9/29/2011
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Autumn’s arrival brought colorful fall foliage to West Virginia’s mountain areas. State foresters say this is the weekend to head to the mountains to catch foliage at its peak or near peak.
Higher elevations of Tucker County and the areas around Spruce Knob, Cheat Mountain and Kennison Mountain are at peak this week and will be past peak by next weekend.
Recommended drives in Tucker County include State Route 32 through Canaan Valley and along U.S. Route 219. U.S. Route 250 from Huttonsville to Durbin is the recommended route for viewing Cheat Mountain. Drive State Route 55 from Richwood to Kennison Mountain; foresters report excellent coloration around Richwood and Cherry River.
Regional Forester Tom Cover, stationed in the Beckley office in Raleigh County, recommends several sites for good color this weekend.
“Foliage is at peak from northern Randolph County near Harman southward through the headwaters of the Greenbrier River,” Cover said. “Excellent color continues along Shavers Fork to Snowshoe and extends south to the headwaters of the Gauley, Williams and Elk rivers.”
Pocahontas County is at peak in the western portion of the county along Cheat Mountain while the east end is approximately one week to 10 days from peak.
Webster County is at 70 percent peak. Point Mountain is showing some color and should be at peak within the next 10 days. The remainder of Pocahontas County should be at peak within two weeks.
Higher elevations of Grant and Mineral counties range from 50 to 75 percent peak color. Foresters report good color in most locations, including reds, rusts and yellows in the mountain area near Mt. Storm in Grant County. Sumac is showing bright red and maples are colorful in Mineral County. Lower elevations of Grant and Mineral counties are showing little color right now.
Higher elevations around Beech Knob and Cold Knob in Greenbrier County are showing excellent colors, as are the higher elevations around Ansted in Fayette County. Foresters also recommend a trip from French Creek in Upshur County to Helvetia in Randolph County.
A drive along either State Route 5 or State Route 14 into Elizabeth for Pioneer Days should present some color, although most of Wirt County is only five percent peak at this time.
Anyone attending next week’s Mountain State Forest Festival in Elkins should see nice coloration in the surrounding mountains.
The next fall foliage report will be released on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011.
For more information about fall foliage, visit the Division of Forestry’s website at
www.wvforestry.com.
Contact Information
Leslie Fitzwater, Public Information Specialist
304-957-9342 or 304-541-8102
Leslie.C.Fitzwater@wv.gov