Fall foliage report: Last chance to leaf peep in Pittsburgh area before colors fade
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Peak fall color is starting to fade across the Pittsburgh area, but there are still opportunities to catch some pops of color across the state.
Northern oak forests have just begun to peak, offering late-season sights, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said in its fall foliage report for the week of Oct. 26-Nov. 1.
Foresters in Forbes State Forest said recent frosts sped up color development in southwestern Pennsylvania. While a lot of trees are dropping their leaves, the DCNR said you still have some chances to see some color.
The DCNR recommends Ryerson Station State Park in southwestern Greene County for some of the last peak color viewing opportunities of the season. Linn Run State Park in Westmoreland County also has beautiful color thanks to yellow poplars and red oaks, and a drive through Greene and Washington counties offers pretty hillsides of maples, hickories and oaks at their best.
Clear Creek Forest staff say the district's southern counties -- Beaver, Butler, Lawrence and Armstrong -- will start to see fading colors while the district's northern counties -- Mercer, Venango, Clarion, Forest and Jefferson -- are already fading.
In Beaver and Butler counties, red oaks are changing by the day and many white oaks have already hit a beautiful red color. The DCNR recommends a drive across Route 422 with a stop at Moraine State Park.
And if the fading color in the Pittsburgh area isn't enough, the state says counties in the southeast are either approaching best color or at their peak.
