Fall's Color Capitol

STOWE, VERMONT  A classic New England village at the base of Vermont's highest peak, Stowe is the perfect place to spend the foliage season. From early September through late October, you can delight in the pure gold, orange and red hues while enjoying your favorite outdoor activity!

After a day of spectacular leaf-peeping, pamper yourself with an incredible array of treatments from our world class spas, spend the afternoon shopping in our 60 independently owned shops, or sit back and relax over dinner at one of our 40 distinctive restaurants.

Foliage Facts:

1. As a general rule, you can be assured of viewing brilliant colors from the last week of September through the first two weeks of October in Stowe, Vermont.
2. June 21st, the longest day of the year, is the day that begins the chemical changes in the trees that months later produce the vibrant hues of reds, gold's and yellows we see and know as foliage!
3. Shorter days and colder temperatures cause chlorophyll (the green pigment found in leaves) to move from the leaf to the branch. The hues of yellow and orange (that were always present) then become visible.
4. Warmer fall days produce sugar in the leaves, which is then trapped in the leaf when the temperature drops at night. As the sugar accumulates, the leaves turn hues of red.
5. Leaves of the sugar maple, red maple, red oak, sweet gum, black gum and sourwood, typically turn hues of red. However, they can produce yellow leaves as well.
6. Leaves of birch, elm, poplar, redbud and hickory, always turn hues of gold & yellow.
7. Leaves of the Sumac tree produce a maroon color.
8. The weather plays a large role in foliage...Cool nights and warm fall days, a wet spring and a temperate summer (not too hot, cold, rainy, etc.) all make for a fantastic leaf-peeping season, which means that in 2012, we are sure to see SPECTACULAR FOLIAGE!