MONTPELIER, Vt. – What an incredible year this has been for foliage in Vermont. Sunny days and crisp nights stayed with us throughout September and October. The foliage color change accelerated in late September at a pace that continued throughout most of the season, giving us a spectacular array of bright reds, yellows and oranges across the state.
 As we head into “Stick Season,” areas of good color can still be found around the state. Stick Season refers to the period after foliage has left most of the trees. This year, however, many branches are still brightly adorned with oranges, yellows and reds.
According to state foresters, river and lake valleys and lower elevations will offer the best remaining color statewide. Clusters of lingering, bright maples are still to be found in lower elevation valleys, especially in town and village centers.
While this will be the last formal report of the year, we hope you will take advantage of this year’s wonderful weather and come see the closing act of the 2008 foliage season.
Best Bets: The Connecticut River Valley along the eastern border of Vermont will continue to display bright foliage through the weekend. Suggested routes include I-91 and Routes 5, 103, 30, and 11 along the tributary river valleys.
In Grand Isle County, Route 2 and shoreline town roads offer some beautiful late season viewing through the Champlain Islands. To the west of the Green Mountains, there’s still plenty of nice color to be seen on Route 7, especially south of Middlebury.
In Addison County, suggestions for getting off the beaten track include Route 73 from Sudbury west to Mt. Independence; Route 53 around Lake Dunmore (near Salisbury); the Richville Dam Road from Whiting west to Route 22A; and Route 30 between Whiting and Poultney.
In southwestern Vermont, other still colorful routes include Routes 7A, 30, 31 and 133, and any of the town roads from Bennington north through Arlington, Manchester, and Dorset to the Poultney and Middletown Springs area.
This will be the final report for 2008. Look for the first report on next year’s foliage season in September 2009.
This section of our Web site has several tools for planning your 2009 Vermont Fall Foliage tour including:
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