DCNR Weekly Fall Foliage Reports Begin Sept. 26; Get Tips On The Best Spots For Viewing

The autumnal equinox marking formal beginning of Fall is on September 23 at 3:50 a.m.
To celebrate the fall season in Pennsylvania, DCNR experts will be available to serve as regional advisers on fall foliage, offering tips and resources to help residents and visitors experience a colorful autumn in a variety of ways across the Commonwealth.

 Starting September 26, weekly fall foliage reports can be found online on the Department of Conservation of Natural Resources website and will be updated every Thursday. 

Visitors can get suggestions about the best spots to view fall foliage on the Penn’s Woods Fall Foliage story map and on the Pennsylvania Tourism Office website.

Fall foliage typically peaks for several weeks near the beginning of October across Pennsylvania.

“Throughout the state, our foresters and park personnel look forward to recommending both the best times and locations to glimpse our autumn woodlands in all their splendor,” said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “With 121 state parks and more than 2.2 million acres of state forestland, Pennsylvanians truly are blessed with an abundance of prime fall-foliage viewing areas.”

While the leaves are the star of the show, Pennsylvania is abounding with great festivals, pick-your-own farms, and unrivaled haunted attractions that make the state the obvious choice for autumn. 

Each year, Pennsylvania’s nearly 204 million travelers inject more than $43 billion into Pennsylvania’s economy, generate more than $4 billion in tax revenues, and are responsible for more than 500,000 jobs related to or benefiting from tourism.

“From the Pittsburgh hills to the Pocono mountains, Pennsylvania’s landscape is unrivaled in the fall,” said Carrie Fischer Lepore, Deputy Secretary of the Office of Marketing, Tourism and Film in the Department of Community and Economic Development. “No matter whether you call Pennsylvania home or are just passing through, we encourage you to grab your camera, a pumpkin spice latte at a local coffee shop, and head to one of our state’s scenic locations to experience the wonder for yourself.”

Regional forestry experts can discuss the chemistry of fall foliage color, as well as the projected outlook for fall foliage in their region of Pennsylvania. State experts include:

-- Northcentral Pennsylvania: Chris Firestone, wild plant program manager: Tioga State Forest District, Wellsboro, Tioga County.

-- Northwest Pennsylvania: Cecile Stelter, district forester: Cornplanter State Forest District, Warren, Warren County;

-- Northeast Pennsylvania: Tim Latz, forester: Pinchot Forest District, Dalton, Lackawanna County;

-- Southeast Pennsylvania: Rick Hartlieb, assistant district forester: William Penn State Forest District, Elverson, Chester County;

-- Southcentral Pennsylvania: Ryan Reed, environmental education specialist, Harrisburg, Dauphin County; and

-- Southwest Pennsylvania: Rachael Mahony, environmental education specialist: Forbes State Forest District, Laughlintown, Westmoreland County.

Visit DCNR’s Fall Foliage Reports webpage beginning September 26.

  For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website, Click Here to sign up for the Resource newsletter, Visit the Good Natured DCNR Blog,  Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

(Photo: Delaware Canal State Park, Bucks County.)