Beaver Pond, Route 4, Mendon ablaze with color. 

With temperatures peaking in the upper 70's today across the Green Mountains, it was a perfect day for "Leaf Peeping"

Fall colors are in abundance around the Killington region and getting better every day. While significant green tones exist through out the forest, most trees are now actively engaged in the process of preparing for the coming winter. The vibrancy of the colors is building each day as the chlorophyll of summer, so critical for photosynthesis in trees, fades away.

I drove down to Rutland today for some quick shopping. Rutland is about 14 miles west of Killington on Route 4. Along Route 4, the colors are fantastic. Todays picture, from Beaver Pond in Mendon less than a mile from the border with Killington, stands testament to the color changes that are taking place all around us in the mountains.

Weather this week in Killington looks like it will be quite nice, with nary a frost called for throughout the week. With gardens in bloom all over the region, and fall foliage colors in full display, it is a breathtakingly beautiful time to visit Killington. (Unless your are a total ski fanatic and the only time Killington is beautiful is when it is covered in feet of snow.)

Where ever you may be .. keep it in the fairway...And take in some of the fall foliage beauty of Vermont.

Colors becoming vibrant in the tree canopy around the Birch Ridge Inn. 

Summer like temperatures with a bright clear blue sky have overtaken the Killington region. "Leaf Peepers" are enjoying beautiful vista"s across the Green Mountains while staying comfortably warm throughout the process.

Temperatures at the inn this morning were warm enough for Mary to revisit her summer shorts prior to going on our neighborhood walk. Several times a week we take a walk of about 2 miles, looping around side streets in the Roaring Brook valley of the Killington Basin area. Foliage color along the walk is becoming more pronounced each day as the fall season progresses.

Color on Killington Peak looked well developed during our walk. Closer examination reveals that most of the color is still residing in the upper leaf canopy of the forest, with significant green foliage still present at lower levels of the trees. A good example of this is a look at an oblique angle at the inn. Color development is pretty clear on the upper reaches of most trees surrounding the inn. However, closer to the ground, most of the leaves on the trees have just started to make the transition. Bottom line, if you are not able to travel to Vermont to see the colors this weekend, we still have several weeks where good color should be on display.

Where ever you may be .. keep it in the fairway...And take in some of the fall foliage beauty of Vermont.

Killington Peak draped in a mantle of fall colors. 

The high overcast and cool temperatures of yesterday have given way to blue skies dotted with fair weather clouds with a touch of heat. Temperatures today in Killington are climbing into the low 70's with even warmer temperatures predicted for this coming weekend.

My morning jaunt today took me over to the East Mountain side of the Basin area of Killington. With morning sun coming from slightly behind me and to the left as I looked at Killington, the colors of the mountain side were brilliantly illuminated. The lower mountain area was a solid canopy of color with the rusts and red predominating. The colors in the foreground were offset by the high mountain pines setting a green hue to the top of Killington Peak. All of this was brilliantly capped by a bright blue sky filled with puffy white clouds.

The weekend at Killington and the surrounding area promises more of the same. With the gondola operating, this weekend will present plenty of opportunities for people to reach the top of Killington Peak to take in the scenic vistas.

Where ever you may be .. keep it in the fairway...And take in some of the fall foliage beauty of Vermont.

The view around Kent Pond looking back towards Pico Mountain 

An ocean storm exiting New England well to the south of Killington has kicked up some high cloud cover over the region today; muting the sunshine in the process. But, if anything, it provides a slight enhancement to the "leaf peepers" touring the Green Mountains.

I took a short drive around town this morning to take in some of the fall color. Instead of heading up to the resort, I traveled towards "Thundering Brook" to get a different perspective.

Color around Kent Pond is developing nicely. While much of the foliage around the lake is still green, there are swatches of red from glowing maples that highlight the views. In addition, birch and poplar trees in the forest around the pond are showing some yellow in their tips. It is just enough to give a little shine to the foliage canopy on panoramic views, but not enough so that you would really notice much if you were standing near an individual tree. Oak trees are also starting to rust slightly, giving the overall tableau a burnt orange palette.

Temperatures in the area are similar to yesterday, with highs in the lower to mid 60's. It does feel slightly cooler, as the sun is muted behind high clouds. But overall it is a very pleasant day to travel around Vermont for those taking in early season foliage.

Color progression is visibly occurring each day. The tall trees which tower over the back of the inn are starting to show bolder colors interspersed with the normal forest green shades of mid summer. Barring any unfortunate weather events, I will stick with my earlier prediction that peak foliage colors in Killington will occur between October 5th and 8th. But again, that is a highly localized guess, with peak color in the immediate area to the east and west of Killington occurring later in the month.

Where ever you may be .. keep it in the fairway...And take in some of the fall foliage beauty of Vermont.

The Bagel tees off on the 16th hole at Green Mountain National surrounded by fall foliage glory. 

What a gorgeous day!

I had my shorts on this morning when I left the inn at 8:45 for a 9:00 tee time at Green Mountain National. The temperature was a crisp 46 degrees. The car was covered in a thick morning dew. And the sun was shining brightly, giving me confidence in my clothes choices for the morning.

The early morning sun highlighted the fall colors popping up all around Killington. Many maple trees were glowing with fire in the morning sun. And from the many vista's around the Green Mountain National Golf Course, fall colors were on full display.

Reports along Route 4 to the east of Killington indicate that the color is starting to fire up in the Woodstock area. Several guests of the inn hiked up Mount Tom just outside of Woodstock. They said that the early season foliage views were really nice; and they enjoyed the mild exercise from the walk to the top of the mountain.

For those of you who read the blog year round, today's round of golf was with the Bagel; a ski friend usually mentioned more often in the winter ski reports I post from Killington. Where I started in shorts and a fleece, the Bagel was in pants, which by the 3rd hole he had changed out of in favor of shorts as well. While temperatures today in Killington have struggled to reach the mid 60's, the bright sunshine certainly made it feel warmer on the fairways of the golf course.

Speaking of the coming winter, our weekend accomplice, Merisa, was quoted in an article on Liftopia titled "The East's Top 3 Most Livable Ski Towns. Liftopia picked Killington as Number 1! But you already knew that....

Where ever you may be .. there are still many weeks of good golf weather left, so keep it in the fairway...And if you don't favor golf, at least get out side and take in some of the fall foliage beauty of Vermont.

Breakfast view across Roaring Brook Valley from Birch Ridge Inn 

While there were a few who were in denial last week about the arrival of fall colors in Killington, looking out the window today should put down any doubts. The Roaring Brook Valley and Killington Basin area are coming alive with their annual show of fall colors.

Cool weather last night, with temperatures dipping to the low 40's high 30's have set the color in place. Scattered around the forests on the mountains of Killington, the early season maple trees are catching fire with a display of vibrant red. These are just the early trees to show fall colors, the signal trees so to speak, who announce the start of the fall season with their early show of fall color.

Reports from the area are indicating that broad changes are also taking place at lower elevations. Color is appearing west of Killington along Route 4 towards Rutland on the back side of Killington Peak and Pico Mountain. Guests have enjoyed the color along the Deers Leap hiking trail at the top of the Sherburne Pass on Route 4.

Temperatures the next couple of days at Killington will be in the upper 30's in the evening to mid 60's during the day. If you plan on visiting the area, this is definitely the season for layers. Although many locals are still in shorts (yours truly included), guests from states in the deep south have been seen breaking out their fleeces and heavier coats.

Where ever you may be .. there are still many weeks of good golf weather left, so keep it in the fairway...

Fall colors have arrived at Killington 

The Autumnal Equinox is upon us and the fall foliage around Killington is bearing it witness.

After an unseasonably warm day on Sunday, a cold front has swept through the area dropping temperatures in it's path. While it was too moist last night for a frost, the evening temperatures around Killington for the last few days did support frosts at higher elevations. Ground frost around the inn, at 1870 feet, has not yet occurred. But frost has been see at the tee tops around the inn, indicating that the frost line has been hanging around the 1900 foot level the last few days.

Foliage colors on the mountains around Killington are starting to develop nicely. The early maple trees are now showing fair to medium amounts of red in their leaves. When the sunlight hits them just right, you can also notice that the oak trees have started to rust, while the Birch trees are hinting yellow.

The color has a long way to go before it fully develops, but the process is clearly underway. From here on in, it is basically unstoppable, with more color expected to be showing in the foliage canopy every day for the next several weeks.

Hopefully you can get outside this fall to enjoy natures beauty pageant. Where ever you may be .. keep it in the fairway...and brush up on your club's local "Fall Leaf Rules" as you head off to the 1st tee.