Fall Foliage Peak Map, Plus Maryland Festivals 2019

MARYLAND — Maryland's fall foliage colors have been delayed in 2019 because of hot temperatures in September, but on this last weekend of summer leaves are beginning to turn in western counties. And a slew of festivals are under way to celebrate the change in season.

The changing of the foliage is still a few weeks away for most of the state; however, in western Maryland, pockets are starting to show splotches of brilliant color. “More trees are starting to join in as the lush green of summer begins to fade,” says Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forester Melissa Nash. “Maples are turning yellow to red and birch and basswood are beginning to yellow. It’s a slow start, but will be on the increase as we officially welcome fall next week.”

Traditionally, western Maryland is the region where leaf color changes first, with Garrett and Allegany counties’ foliage taking the lead and peaking toward the middle of October.

Dan Hedderick, a project forester based in Flintstone, is seeing a 30 percent color change all along Interstate 68, with various shades of yellow offering a preview of the colors to come. Traditionally it is the region where leaf color changes first, with Garrett County’s foliage beginning to turn around the end of September and peaking toward the middle of October, the DNR says.

The Weather Channel says the wet summer should create a vibrant foliage season barring any unusually heavy rains or strong winds.

While seasons do not always begin and end on time, and the most dramatic fall foliage changes are still a few weeks away, this is a perfect weekend to experience exciting fall festivals and outdoor events, says the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Here's a rundown on fall festivals around the state:

The Great Frederick Fair runs now through Sunday. Visit the carnival midway, take in nightly grandstand entertainment and see award-winning agricultural exhibits.

Ocean City Sunfest 2019 is underway through Sunday with music, food, arts and crafts. Entertainment is free (except headline acts). In nearby Berlin enjoy fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and bluegrass band competitions at the Berlin Fiddler’s Convention, with free live bluegrass music on Main Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cambridge will host the Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race Saturday. Everyone is invited to see these historic boats this Saturday.

The St. Mary’s County Fair celebrates rural and agricultural heritage at the fairgrounds now through Sunday. Exhibits, livestock, home arts, flowers, 4-H exhibits, horse pulls, and carnival and local foods will on be on display in Leonardtown.

The St. Maries Citty Militia musters for drills, mock battles, and camp life on Saturday until 4 p.m. Visit an encampment, march along, watch a musket fire demonstration and more.

The Hagerstown City Park Fall Festival and Porchfest on Saturday until 4 p.m. will feature numerous bands and musicians performing on the porches of homes on historic South Prospect Street, and Bester Community of Hope. Activities throughout the park include pony rides, Living History, Tommy 202 tractor train and hay wagon rides, arts activities, music and arts entertainment and paddle boats on Hagerstown City Park’s lake.

Competitive Dragon Boat racing is making a splash in western Maryland. Dragon boat racing is the one of the fastest growing sports in the world. A fun and unique cultural event, YMCA Dragons on the Lake Festival will be held at Rocky Gap State Park in Allegany County on Saturday until 4 p.m.

All types of regional music – bluegrass, old-time stringband, Scottish traditional music, Appalachian ballads, acoustic blues, community brass bands, Appalachian traditional and Irish traditional music and dance – arts and crafts, children’s activities, children’s jug band, goat milking, beekeeping and more! And it’s all free at the Frostburg State University Appalachian Festival on Saturday until 6 p.m.

The Children’s Day Festival is held each year to offer the community a free, active and engaging experience in Montgomery County Parks. Check out children’s games, crafts and education, and live music and explore Brookside Gardens in Wheaton on Saturday until 4 p.m.

The 27th Annual Poolesville Day Festival on Saturday until 4 p.m. is a free event at Whalen Commons in downtown Poolesville, Montgomery County. It will include a parade, free carnival rides, exhibitors, food vendors, activities for all ages and multiple stages featuring live music and entertainment.

Come to Seneca Creek State Park on Sat. from 2-4 p.m. for the Grusendorf Open House, an 1855 log farmhouse and the last surviving building from the original Germantown settlement. Try your hand at an old-time craft: making clay swirl marbles.

Want to learn and enjoy the sport of archery? Stop by the archery range in the Manor Area of Cunningham Falls State Park on Saturday from 10 a.m. — noon! All equipment is provided, cost is $5 per person.

On Sunday at 2 p.m. Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis will host Historias en Español (Spanish Story Time). Edades 3-10. ¡Ven a escuchar historias en español! Un intérprete del parque va a leer cuentos clásicos como “El Lorax,” “Un Pez, Dos Peces, Pez Rojo, Pez Azul,” y muchos más! Come along for a Spanish story time! A park interpreter will read classic stories like “The Lorax,” “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish,” and more.

For more information or to see a full listing of Maryland Department of Natural Resources events and programs, check out the online calendar.

It’s never too early to make plans to attend the Autumn Glory Festival in Oakland. The 52nd annual festival will be held Oct. 9-13. Click here for this year’s brochure and watch for updates from the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce.

National Fall Foliage Map

The Fall Foliage Prediction Map, found on the Smoky Mountain National Park website, includes predictions not just for the Smokies, which rise above the Tennessee-North Carolina border, but for all 50 states.

In Maryland, fall colors are expected to peak around the week of Oct. 12.

Our state offers some stunning vistas, including several in state parks suggested by Visit Maryland:

• The C&O Canal National Historic Park offers numerous hiking options, such as the strenuous Billy Goat Trail for advanced hikers. The trail rewards hikers with vistas of the surging Potomac River flanked by forests bursting with color.
• Elk Neck State Park located on a peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Elk River combines colorful forests with sandy beaches for great viewing. From the Turkey Point parking lot off Route 272 South, it's an easy one-mile walk to the historic 1833 Turkey Point Lighthouse atop a 100-foot bluff at the southern tip of the Elk Neck Peninsula. Climb 35 feet to its top for a spectacular view of the Bay waters and brilliant fall foliage.
• Patapsco Valley State Park, covering 32 miles of the Patapsco River in Howard County, offers great fall foliage views from the comfort of your car if that's a better fit for you. Drive to Valley Overlook in the Hollofield area right off Route 40. From there you can venture into Ellicott City's Main Street, which has shops and restaurants open even as it recovers from fatal August floods.
• In the heart of Baltimore County's horse country, Oregon Ridge Park near Cockeysville has hiking trails that showcase a tree-scape of yellow, orange and red.
• Swallow Falls State Park in Garrett County is located nine miles north of Oakland and contains part of the Youghiogheny River, which flows along the park's borders, passing through shaded rocky gorges and creating rippling rapids, and Muddy Creek Falls, a 53-foot waterfall. The 1 1/4 mile trail through Swallow Falls guides hikers to Western Maryland's breath-taking scenery.
• Other areas to visit close to the Baltimore-Washington metro area: Gwynnbrook Wildlife Management Area in Owings Mills, Baltimore County; Sugar Loaf Mountain Natural Resource Area in southern Frederick County; Seneca Creek State Park just southwest of Gaithersburg; and Dierssen Wildlife Management Area situated between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River in Montgomery County, offering first-rate opportunities for waterfowl watching and quiet interludes for strollers along the Canal Tow Path.

If you’re planning a trip somewhere else, the Fall Foliage Prediction Map can help you pinpoint the best dates for a visit.