MONTPELIER, Vt. – The upcoming holiday weekend will bring cooler temperatures and moderate sunshine as colorful foliage continues its sweep from the upper elevations into the valleys across Vermont.
Peak color is showing up on most of the Green Mountains south of Montpelier, and color is coming along nicely in the river valleys and near Lake Champlain.
 “Columbus Day Weekend promises some fantastic photo opportunities and will be a good time to do some exploring,” says Bennington County Forester Nate Fice. “This year is shaping up to be the best foliage season in many years.”
Best Bets: Foliage is at full color on Route 2 between Montpelier and Danville, and the leaves remain colorful on Route 100 from Hyde Park to Newport. Other suggested routes include Route 108 between Stowe and Cambridge, Route 100 between Warren and Waterbury, and Route 12A between Randolph and Roxbury.
Farther south, Route 103 southeast of Rutland and Route 4 east of Rutland are both near peak. Excellent color can also be found on Route 100 between Killington and Stockbridge, Route 73 between Rochester and Brandon, Route 125 between Hancock and Middlebury, and Route 7 between Middlebury and Rutland.
“There is brilliant mid-stage color along Route 7 from Middlebury to Rutland with splashes of reds and oranges in the wetter areas,” says Tom Olson, a foliage-spotter for Rutland County and southern Addison County. “From both sides of the road, there are beautiful views of the lush green rolling hills, farm land and changing colors on both the Green and Taconic Mountains.”
Color is bright on the hillsides of the Taconic Mountains, which may advance to three-quarter color this weekend. Olson adds that excellent mid-stage color can be found on Route 3 from Pittsford to West Rutland, and Route 4 west to Route 30. He also suggests Route 140 from East Wallingford to Poultney, Route 30 from Pawlet to Cornwall, and Route 53 around Lake Dunmore.
Foresters and foliage spotters also recommend Route 12 from Woodstock to Bethel, Route 107 from Stockbridge to Royalton, Route 131 between Brownsville and Ludlow, Route 106 between Reading and Woodstock, and Route 100A through Plymouth Notch.
Also recommended are Route 9 between Brattleboro and Bennington, and Route 100 between Wilmington and Weston, Route 35 between Chester and Grafton, Route 11 between Manchester and Springfield, Route 30 from Newfane to Dorset, Route 7 between Manchester and Rutland, and Route 7A from Manchester to Bennington.
While foliage is still in the early to mid-stages in the Champlain Valley, the contrast of the green meadows, brown corn fields and marshy areas is very colorful. Suggested routes include Route 78 between Swanton and East Highgate, Route 30 from Middlebury to Sudbury, and Route 22A from Vergennes to Orwell.
The Vermont Hospitality Council advises making advance reservations because the most popular lodgings may fill early on busy weekends in late September and the first two weekends in October. Some innkeepers may require a minimum two-night stay, especially on busy weekends.
Vermont tourism officials encourage visitors to take advantage of midweek specials during the foliage season as part of its statewide “Midweek Peek” promotion. Deals range from discounted lodging to free Vermont products.
This section of our Web site has several tools for planning your 2009 Vermont Fall Foliage tour including:
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