Ask 10 people in and around Maryland to name their favorite places to enjoy autumn’s fiery foliage, and more than likely there will be 10 different answers.
Oak, elm, maple, hickory and so on — upon losing their ability to produce chlorophyll — produce leaves in vivid shades of red, yellow, gold and brown — and did someone say purple?
There are at least two ways to enjoy fall color. One is to become immersed in it by walking, driving or biking in and through places such as Central Maryland’s Ladew Topiary Gardens and Patapsco State Park, or Washington’s Rock Creek Parkway, the National Arboretum and the complete stretch of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
“We have all of our topiary trimmed, and the shapes are very sharp [against] a background of sugar maples that turn salmon colored, permissions now yellow and tupelo, [which is] bright red,” said Karen Babcock, associate director at Ladew.
Visitors, Babcock said, can take nature walks around the mile-long trails that cover approximately 60-acres.
Then there are the scenic overlooks, the wide-angle vistas that weaken the knees and take the breath away. For those camera-ready views, there’s Virginia’s Skyline Drive, winding its way 105 miles north and south along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park, and Berkeley Springs, W. Va., where on one single ridge, the faraway rolling hills of Maryland and Pennsylvania can be seen on a clear day.
“The views are gorgeous,” said Christina Hogg, a guest service specialist at Shenandoah National Park, just off of Skyline Drive. “It’s like a painting on trees, there are so many colors.”
Just about anywhere along the Appalachian Trail, nature’s palette is an in-your-face phenomenon. Head west on Route 70 from Baltimore toward Boonsboro and South Mountain. The scenic spots are marked.
Northern Baltimore County, along Interstate 95, offers the Gunpowder Falls State Park. Harford County boasts Port Deposit on the banks of the Susquehanna River, where rock and trees meet in dramatic contrast and can be viewed with awe from the Tydings Memorial Bridge.
Maybe that 10th person will say the best view of autumn’s splendor is enjoyed from the backyard deck or walking under a yellow canopy of entwined trees along an urban street.
One thing is certain. The colors aren’t forever, and while the best things in life are free, many are fleeting.
IF YOU GO
Shenandoah National Park, Luray, Va.
» Distance: 102 miles from Baltimore, 70 from D.C.
» Info: 1-540-999-3300; www.nps.gov/shen; www.visitshenandoah.com
Ladew Topiary Gardens, 3535 Jarrettsville Pike in Monkton
» Distance: 39 miles from Baltimore, 80 from D.C.
» Info: 410-557-9466; www.ladewgardens.com
Berkeley Springs, W. Va.
» Distance: 100 miles from Baltimore, 146 from D.C.
» Info: 1-800-447-8797; www.berkeleysprings.com
