My Best Pictures of Fall in New Hampshire

I did get out to Gregg Lake, located in Antrim, New Hampshire, to take some photos this year (2012) but the sun refused to cooperate so the color did not pop as I would have liked.  I've made a few posters using the foliage pictures and they can be purchased in extra large size (or any smaller size also).

The Fall season is fleeting, and between the wind and the rain, many trees have already lost their color.  Red leaves were at a minimum from what I saw, and that is what we really love to see.

(Image: Zazzle's wall picture view with my large, Fall poster over a fireplace.)

Leaf Peepers visit New England from all over the world and it's a very busy tourist season.  Book your reservations early.

Peak foliage season varies from north to south.  Foliage season begins in mid - to late September and is done by the middle to end of October in all of New England. Trees begin to change color in the north first and color changes progress southward.  In my area of south-western New Hampshire it's usually best around the first week of October.

 You can usually find great color someplace by mid September and if we have good weather, it will still be beautiful in mid- October.

Keep in mind that it depends on the tree type also.  Maples are one of the first types to change (and you'll see the brightest colors near swampland), and oaks seem to be last.  Even if there is not much to view in general, you may come across some spectacular looking singular trees.

Gregg Lake in Antrim, New Hampshire is small in size. There are a few homes and summer cottages along the shore, but much of it is woods.

It is also home to the Camp Chenoa Girl Scout Camp which takes up a large section of the shoreline.

I love the water and this lake has special meaning to me. When I first moved to the north, I lived on Gregg Lake Road. Then I moved unexpectedly and after a little over a year, I was living back near Gregg Lake. I spent the next three years within walking distance and spent lots of time, in all seasons, exploring the area.  Usually I had my camera with me.

Near Gregg Lake there is a one lane dirt road that is a shortcut to another road. It also leads to a few houses, but the road is closed in winter as the snow is not plowed.

The little bridge connecting the roads is made of wood and appears non too sturdy, but it holds. The views from either side of the bridge are interesting.  One looks toward the hills and one toward the lake. 

One year the town had to dig up a beaver damn  from under the bridge. It was blocking the flow of the water. I thought that was a bit mean, but I guess it made sense. The beavers probably built in another area. It's common to see chewed off trees in that area which the little critters use to make their homes.

The heron photo is one of my earliest shots. I had moved back to New England in 2005 after living in Florida for nearly thirty years. Although I had family in the northeast, I never had the chance to go back in Fall as my kids were always in school at that time. Our visits were always planned for summertime.

And so, once I lived here again, I could not wait to see the beautiful Fall colors I remembered from long ago. I lived in a small town and the town beach was just up the road from me at Gregg Lake. It's a popular place in summer, but I love it there in Fall. The summer people leave and it's peaceful and quiet and I pretty much have the place to myself during the day when I go to take pictures.

One single heron seems to like this area too.  Each summer he comes to find food in the shallow areas of water and he stays until the cold sets in.

Gather pretty leaves and spread them out on a table to get a shot like this one. It's been a popular seller in my Narrow Road Designs store.

For the most part, we look for scenic landscapes in Fall and may overlook the very thing that makes the views so lovely - the leaves!

To the best of my knowledge these are mostly  maple leaves except for the oak leaf in the corner.

The first of the beautiful fall colors can be seen along the edges of swamps.

Some of the brightest of reds will come out before the other trees away from the water begin to change.

On the opposite side of the road from Gregg Lake, there is a shallow, swampy area. The trees in that section are always show their gorgeous colors first.

It must have been near the end of Fall when I took this photo of the white birch trees. Most of their golden leaves had blown away.

The white bark, yellow leaves and dark branches looked so pretty against the bright, blue sky.

It tends to be very windy near the lake. The north wind sweeps down over the hills and blows over the road and right into the beach end of the lake.  For this reason, the trees along the lake road will lose their foliage first.

One reader of my blog informed me that she was using this photo as a reference to paint a picture.  I always wonder how it turned out.

Not every foliage season is the same.  Color is generally always good, but some years are better than others, for whatever the reasons.  Sometimes the color pops right on time, and at others we wonder where the change is, until suddenly everything is gorgeous all at once.

I've found a pretty cool foliage progression map at the Yankee Foliage site where you can find general, early to late season color using the map of the New England states and a corresponding calendar.  It has a pause button too, which helps.

***********    Peak Foliage Forecast Map   *************