Foliage: where and how to see it best

Besides Vermont in general, where do you like to watch your foliage from? We always talk about where the color is the best via location — the state of Vermont even puts out an interactive map where tourists and locals alike can figure out where to spend the day across our great little state.

But location is not the only important component to checking out the color in our great state. Because it’s not just what part of the state you are in, but where you are relative to the leaves themselves that can make or break the foliage.

Most of us drive around Vermont, whether on four wheels or two, glancing up at the walls of color on the mountainsides as we roll along through the hills. You go up and over all gaps — and enjoy that moment as you top out and look out across the green mountains for miles. That view as you come up Mad Gap from Waitsfield is just killer. But it’s really hard to snap a picture or revel in the moment as you’re going by at the speed limit. You either end up parking on the side of the road, pissing off the locals, endangering your family and hoping that your car door doesn’t get ripped off. Or you hope that you got that pic as you drove by.

But that’s only one way. And it’s actually not my favorite at all. I’ve got a few suggestions for you all as you make your foliage journeys this year.

Stop at the top of the mountain. Take the gondola up Killington Peak or Hike to the top of Camel’s Hump or Deer Leap. Stop. Eat a sandwich and just give yourself time to absorb all the nuances in the colors. See how the trees are all mingled together and not in segregated clumps. Really take the time to notice the softness and see how our mountains truly come alive. You might find peak that way, but you won’t find yourself amidst an impressionist painting like on Bald Mountain Trail.

Driving and Summits only show the top layer of the colors. The tops of the trees. There is so much going on underneath the tops of the trees that you would have no idea that you were missing it until you saw it. I remember the first time I found myself in a tri-color forest: the leaves on the ground were a darker red, the lower level of the trees were still bright green but the tops had begun to turn a bright yellow. I don’t think I had ever tripped so much on that walk because I wasn’t looking at my foot placement ever. I wasn’t just looking at the foliage, I was surrounded by it. Encompassed by it. Was actually part of it. Hike, bike, walk — whatever pace you enjoy works for this. You just have to get underneath.

Get on the water. Preferably in the early morning because the reflection of the colors on the shoreline reflect into the calm waters and oftentimes you feel like you are paddling through a three dimensional painting. It’s different than driving 60 mph in a steel frame. Here you are floating. There might be some leaves lying on the water, individual spots of color that just jump out at you. Also, in a drier season, the colors are still vibrant right at the water’s edge. Kent Pond is famous for this. Everything else could be muted, but Kent Pond is singing with vibrancy and gloriousness. I’ve spent most of this week on the pond, gazing at the colors in the water. 

Go to the same spot every day for a week or a month and actually watch the change. Every morning, I have my morning “coffee” on the front porch at my home and study the trees. I love to see which tree has made a move overnight, which tree has poofed and lost even more leaves, and which ones may or may not begin to change over the next few days. Instead of just looking for the end results, you can actually watch the change happen in real time. There are three trees right in front of Fall Line condos on East Mountain Road in Killington. They are the same kind of tree, all planted at the same time, and yet each one turns colors at a different pace than the other two. I love watching the progression and trying to figure out which one will turn next.

So as you go peeping this autumn, be sure to study all the different angles and really explore the beauty of the season. Look at the world from more than just one viewpoint, open yourself to new sights and wonders and experiences. 

Merisa Sherman is a long time Killington resident, member of the Development Review Board and town Lister. She is a global real estate advisor and also Coach PomPom. Reach out to her at merisa.sherman@sothebysrealty.com.