Things to do, places to eat, shows to see, places to stay in Madison County, NY      

It is always sad when we get to this point in the fall season.  Today will be the last report that we do for the 2011 foliage season.  You will still find areas of beautiful leaves across Madison County, but the winds of the last week have restricted those leaves to well sheltered areas.  For instance the west facing hillside along Swamp Road in Morrisville has a lot of yellows and reds in it.  That's the type of foliage that will be the best find this weekend. 
The good news is the weather for Saturday and Sunday looks cool but nice, so there will be ample opportunity to get out and explore, whether it is a hike along the Link Trail or at the Great Swamp Conservancy or if it is a visit to Our Farm or Wolf Oak Acres for their fall harvest festivals.  Enjoy the last weekend of good colors and as always share your photos with us on Facebook.

The colors in the hills of Madison County and Central New York have been spectacular over the past few days.  The great weather over the Columbus Day weekend helped the colors really "pop". 

The best and brightest leaves seem to be coming from soft maples.  They are sporting a bright crimson color like the one in the picture to the left here.  Other prominent colors include orange and yellows.  Some of the best scenery can be found where hardwoods mix with pine and spruce trees.  The contrast of the deep dark green of forest pines and the bright colors of the hardwoods makes for an inspiring sight. 
We had been concerned that the colors this year would not be as bright, but it seems like this is a little longer season than most and they strong colors have come on in the last week. 
Enjoy the colors and as always upload your pictures to our Facebook page by clicking the button to your right.

The fall foliage season is in full swing in Madison County and that means this weekend will be perfect to get out and enjoy it.  Leaf change on average in the county is about 40% so we are approaching the mid-peak range.  Some area are blessed with near peak conditions, but other areas haven't really changed at all yet.  Most of the areas look like this picture taken in Nelson this morning. 
Areas of interest you should check out this weekend include the Cazenovia area especially the Chittenango Creek Gorge, the Brookfield area with tens of thousands of acres of forest, this area is beatuiful this time of year, and also the areas around Eatonbrook and Tuscarora Reservoir.  Water and colors, make for perfect watercolor-esque foliage!

After a couple of weeks with little to no change in the leaf color, it is obvious this week that the change is on its way.  As a whole the entire county sits at about 20% of peak, but there are areas and individual trees that are just amazing with color.  So far the maple trees that have changed are exhibiting bright crimson colors like the tree to the left, which I shot a picture of on the way into work yesterday morning.  The stretch of US Route 20 between Nelson and Morrisville features a stretch of near peak color especially in the swampy ground on the north side of the highway.  With two fall harvest festivals this weekend (Critz Farms in Cazenovia and Wolf Oak Acres in Oneida) along with Wheel Days in Brookfield and a number of live music acts, there are lot of opportunities to get out and enjoy the changing colors.  Remember to take lots of photos and post them on our Facebook page too.  Remember you can always check out the state wide foliage forecast over at the I Love NY webstie

Did it feel like fall this morning?  It sure did here in Central New York, and the leaves on the trees are beginning to tell the story.  Leaves in the area are just starting the change from green to the brilliant oranges, reds and yellows we all love.  You will find small pockets of change, a maple tree here and there that got a head start on everything else is the norm.  Expect the color to be at about 25% by next weekend.  In the meantime enjoy a wonderful fall weekend in Madison County.

As of this past weekend, color change has been minimal in Central New York State .  Anticipated cooler weather for this coming weekend should help start to change to colors in the leaves.  Check back on Thursday for our up-to-date report.

You can cover your ears and pretend not to hear it, you can cover your eyes and pretend not to see it, but you can't escape the fact that fall is almost here in Madison County.  The cooler mornings and crisper evenings of late August are without a doubt wonderful, but that means autumn is right around the corner. Of course the best part of fall is the brilliant foliage we get to enjoy across the area.  To that notion we will be starting up our weekly fall foliage reports on Thursday September 8th.  Visit the blog each Thursday to see the forecast and some selected hot spots to visit to see the best colors in all of New York State.

It is always with sadness that we type this report.  That means the beautiful fall foliage season has come to an end.  The southern part of the county has progressed well past peak conditions, but that doesn't mean you won't find a pocket or two of brilliance as you drive through the countryside.
The areas in the northern part of the county, especially along the NYS Thruway have retained their leaves better.  While the foliage is definitely past peak, there are many place where the gold of the sugar maples is quite stunning still.  Take a drive along Route 5 or Route 31 and you will see what we mean.  Thanks for checking in with us all fall and we hope to see you in Madison County again soon.

It is officially here!  Peak color in Madison County and much of Central New York.  The best color will be found north of US Route 20.  Those leaves were a little slower in changing and therefore didn't get rained off the trees as much two weeks ago.  South of Route 20 you will still find some spectacular color, it will just be a bit muted by lack of volume still on the trees. 
Driving around the county the Stockbridge Valley is looking very pretty this weekend with both sides of the valley lined with many oranges, reds and yellows.  The drive between Cazenovia and Chittenango along NYS Route 13 is also quite nice.  There are a lot of great events going on this weekend so get out and enjoy the fall colors.

It's an almost to peak edition of the fall foliage report this week.  Across Madison County you will find many colors this weekend.  The Route 20 corridor is near or at peak as are many of the southern hills in Madison County.  The northern part of the county is anywhere from 50-75% of peak and with a spectacular couple of days forecast for this weekend, it should be a very nice time to get out and enjoy the foliage around Madison County.