Peak leaf-peeping is coming up, Portland
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Fall foliage is only around for a little while. Photo: Craig Tuttle/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Even Oregon, with its evergreen- and conifer-filled forests that don't lose their leaves, experiences a symphony of colorful foliage every fall. But blink and you'll miss 'em!
Why it matters: Your window to view the bright hues may be trickier to predict, as climate change impacts when leaves change and how colorful they get.
Driving the news: Using historical weather reports, tree species information and user data, travel brand SmokyMountains.com put together foliage prediction maps of the U.S.
- The website crunches historical weather reports, tree species information and other data to predict when the colors will pop.
- In the Portland area, leaves start changing colors around the last week of September, reach near peak in the first two weeks of October, and are past peak by the end of that month.
Yes, but: Rain and wind can easily end the season early by knocking leaves off the trees.
How it works: The green color in leaves comes from chlorophyll, the pigment that helps plants turn sunlight into energy via photosynthesis.
- As nights get longer and there's less sunlight in the fall, leaves stop making chlorophyll.
- The green color fades and the yellows, oranges, reds or purples become visible.
🍁 Where to go: Top spots for leaf-peeping in Oregon include the Portland Japanese Garden, which tracks fall colors daily, Silver Falls State Park, Anthony Lake, McKenzie River Trail and Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway.
- Don't knock more local-known spots like Mount Tabor, Powell Butte, Hoyt Arboretum or the Lone Fir Cemetery, either.