Make the most of autumn

Fall foliage season is around the corner. To prove it, head just a bit north, or even just to a higher elevation, and you are likely to find trees in the early stages of the remarkable annual transformation unavailable to the large majority of the world’s population, yet too often taken for granted here.

Better yet, go to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website to check the “Fall Foliage report” ( dcnr.pa.gov ). The reports are presented in six date ranges, with Week One running Sept. 28-Oct. 4. Yes, you’ve got a bit of time before “Best Color” here; Luzerne county is marked as “Starting to Change.” Six counties abutting the New York State border are marked as “Approaching Best Color.”

But “Tempus Fugit” applies heavily to the leaf-peeping season, and it’s very easy to watch it slip by because so much consumes our calendars these days — and because we will be, indeed already are, flooded with relentless election news. You want an antidote to all those election ads, stories, polls and phone calls? May we suggest looking at the fall foliage reports, comparing them to your personal calendar, and setting aside a few days to a week for prime autumn color enjoyment?

While the actual dates of “Best Color” are subject to the whims of weather, if you are willing to travel two counties north, you will be in peak autumn beauty come the week of October 5-11. The hills lining both sides of Pine Creek in Tioga County are wonderful examples, though you could plan a few days for a leisurely drive along Route 6 to fully enjoy all that historic and picturesque road offers.

Luzerne County stays short of “Best Color” through the third week report, but by then at least a third of the state is at peak, and another third is “Approaching Best Color,” which demonstrates one of the best parts about autumn here in Penn’s Woods: You can revel in the best of it all month, with a little travel. And if you are really busy, you’ve got six weeks to plan a getaway and still catch the stunning palette nature creates. During the third week, you can see the “best” by driving to Lackawanna or Wyoming Counties.

And of course, if you have no interest in driving to see the spectacle, or if it is too inconvenient to arrange a trip, come Oct. 19 our own home county is expected to be in “Best Color.” Get outdoors — and if you live in a denser urban area, try to get a few miles out of the built-up cities. We are blessed with so much woodland, and it takes little to revel in the fall showcase once it’s here. Pencil in a few hours a day that week to stroll through a park, laze on a bench, or even sit on a deck, in a backyard or on the porch and enjoy the miracle of autumn.

We quote it every year, but that’s because this fact from DCNR is worth remembering:

“Pennsylvania has a longer and more varied fall foliage season than any other state in the nation — or anywhere in the world. Only three regions of the world support deciduous forests that display fall autumn color: Eastern North America, The British Isles and parts of northwestern Europe, and Northeastern China and northern Japan. Forests in other regions are either tropical or dominated by conifers.

“Pennsylvania’s location between 40° and 42° North latitude and its varied topography from sea level on the coastal plain to over 3,000 feet in the Laurel Highlands supports 134 species of trees and many more shrubs and vines that contribute to the display of autumn color.

“Pennsylvania is the meeting ground of northern trees that flourish only on mountain tops farther south and southern species that are at the northern limits of their range.”

It’s a sight to behold, and now is a great time to plan how you’ll get the most of autumn.