MD Fall Foliage: 'Vibrant Autumn' As First County Hits Peak Color

MARYLAND — Peak leaf colors of vivid yellow, red and orange are showing on maple trees in Garrett County this week, while leaves are changing across the state. This season's foliage is showing signs of a vibrant autumn, said the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The weekly 2020 Maryland Fall Foliage Report issued Oct. 8 said Garrett County in the western corner of the state is at peak leaf color. Foliage in Allegany County is nearing its peak, and Washington and Frederick counties are at the midpoint, according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Many counties — including Harford, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, Kent and Queen Anne's — are just changing.

“The species that turn early in the season, especially the sugar and red maples, still have a good bit of color, although the recent rain did contribute to some leaf drop. The golden cloaks on the American chestnut and hickories are beginning to emerge," said Becky Wilson, Western Region coordinator for Urban and Community Forestry, in the report. "The oaks have yet to join in the show so still plenty of time left in the fall foliage season."

If you can't make the drive to western Maryland, Wilson said you can spot vivid leaves on a stroll or drive through local parks, historic streets, and cemeteries in small towns.

Many of the sugar maples at Savage River State Forest in Grantsville are showing full yellow crowns and the red maples are showing various shades of red and orange, the report said. Most of the birch and beech trees are in full color, while the blackgum and sassafras that changed early are starting to fade and drop. No change yet in the oaks, which are the last to turn.

"As you can imagine, the colors are certainly further along as you rise in elevation," said Sean Nolan, forest manager at Savage River State Forest. "Keyser’s Ridge is further along than Meadow Mountain, which is showing more color than the lower elevations around the reservoir and Savage River.”

Experts said there is still another week or two to wait before Allegany County could be officially listed as peak.

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.

The updated Fall Foliage Prediction Map from SmokyMountains.com provides peak leaf change predictions for the entire continental United States.

In Maryland, the week of Oct. 26 looks good for a trip into the great outdoors.

The major factors that determine the fall foliage peak are sunlight, precipitation, soil moisture and temperature. The map takes in 50,000 predictive data sets, then churns out a county-by-county analysis of when the fall peak will occur, according to SmokyMountains.com co-founder David Angotti, an expert on statistics.