't universal, though. I have heard of people taking foliage trips through Tennessee and NC in autumn.
Last edited by ialmostforgot; 02-21-2016 at 10:53 AM..
Its fall foliage comes the earliest on the east coast, in early October, which is when people have gotten over the end of summer (if they like summer) and are in the fall spirit.
Autumn color peaks in northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the UP of Michigan in mid- to late-September; the Northeast doesn't see color until later than that, generally.
Color also peaks earlier in the Rockies than on the East Coast, especially in Wyoming and Montana.
I don't think the West coast can even be put on the same level as the eastern US as some have suggested it can be for foliage. The dominant species there are conifers, most of which are evergreen. The hardwoods of the west are in general less abundant and there are less hardwood species.
The upper Midwest can have stunning foliage in places like the UP but the landscape is rather flat. You can't exactly climb a 4,000 foot mountain and see a whole landscape of peaks and valleys colored so brightly it looks like a fire around you in the Midwest. Only smaller hills in some portions, while others are flatter than a pancake. Moreover, there is a lower percentage of the region that is forested compared to northern New England, and the built landscape is more jarring to my eyes than the northeast. By that I mean roads as straight as an arrow which are just out of place in a forest, few of the rock walls one sees all over in the northeast.
The south has dry years and produces poor foliage in those dry years. There's less maple. The oaks tend to produce duller colors than the maples. Portions of the southern Appalachians have literally been blown out of existence for coal mines, portions of the Alleghenies have oil derricks around you. It strikes me as a less pristine, more exploited landscape than New England. I enjoy nature more when I can ignore civilization, and that's easiest when any visible sign of civilization isn't too jarring. Old farms, covered bridges, etc., are a lot easier on the eyes than oil derricks or flattened mountains. Remember that northern New England farms were abandoned early on in our history, post-Civil War, and by and large industry did not come in to replace them and exploit so much of the landscape as it did in the southern Appalachians. The fields returned to forests and weren't extensively mined or drilled.
The south has dry years and produces poor foliage in those dry years. There's less maple. The oaks tend to produce duller colors than the maples. Portions of the southern Appalachians have literally been blown out of existence for coal mines, portions of the Alleghenies have oil derricks around you. It strikes me as a less pristine, more exploited landscape than New England. I enjoy nature more when I can ignore civilization, and that's easiest when any visible sign of civilization isn't too jarring. Old farms, covered bridges, etc., are a lot easier on the eyes than oil derricks or flattened mountains. Remember that northern New England farms were abandoned early on in our history, post-Civil War, and by and large industry did not come in to replace them and exploit so much of the landscape as it did in the southern Appalachians. The fields returned to forests and weren't extensively mined or drilled.
Along the coast, the Southern forest becomes dominated with broadleaf evergreens, including live oaks, southern magnolias, red bay trees, etc, and the atmosphere becomes more tropical. You won't be seeing much fall color in that region. The decidious trees in the South are relics from the last Ice Age, the climate in the region is far too warm year-round for them to exist; they will be replaced by broadleaf evergreens. As far as dryness, that isn't true; the South is a wetter region than the Northeast.
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Michigan. The fall foliage here is absolutely breathtaking, especially against the blue of the Great Lakes. There are tons of fall foliage tours across the state here in the fall and they sell out far in advance. Fall is our second best tourist season behind summer.
the same is true for my beautiful home state of pennsylvania, but people drive through to new york and points north to view colorful autumn foliage. it never made any sense to me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
