Trees changing color behind the Birch Ridge Inn

Trees changing color behind the Birch Ridge Inn

October 5, 2009 at 12:27 PM!

If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you!

Every year at this time, Mary and I get asked by our prospective guests "When will fall colors peak in Vermont?"

Of course, since the answer is based upon the whims of Mother Nature, the answer is inscrutable. However, with hard earned vacation money on the line, people planning trips to Vermont are naturally interested in trying to be here at the right time.

As in the stock market, past performance is not an indicator of future potential. However, pictures do tell a thousand words...so we try to look at the historical record to figure it out.

For the last 4 years I have been taking foliage pictures of the inn. I started in 2006. The first photo's are not great. But I rapidly found a solution to taking consistent pictures which can document the record. If you look at past pictures, it would appear that peak foliage is moving later into the season. From the 2006 gallery, peak happened between October 4th and 6th. In 2007, peak happened between October 7th and 9th. Last year, peak happened between October 11 and 13th.

This years colors, however look like they are reversing the trend. If you look at the intermediate pictures, the color this year today seems more pronounced than last year for mid September. What this means in the grand scheme of things is of course hard to tell.

The weather at Killington this summer (did we have a summer?) has been very damp and cold. If the trend continues for the next couple of weeks, then I would bet that peak color in Killington would fall on the early side of the calendar. Of course, if we get some warm weather, which is not currently forecasted, the change in color would slow down a little and track closer to the last couple of years.

The majesty of it all is that we really have know way of knowing. You typically recognize peak color after you have seen it.

The nice thing about Killington and the fall is that Killington is in the middle of the state of Vermont. Fall foliage hunters can find peak color in the area typically over a 4 week period, from the last week of September through the third week of October, depending upon their desire to drive either north or south of Killington along Vermont's famed Route 100.

So when will peak foliage occur at Killington this year. How about October 5, 2009, at 12:27 PM...It's just a guess of course, but I'm sticking with it!