2020 Fall Foliage Peak Map: When Leaves Are Best In Virginia

VIRGINIA — The first day of fall is still weeks away, but the autumnal equinox isn’t the best measure of when foliage will turn to blazing reds, vibrant oranges and sunny yellows in Maryland. And hiking or taking a drive along Skyline Drive to view Mother Nature's fall show is a great and safe way to get out of the house during the coronavirus pandemic.

No predictive tool is 100 percent accurate, but using the newly released interactive “2020 Fall Foliage Prediction Map” can help you plan excursions to see autumn leaves at the peak of their splendor.

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.

Developed as a tool to help vacationers book lodging and other accommodations in the Smoky Mountains, which rise above the Tennessee-North Carolina border, the Fall Foliage Prediction Map from SmokyMountains.com provides peak leaf change predictions for the entire continental United States.

To use the map, simply slide the scale to the right to see when leaves will peak in your state. Zero in on your county, and you’ll be able to decide whether it’s best to plan a northern, southern, eastern or western route.

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, DC.
• 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
###a>

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.

Angotti said improvements in algorithms used in the map combined with meteorological data sources have improved the reliability of the map, though he cautioned accurate meteorological predictions are “somewhat elusive and never 100 percent accurate.”

A new map is created every year due to dramatic changes from one year to the next, the release said.

What Causes The Different Colors

You probably remember from science class that the color change all starts with photosynthesis. Leaves constantly churn out chlorophyll — a key component in a plant’s ability to turn sunlight into the glucose it needs to thrive — from spring through early fall. Those cells saturate the leaves, making them appear green to the human eye.

But leaves aren’t green at all. Autumn is the time for leaves’ big reveal: their true color, unveiled as chlorophyll production grinds to a halt. The colors in fall’s breathtaking tapestry are influenced by other compounds, according to the national park’s website.

Beta carotene, the same pigment that makes carrots orange, reflects the yellow and red light from the sun and gives leaves an orange hue.

The production of anthocyanin, which gives leaves their vivid red color, ramps up in the fall, protecting and prolonging the leaf’s life on a tree throughout autumn.

And those yellows that make you feel as if you’re walking in a ray of sunshine?

They’re produced by flavonol, which is part of the flavonoid protein family. It’s always present in leaves but doesn’t show itself until chlorophyll production begins to slow.