Where to look for fall colors

R&T DeMaris

Leaf peepers--it's time. The Forest Service is doing its part on behalf of Uncle Sam to make your peeping mileage productive. To that end, the spokes-folk for the Service had this to say: "Autumn is a wonderful time of the year to plan a trip to see the beauty of your national forests," said Tom Tidwell, Chief of the U.S. Forest Service. "As tree experts, we have incredible resources on our website to help you plan a great adventure this fall season."

What sort of resources? The Forest Service’s Fall Colors 2012 website includes clickable maps that link to forest-by-forest fall color information and to state tourism and fall color websites. Some of our most popular family friendly features include locations of scenic drives and trails, coloring pages for kids, the science behind the season, and links to a tree database. Photographs from visitors nationwide will be added to the site.

If you're away from the Internet, you can make a phone call to the Fall Colors Hotline at 1-800-354-4595. The hotline provides audio updates on the best places, dates and routes to take for peak viewing of fall colors on national forests.

Stock up the RV refrigerator, get plenty of batteries for the digital camera and make this a memorable autumn.