Foliage

EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. - Every fall, Marilyn Krom tries to make a trip to Vermont to see the state's famously beautiful foliage. This year, the 62-year-old registered nurse noticed something different about the autumn colors. "They're duller, not as sparkly, if you know what I mean," said Krom, of Eastford, Conn., during a visit to Bragg Farm sugarhouse. Others are noticing, too. Hillsides usually riotous with reds, oranges, and yellows have shown their colors only grudgingly in recent years, with many trees going straight from the dull green of late summer to...

BRIDGEWATER, Vt. - Facing a broad panorama of the Green Mountains, Doug Parchman aimed his camera below the tree line, toward what has become a more compelling tourist attraction than peeping at leaves, usually ablaze with color at this time of year. In the distance, a battered old Cadillac sat atop a pile of boulders in a tributary of the Ottauquechee River, a lingering testament to the destructive power of Tropical Storm Irene, which six weeks ago swelled rivers throughout the region and carried away homes and stores, roads and bridges.

No time for a leaf-peeping trip to New Hampshire or Vermont this year? No problem. Local fall foliage enthusiasts say there's no need to burn a day and a tank of gas chasing the fiery hues of autumn in the mountains when there are dozens of little-known scenic overlooks scattered throughout Boston's western suburbs. Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston sits atop a wooded, 640-foot rise with a breathtaking view of the shimmering Wachusett Reservoir to the west. "All the land immediately surrounding the reservoir is owned by the Commonwealth as...

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent New Hampshire is a prime spot for taking photos of fall foliage and to capitalize on it, state tourism officials have kicked of a "Picture Perfect" photo contest to encourage residents and visitors to snap away. Photo winners will be chosen in each of the seven tourist regions of the state: Great North Woods, White Mountains, Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee, Lakes, Monadnock, Merrimack Valley and Seacoast. The contest runs through Oct. 31. Participants can upload their work to the contest website, www.fall.visitnh.com , where they can also find...

By Paul E. Kandarian, Globe Correspondent New Hampshire is a prime spot for taking photos of fall foliage and to capitalize on it, state tourism officials have kicked of a "Picture Perfect" photo contest to encourage residents and visitors to snap away. Photo winners will be chosen in each of the seven tourist regions of the state: Great North Woods, White Mountains, Dartmouth/Lake Sunapee, Lakes, Monadnock, Merrimack Valley and Seacoast. The contest runs through Oct. 31. Participants can upload their work to the contest website, www.fall.visitnh.com , where they can also find...

First you were forced to reach for an umbrella instead of the sunscreen. Then blight blasted your tomatoes, and the daisies drowned. In June and July, when the recession dampened travel plans to exotic destinations, Mother Nature offered you little more than indoor board game weather and mud. But New Englanders, a blazing crimson, gold, and orange reward is about to be yours: That miserable soggy start of summer and the crisp, clear conditions now...

The fiery display of oranges, reds, yellows, and even purples that make up New England’s glorious autumnal foliage is breathtaking, and this month is prime time for it. You can zoom along the interstates admiring the whoosh of color as you hurtle down the highway. But a much better way to relish nature is to take a slower route and dawdle, detouring here and there to enjoy food and drinks on the way. Route 2, which stretches from Boston Common to the New York state border, is one of the most beautiful urban escape routes to get in touch with Mother Nature’s swan song, as the green growing...

DURHAM, N.H. - A little less of a common forest fungus might help bring more of New England's celebrated fall foliage color this year. Experts say they are seeing less of a disease called Anthracnose, or leaf blight, which is caused by tiny fungi. The fungi are so small they can be seen only under a microscope, but they can have a big impact on the forest and its color. They make normally green hardwood leaves look brown, black or even scorched, and when prevalent, they can make a forest look dingy.

The Maple Leaf Inn Route 12Barnard, Vt.800-51-MAPLEwww.mapleleafinn.com What we liked most : The attention to detail at every corner: the stenciling on the walls, the heated bathroom floors, the champagne left for us on the TV. What we liked least : That we didn't get to meet Janet Robison, who was away. (However, her husband, Gary, was extraordinary.) What surprised us : The spaciousness of our room, especially at the relatively low price. You know you're at the Maple Leaf Inn when . . . You find yourself being nicer to your mate than usual.

WILLLIAMSTOWN - We’re not big fans of HGTV, but we confess a weakness for in-person home and garden tours where we can divine how the other half lives. They needn’t be opulent, just interesting. The Berkshires might be best known for its over-the-top “cottages’’ constructed in the boom years before the invention of income tax, but the style clock didn’t stop ticking at Victorian frou-frou. Some of those hill town hideaways are splendid spreads with Modernist sensibilities.

JAMAICA, Vt. - The flooding throughout Southern Vermont devastated not just roads and bridges. It is also jeopardizing one of the state's signature industries: fall foliage tourism. An estimated 3.6 million people visit Vermont each autumn to admire its blazing colors. But this year, damaged roads may not be ready for visitors by the time leaf peeping season begins at the end of the month, and damage to tree roots could rob parts of the state of its brilliant foliage. This rural Southern Vermont village is an example of the challenge.

The Maine Department of Conservation's fall foliage website, www.mainefoliage.com, goes online this week. Leaf peepers who want to follow the changing of the colors can go to the state website starting Wednesday. Regular reports on fall foliage conditions continue through Oct. 19 or until the entire state has reached past-peak conditions. State forest rangers collect data and observations in seven zones throughout the state and provide the information to the public and media.

CHERRYFIELD, Maine - In mid to late September, weeks after Maine's wild blueberries have been raked, feted in festivals, packaged, frozen, and sent countrywide, the vast barrens of sandy, acidic soil left by glaciers, where the berries grow semi-wild, turn to broad swaths of crimson. This transformation happens after the first hard frost. While leaf peepers head to the mountains, coastal Washington County, far down east, offers a different seasonal experience. This rugged and vast stretch of Maine beyond Bar Harbor, where half of Maine's 85 million pounds of commercially harvested wild blueberries grow, is...

WILLLIAMSTOWN - We’re not big fans of HGTV, but we confess a weakness for in-person home and garden tours where we can divine how the other half lives. They needn’t be opulent, just interesting. The Berkshires might be best known for its over-the-top “cottages’’ constructed in the boom years before the invention of income tax, but the style clock didn’t stop ticking at Victorian frou-frou. Some of those hill town hideaways are splendid spreads with Modernist sensibilities.

First you were forced to reach for an umbrella instead of the sunscreen. Then blight blasted your tomatoes, and the daisies drowned. In June and July, when the recession dampened travel plans to exotic destinations, Mother Nature offered you little more than indoor board game weather and mud. But New Englanders, a blazing crimson, gold, and orange reward is about to be yours: That miserable soggy start of summer and the crisp, clear conditions now...

New England is justifiably famous for its fall color, which makes every road so beautiful that even being stuck in traffic on I-93 can seem a little less trying this time of year. For residents, however, it’s easy to fall into the rut of visiting the same places year after year. The best way to take in this vibrant landscape and make the most of autumn is to seek out an overlooked vista, a hidden gem, or a new adventure. So we scouted out enough of them in all six New England states to fill every weekend until the snow falls, and more.

New England is justifiably famous for its fall color, which makes every road so beautiful that even being stuck in traffic on I-93 can seem a little less trying this time of year. For residents, however, it’s easy to fall into the rut of visiting the same places year after year. The best way to take in this vibrant landscape and make the most of autumn is to seek out an overlooked vista, a hidden gem, or a new adventure. So we scouted out enough of them in all six New England states to fill every weekend until the snow falls, and more.

The crowds are fewer, the air is crisper, the landscape is dappled with color, and both the temperatures and the prices are often moderate, so traveling in the fall makes sense. Consider, for instance, these autumnal offers: Vermont's Killington Resort has foliage package deals from $28 per person per night, including lodging and a round-trip ride on its K-1 Gondola, which takes you to 4,241-foot Killington Peak for views of five states and a bit of Canada. Dates are Sept. 1-18, Monday through Thursday, and Sept.

FORGET THE HOOPLA OVER PASSPORT RULES- FOR NOW Like Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say: Never miiiiiind. Remember all the fuss and to-do about the rule that was supposed to take effect early this year requiring everyone who comes into the United States, 1) if by land or 2) if by sea, to have a passport? Congress has voted to delay it until 2009. You'll still need one if you fly in. And this isn't a total free ride. You'll still need two forms of paper ID: a government-issued one such as a driver's license, and a copy of your birth certificate.

EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. - Every fall, Marilyn Krom tries to make a trip to Vermont to see the state's famously beautiful foliage. This year, the 62-year-old registered nurse noticed something different about the autumn colors. "They're duller, not as sparkly, if you know what I mean," said Krom, of Eastford, Conn., during a visit to Bragg Farm sugarhouse. Others are noticing, too. Hillsides usually riotous with reds, oranges, and yellows have shown their colors only grudgingly in recent years, with many trees going straight from the dull green of...