2020 Fall Foliage: Leaf Changes Coming Slowly In Virginia

VIRGINIA — In southwest Virginia and the Alleghenies, trees at high elevations are starting to display blazing reds, vibrant oranges and sunny yellows this week. Viewing Mother Nature can be a safe way to get out of the house during the coronavirus pandemic, especially since many annual fall festivals have been canceled.

The weekly 2020 Virginia fall foliage report for Oct. 3 said the shorter days are triggering yellow pigments to show in leaves. The color change is inevitable, but its intensity varies with weather conditions.

In parts of southwest Virginia and the Alleghenies, there are some good spots of color already, including the characteristic orange of sugar maples beginning to turn, according to the Virginia Department of Forestry. Fall foliage in the Blue Ridge is still confined to individual trees or small groups of trees. In the Shenandoah Valley you can see early changers like black walnut, serviceberry, sumac and dogwood. Along roadsides and in urban areas, maples are beginning to change colors.

Cooler nights to come will enhance the development of red pigments, especially in red and sugar maples, black gum, dogwood, and sumac.

The Virginia Department of Foresty recommends these fall foliage driving tours designed by local foresters:

• Charlottesville area: Greene County tour directions
• Harrisonburg area: Rockingham County tour directions | Shenandoah County tour directions
• Lexington area: Bath County tour directions
• Front Royal area: Warren County tour directions
• Roanoke area: Bedford County tour directions | Craig County tour directions | Franklin County tour directions
• Staunton area: Highland County tour directions

How To Check On Foliage

• Fall Foliage Report - 1.800.424.LOVE (begins around September 23 each year)
• Skyline Drive/Shenandoah National Park - 540.999.3500 (press "6")
• Blue Ridge Parkway (between Waynesboro and the North Carolina border) - 828.298.0398 (press "3")

The Commonwealth offers some stunning vistas, including several in state parks suggested by the Virginia Department of Forestry:

• Prince William Forest Park is an oasis of natural beauty and human history located only 35 miles south of Washington, D.C.
• Monticello Artisan Trail (Nelson & Albemarle Counties). Nestled at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains, Albemarle and Nelson counties offer cultural, historical, recreational and leisure opportunities for visitors.

Visit Fairfax offers these suggestions for nearby foliage:

• The George Washington Memorial Parkway
• Great Falls Park, 9200 Old Dominion Dr, McLean
• Burke Lake, 7315 Ox Road, Fairfax Station
• Lake Accotink, 7500 Accotink Park Road, Springfield
• Huntley Meadows, 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria
• Riverbend Park, 8700 Potomac Hills Street, Great Falls
• Mason Neck State Park, High Point Rd, Lorton
• Fountainhead Regional Park, 10875 Hampton Rd, Fairfax Station
• Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct, Vienna

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

In northern Virginia, the week of Oct. 19 looks good for a trip into the great outdoors, while the peak for western Virginia is Oct. 12, and Oct. 26 is when colors should be best in the counties closes to Chesapeake Bay.

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.