2011 Fall Foliage Reports - Our 14th Year
for the North Central Arkansas & South Central Missouri Corridor
Norfork Lake, Bull Shoals Lake, White River, Glade Top Trail, and Ozark National Forest areas

Please Note! As you browse the Web looking for foliage information for Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri, you'll find information saying that fall foliage peaks in mid October. That is not true. While some color turns early along the rivers and deep valleys, peak always occurs in the last week of October, or the first week of November. Summer rainfalls have little to do with fall foliage unless there is a severe drought without rainfall. It is all about the right temperatures and sunlight levels.

Announcing a new driving tour: Sylamore Scenic Drives  A map, scenic drives on both pavement and back dirt roads, shopping, attractions, gas, dining, even where all the restrooms are. This site is very new, we have not yet added the photos, and we are still editing, but we wanted you to have the map for this fall. The tour is in southern Baxter County in the Sylamore District of the Ozark National Forest. There are few places in the Ozarks giving as much scenery, attractions, and other things to do in such a small area. Print out the map, print out the Tour Summary, and you'll be good to go.

Last Report For Fall 2011

Thursday Evening, November 10

Saturday's Forecast Calls For Very High Winds - As In Up To 50MPH.

About all you'll see this Saturday is a blizzard of leaves flying off the trees. Too bad as this year's high ridge peak is late and there is still good color in spots. This rare high altitude jet stream thing is brewing, and of course it spells the end of this year's color.

The last of the trees have turned. We're past peak in almost all areas in that the color changes have done all they will for this year. The last four days have not been good for polishing off a good peak. Cloudy warm weather caused the color to stop developing all the way to a glorious peak. The strong wind will blow off what is left.

Some color remains on the Glade Top. This weekend will be about the last of the color there.

In southern Baxter County the ridge tops along Hwy 341 still have good color in spots. This year's peak on Hwy 341 is a little late, and that is presenting a unique opportunity. This evening we saw fall foliage in moonlight, a first for us in this area. The moon rises about 5:15 pm. If you drive Hwy 341 north Friday evening you'll see the moon rising over color.

Thanks to all for following us again this year. If you enjoyed our area of the Ozarks this fall, come again in the spring for spring foliage. It's beautiful here in April and May!

Best regards,
Gary & Mary Cooley

Tuesday, November 8
Peak is here in all areas. We did not get the three sunny days which had  been in the forecast, so the peak is not as brilliant as we hoped it would be. On a scale of 1-10 it's about a 7.5 this year. Still, there is a lot of nice color. How long it will last is the question at this point.

Right now we are having a thunderstorm with stiff gusts of wind. The rain and wind mixture is blowing off leaves, and if this keeps up our color will mostly be gone.

One of our favorite times to view foliage is after a good rain, before the sun comes out. Color seems to glow in a way not seen at any other time. So when the storm is over we'll go have a look and see how much color is left. One thing is for sure, this week will be the last of the good color.

Thursday Night, Nov 3
While the wind did blow off some color, there is still foliage worth seeing. The Glade Top will be in peak by this weekend. Color there will last until about the middle of next week. There is still a lot of nice orange, yellow, and some red color. The best color on the Glade Top is at the northern end (Ava Missouri end) at the Watershed Divide and at the Caney Picnic Area. Color is also good along the rest of the Glade Top, but these two spots put you just the right distance from good hillside color.

The rain has settled the dust on the Glade Top so it will not be dusty to drive for the next several days. The U.S. Forest Service has put up all new road and stop signs. Look for the gray leaf-shaped signs with white lettering at stop points.

In the southern section of our area, along Hwy 341 and Hwy 14, there is still good color. However, as is usually the case, the southern area is about two to three days behind the Glade Top. There will be good color all along Hwy 341 and Hwy 14 this weekend, but this area may not peak until early next week. However! No need to hold out for peak. There will be good color this weekend, especially up on the ridges and hill tops. Down in the valleys there is still some color, but most low-lying areas are past peak.

Tomorrow's forecast still calls for a sunny day. Bring a coat as it will be chilly. Saturday's forecast still calls for a mostly sunny day. Sunday's forecast predicts more clouds.

What happens here in the Ozarks that's different from northern state foliage is our foliage turn takes longer. Up north foliage turns within a matter of 10 days or so. In the Ozarks it's more like 18 to 20 days. This is due to warmer temperatures. Further, since there are some 250 different tree species in our area, you see trees turning at different times. For a record foliage year to occur here, the color on the first trees to turn have to stay on the trees until the last trees to turn are in color. That would have had happened this year had it not been for the three days of wind we experienced.

On the other hand, because several tree species turn color at different times, and at different rates, and regardless of how much the wind blows, there will always be color. Leaves don't blow off trees until they are near, or at peak. And because the vast majority of the trees had not yet hit peak, we still have nice color.

Thursday Morning Update
A short drive shows that the color has survived the wind and rain. But wait for our complete update this afternoon or early evening. The forecast calls for a sunny Friday and a mostly sunny Saturday. Weather continues to cool. Chances are good we'll finally have a good peak. Stand by . . .

Wednesday Night Update
We're not sure what to report just yet. We'll be out tomorrow for a good look. We will update again sometime Thursday afternoon.

Yesterday and today we had more wind. Tonight a rainstorm is moving in with a forecast for 35mph winds. We're going to wait for the storm to end and then go out for a look. It may be good, it may be bad. Many trees are still holding nice color. But the storm could change that.

Sorry, we can't say more than this for sure until we go for a look. The forecast for this weekend looks good. If the color holds then this weekend may well be beautiful. Keep your fingers crossed!

Monday Afternoon, October 31, 2011
We spent all day Saturday and Sunday in the Great Outdoors enjoying the foliage. All was going well until Sunday when the wind came up and blew off a great deal of color. Wind gusts of between 20 and 30mph created a blizzard of falling leaves. However, the turn is still underway as a good portion of trees are still turning.

From this point forward the best color will be found on the highest ridge tops. Down in the deep hollows color is past peak due to the wind on Sunday. There is still color, just not as much. You can find color on the Glade Top Trail and Caney Mountain. Color is still good on Hwys 14 and 341 (Push Mountain Road) in southern Baxter county.

In a few more days we should start seeing strong hillside color - if we continue to have the right temperatures and sunlight conditions.

Regarding close-up color viewing, as in trees beside the road, you'll see more color if you drive with the sun at your back. Bright sunlight tends to dilute the color. If you want to see the foliage go "florescent", that is see when it appears to glow, drive roads when the sun is setting. Wait for all shadow and sunlight patterns to disappear so that the light is even. This will be around 5pm to 6pm. You can drive a road in bright sun light and think there not much in the way of color. But drive it again in evening light and the color comes alive and you'll wonder how you missed it earlier in the day.

Understory color is strong. Drive the back roads and you'll see it glowing under the main forest canopy. A good road for this is Gunner Pool Road at Point 25 on the tour map linked above. Drive Gunner in from Point 24, go through Gunner Pool campground across the bridge, and continue on up to the intersection of 1102 (which is Gunner Pool Road) and road 1113. Gunner Pool Road is gravel and therefore smoother than the dirt roads. It's as much fun coming back down Gunner as driving up.

Regarding what decisions to make, you have a few days of good color left. We don't dare predict how many for sure, but a good guess is at least through this coming weekend.

Friday Night, October 26, 2011

Best Color We've Ever Seen

Sorry for the late update, our server has been under denial of service attacks.

We just returned from a 281 mile foliage drive through our entire area, and we're the most excited we've been in years. This is it. This is what all of us foliage junkies live for!

The quality of the color is the best we have ever seen - and the area is still at least a week away from peak!

Further, we are seeing color on trees we've never seen before, not even in New England foliage. We're seeing pinkish blues, purple-blues, and reddish-blues that are totally strange but wonderful. We have no idea what is causing it, but we love it. We suspect it is because the weather has been cooler than normal this fall, except for two days of near record heat. Go figure!

The oranges, reds, crimsons, yellows, and even mahogany hues are the most intense we have ever seen in this area. Oddly enough we even saw several smoke trees still in peak foliage. The smokes are normally totally bare by this time each year. They turned nearly a month ago.

We drove from Mountain Home to the Glade Top Trail, then back down past Mountain Home to Mountain View, then down Highway 14 and to Blanchard Springs Caverns Recreation Area. Almost everywhere we saw brilliant color. Here's what we recommend.

For the next ten days you'll see good color almost everywhere. If you want to see this color, just get here and you'll see it. The Glade Top Trail has several concentrations of good color, but trees on the Glade Top have not yet peaked. We highly recommend both the Watershed Divide and the Caney Picnic Area. They will be spectacular by next weekend. But if you come out this weekend you will not be disappointed, it's already quite spectacular.

Caney Mountain Conservation Area is also showing great color. It's right off Highway 5 not far out of Gainesville, Missouri. Drive the dirt roads there, park out of the way, and walk the understory for a real color treat.

Normally the Glade Top peaks about 4 to 7 days before the southern end of our reporting area peaks. So today we did not expect grand color in southern Baxter County. It's because of days like today we are glad we drive it to check it. Let's put it this way - What we saw on Highway 341 (aka Push Mountain Road), and on Highway 14 on the way to Blanchard Springs Cavern Recreation Complex, has us packing tonight for a serious 3-day photo shoot. It was stunning. This sort of color is almost a once in a lifetime event.

All along Hwy 341 and Hwy 14 we saw incredible color. And no, it's not even peak. There is still a lot of green, and most of the trees with grand color have yet to finish their turn.

The weather forecast for this coming week is nearly perfect for producing a top quality foliage peak. The temperatures and sunshine levels are near perfect for the next several days. There is still quite a bit of green on about 30 to 40 percent of the trees.

We recommend The Glade Top Trail, Caney Mountain Conservation Area, or any of the side roads in those areas. Further south we highly recommend Highway 341 (aka Push Mountain Road) in southern Baxter County. Also run Highway 14 from Yellville to Mountain View. If you run Highway 14 make sure you drive down into Blanchard Springs Caverns Recreation Complex. What makes Blanchard special is that it is at low elevation in a deep hollow. Therefore it gets colder than the hills above it. This means you'll see amazing color changes as you head down hill.

One part of fall foliage that Mary greatly enjoys are the roadside and meadow grasses, which turn orange and gold. When the early morning or late afternoon low angle light hits them, they glow. So does the understory foliage. You want to see spectacular color, drive a back road, find a place to park, and walk under the forest canopy. Right now you'll see blazing color on sassafras, hickory, and smoke tree saplings standing anywhere from a foot to 3 feet high.  You can walk understory color on the Glade Top, at Caney Mountain, and along Hwy 341.

Photographers it will pay to drive the light. What we do is scout our subjects, then note what time of day the light will be hitting right. Try to find subjects off the dirt roads by at least 50 feet. Traffic stirs up the dust which gathers on the leaves, or drifts through your shot. If you shoot mid-day you'll want your polarizer for sure as the light is very harsh on this color in full sun.

As you can imagine the best light will be from early light to about 9:30, then again from about 4:30 to twilight. Pick a road, drive it, look for the color you want. If the light is not right, keep driving. The way these roads wind it won't be long before the sun is in your favor. Drive back the opposite direction, or come back two hours later.

If you want a Print and Bring self-guided tour map, and a tour summary, you can do so at:
http://www.ozarkmtns.com/sylamore/guide.asp    The only thing you really need is our Express Summary and Fast Map. These print out on two pages. If you want to take more time, then print out the Day Tour Summary and the Fast Map, about 5 pages total.  If you are really detail driven, print out the Complete Map and Complete Tour Summary, about 9 pages total.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

From this point in time forward to after peak, we will update this report every other day.

The color turn slowed down over the last 5 days due to warm weather, delaying peak to the first few days of November. As of today we are beginning a cooler weather pattern so color turn will accelerate quickly over the next week.

Right now the turn is about 50 to 60 percent toward peak color from summer green. The term "peak" somehow implies urgency, or short-term beauty. Such is not the case. Peak color lasts a good week, and the days prior to peak are almost as pretty.

Peak is when entire hillsides are orange and yellow. The only green showing in peak color will be evergreens - pine and cedar trees - which do not change color. In addition to the percent of green verses color, color brightness also plays a role. In peak periods not only have all the trees turned, but they are as bright as they will become. In the days leading up to peak, as in the next week, color is still very nice, but not as vivid on as many trees as it will be during peak.

Right now thousands of trees are already in peak so you'll see grand color up close on individual trees. You'll see very nice reds and yellows. If you drive the side and back roads you'll also see very nice understory color, that is, color on trees only a few feet high. Understory is some of the best fall color you'll see.

If you come next weekend, or the first few days in November, you'll see peak color, meaning all trees will have turned with as much color as will happen. And as always, that depends mostly on temperature and sunlight conditions. Our forecast for the next week is nearly perfect for generating good fall color.

In the northern end of our area the color is good on the Glade Top Trail right now, and will be better next week. Same goes for the southern end of our area. If you are trying to decide whether to come this weekend or next weekend, you will not be disappointed either way, but the best color will be next weekend, not this weekend.

Gary Cooley

Friday, October 21, 2011

More trees have changed since last week, but we're still a week to 10 days from peak. Temperature conditions have been nearly perfect for producing a great color change this past week. If the current weather pattern holds the turn will come on very fast toward the end of next week.

We had three days of wind that blew off mature color on some trees. This is normal. Take a close look at some of our fall foliage photos and you'll see bare trees next to other trees in peak color.

The northern part of our area had a light frost. This will speed things up for sure. Fortunately the frost was not heavy as a heavy frost makes leaves turn brown.

As soon as the color change accelerates we'll update this report more frequently.

Friday, October 14, 2011

After driving another 248 miles through our reporting area we still say color is looking good. Drive any secondary road right now and you will see brilliant colors on individual trees. There's a lot of bright reds, yellows, and orange. We are still about two weeks away from peak where all trees have turned. However, with the current weather pattern we may see an early peak this year.

This weekend's weather forecast calls for beautiful sunny weather. If you want to get out for some color, you'll see it. If you want to reserve your color trip for peak, wait a little longer. Next week's forecast is for nearly perfect color forming conditions. Time will tell.

One thing is for sure. This fall has already proven that summer rainfalls have little effect on fall color. We have been fighting that Urban Legend for years, and this fall we feel vindicated! We are currently seeing some of the most brilliant colors we have seen in years - including those past summers with a lot of rain. As we have said for years, as long as the leaves are green, and if temperature and sunlight conditions are right, you'll see good fall color.

1st Report: Saturday, October 8, 2011

We drove 268 miles through our area over the last two days from Mountain View, Arkansas to the Glade Top Trail near Ava, Missouri, and through several points in between. We will not be conducting our normal aerial flights during peak this year. We cannot find a pilot and plane. Due to the recession affordable flights are impossible to find. We used to pay $150 an hour. Now we can't find anyone to fly us for less than $250 an hour. Looks like we'll just have to drive to the hill tops! (Oh, like that won't be fun!).

We are encouraged at what we saw. Due to this summer's drought, some trees were stressed. You can tell a drought stressed tree because it will have a crispy brown look, like the tree is dead. It's not, it's just dormant. In a cluster of 10 trees or so, there is only enough moisture in the soil during a drought to keep 8 or 9 trees green. When water levels in roots drop below a certain level, a tree goes dormant. This is our 14th year of doing these reports, and we have never seen trees this drought-stressed.

However, it appears that the rains we had in September did recharge the trees which remained green. In all areas we saw several trees which have turned. Gums have already turned to a brilliant crimson. Hickories are their usual pretty golden yellow. In other words, trees which have turned are showing very nice color. If what we saw is any indication of what is to come, we're in for a gorgeous fall display. The point is that no, drought has NOT ruined fall colors!

Thus it gets down to the usual question of, "Will we have the right number of cool nights and sunny days?" Only time will tell.

Right now you can see individual trees displaying very nice color. Yet less than one-half of one percent of all trees on any given hillside, or along any given road, have turned. Driving the Glade Top will put you past several colorful red gums and yellow hickory. Same for along Highway 341 in southern Baxter County in Arkansas.

In all parts of our reporting zone you'll see brilliant red stands of sumac next to the roads. These are not poisonous sumac, but a species named smooth sumac. These hardy little bushes are typically 3 to 8 feet high and grow in dense colonies. They are one of the most beautiful foliage displays you'll find. In addition to their glowing red leaves they have bright purple stems.

So far the weather has remained warm. This is a good thing at this stage of the game. What we want is continued warm conditions until the last part of October to put off the turn. Any cold weather we get in the middle of the month will not last. If the turn starts under an early cold front, and then a warm front moves in, the color turn will stall. If the warm front lasts more than 2 or 3 days, the color will not be as bright as if the weather turns cold, and stays cold.

Early Report For Fall 2011

Glade Top Smoke Trees

Thursday, October 6, 2011
Smoke trees always turn early, typically in late September or early October. Their foliage is some of the most spectacular seen in fall foliage anywhere. The best place to see them is along the Glade Top Trail (which is actually a well maintained dirt road) at Stop 3 on our map. Come in from the Ava, Missouri end of the Glade Top. A visit to the "smokes" yesterday showed us that some have peaked and dropped their leaves, others are in peak now, and others are still turning. It's like each tree is on it's own schedule this year. Your best bet to see smoke trees in peak will be from now through early next week.

2011 Color Potential

Our area has been in drought conditions for several months. However, we had good rains in late August and in September. Trees may have enough time to recover and we still could have a good fall foliage display. But as always, it depends more on cool nights in the low 40's and upper 30's, with sunny days in the mid 60's. As long as leaves are green there will be color. At this point it would be very misleading to predict color conditions. Time will tell!

Watch For False Starts

Fall 2011 will be our 15th consecutive year of reporting on area fall foliage. From that experience we can say that in mid-October there will usually be a cold spell. Foliage will begin to turn very nicely, then all of a sudden here comes a warm front with cloudy days. That stalls the color turn. Where color ends up depends on how long that warm front hangs around. This happens almost every year, but not all years. We get the best fall color when the weather turns cold, and stays cold, for two weeks. This happens about once every 5 to 8 years. This is why we believe it is a fool's game to try to predict color intensity more than a week in advance.

Long Term Trip Planning

While we don't predict color intensity more than a week in advance, we can say for sure that, barring some real freak of nature, whatever the color level is to be, it will happen in the last week of October into the first few days of November. This has been true for all 14 years we have reported. All of the photos on our site where taken in that time frame.

However, keep in mind that from mid October on there will be color. Foliage in the Ozarks starts at low elevations and moves "uphill" over a three week period. So if you can't make it during the last week of October, that does not mean you can't see color at all.

American Smoke Trees

Few trees in the world are a brilliant in fall as the American Smoke Tree. It's orange leaves glow like neon, especially at dawn and at dusk. Few places in America have smoke tree groves as plentiful and as beautiful as on the Glade Top Trail. BE WARE! Smoke trees turn very early, well before any other species, typically in the first few days of October.

Drought Color

Currently you can see a little hillside color here and there. The color you see on the hillsides on isolated trees is not fall foliage. It is trees which have gone dormant due to the drought. The trees have not died, they have just shut down for this year due to too little water. If you look at them up close the leaves have no color. They are all brown, which is not normal fall coloration.