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 trees, elm, maple and hickory among others produce leaves in vivid shades of red, yellow, gold, brown and — did someone say — purple?
There are, at least, two ways to enjoy fall color. One is to become immersed in it; walking, driving or biking 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.
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.
Just about anywhere along the Appalachian Trail, nature’s pallet 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 offers the Gunpowder Falls State Park; and Harford County boasts Port Deposit on the banks of the Susquehanna River, where the view from the Tydings Memorial Bridge along Interstate 95 is spectacular.
The colors aren’t forever, and while the best things in life are free, many are fleeting.
