Ohio Fall Foliage Color Preview for First Week of Autumn
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Ohio State Park Fall Harvest and Halloween Events are picking up, too!
COLUMBUS, OH – As we welcomed the first week of autumn, highlights of color are beginning to speckle the canopies of Ohio’s woodlands as the weather begins to cool.
“Many maple and ash trees are welcoming us into this year’s fall color season,” said Casey Burdick, from the ODNR Division of Forestry. “The maples are splashing yellows and reds near the edges of Ohio’s woodlands and in many other areas white ash trees are showing their deep red and purple while green ash trees are showing their vibrant golden yellow color.”
Ohioans and out of state visitors who are waiting for peak fall color are encouraged to head outside and enjoy the crisp fall days leading up to it. Ohio state parks and nature preserves are offering many family-friendly activities that all can enjoy. The burst of color at the onset of the season provides a perfect backdrop for hikers, bikers or horseback riders who make their way across the hundreds of miles of publicly accessible trails. The brilliance of fall color will add to the excitement of games of disc golf and golf, which can be played on beautiful, award-winning courses at several state parks. Anglers and boaters can also get priceless perspectives of amazing fall foliage as it reflects in the rippling water along miles of shoreline and waterways.
This coming weekend, check out one of the following events at one of your Ohio State Parks…
Fall Campout, Buck Creek (SW) – Oct. 1-3. Crafts, nature programs, games, contests, trick or treat & hayrides. (937) 322-5284
Harvest Days, Beaver Creek (NE) – Oct. 2-3 at the pioneer village & Gaston’s Mill. Craft displays & demonstrations of pioneer life, including the working grist mill. (330) 382-9227. Beaver Creek Wildlife Education Center open 10 AM-5 PM, duck race at 3 PM Sun. (330) 385-3091 orwww.beavercreekwildlife.org.
Halloween Campout, Grand Lake St. Marys (NW) – Oct. 1-3. Apple bobbing, pumpkin carving, hayrides, costume & campsite decorating. (419) 394-3611.
Apple Butter Festival, Hueston Woods (SW) – Oct. 2-3 at the pioneer farm. Arts, crafts & traditional apple butter making. (513) 524-4250.
Halloween Campout #1, East Harbor (NW) – Oct. 1-2. Scarecrow & decorated campsite contests, kids’ crafts and games, hayrides, haunted house, dance & bonfire. (419) 734-4424 ext. 2.
To find out more about these and other events, visit www.ohiodnr.com. The site will serve as a premier guide to Ohio’s fall color season. Its pages provide information for travelers who want to map a scenic road trip, adventurers who are refreshed and energized by the cool autumn weather, vacationers who seekplaces of solace to enjoy the changing seasons and even the students who need a resource for leaf collection projects. Ohioans and out-of-state visitors can also find information about fall foliage by calling 1-800-BUCKEYE or visiting www.discoverohio.com/autumnadventures.
Ohio’s 74 state parks, 21 state forests and 134 state nature preserves provide excellent locations to view fall foliage. Here are the most current reports from selected locations:
Location | Region | Color Condition |
Alum/Delaware Creek State Parks | Central | Near Peak |
Beaver Creek/Guilford Lake State Parks | East | Changing |
Blackhand Gorge Nature Preserve | Central | Changing |
Dillon/Blue Rock State Parks | East | Changing |
Buck Creek State Park | West | Changing |
Burr Oak State Park | Southeast | Changing |
Caesar Creek State Park | Southwest | Changing |
Clifton Gorge Nature Preserve | West | Changing |
Deer Creek State Park | Central | Changing |
Harrison Lake State Park/Forest | Northwest | Changing |
Hocking Hills State Park/Forest | Southeast | Changing |
Hueston Woods State Park | Southwest | Near Peak |
Indian Lake State Park | West | Changing |
John Bryan State Park | West | Changing |
Kent Bog Nature Preserve | Northeast | Changing |
Kiser Lake State Park | West | Changing |
Lake Hope State Park | Southeast | Near Peak |
Malabar Farm State Park | Northeast | Changing |
Maumee State Park/Forest | Northwest | Changing |
Mohican State Park/Forest | Northeast | Changing |
Mt. Gilead State Park | Central | Near Peak |
Pike Lake/Paint Creek State Parks | Southwest | Changing |
Punderson State Park | Northeast | Changing |
Quail Hollow/Wingfoot State Parks | Northeast | Changing |
Salt Fork State Park | East | Changing |
Shawnee State Park | Southwest | Changing |
Sycamore State Park | West | Changing |
Tar Hollow State Park/Forest | Southeast | Changing |
Triangle Lake Bog | Northeast | Changing |
Van Buren State Park | Northwest | Changing |
Zaleski State Forest | Southeast | Changing |
COLOR CONDITION KEY: Changing – Still mostly green, less than 25 percent color. Near Peak – Significant color showing – anywhere from 30 to 60 percent color. Peak – Peak colors – as much as 85 percent showing. Fading – Fading from peak conditions and leaves falling to forest floor.