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Seeing red, yellow and orange

A colorful fall is just around the corner

Late summer might have been crackling dry, but don't give up hope for a gorgeous Kentucky fall.

Carey Tichenor, director of recreation and interpretation for Kentucky State Parks, says there's still hope for a show of fall foliage in October.

Thanks to cool nights, the peak of fall foliage should be pretty much on schedule, around the middle of October, Tichenor says.

"It may not be one of the best years," he said, "but I think we'll have some good fall color." Reports from parks around the state predict the optimum color weekend will be Oct. 17.

You can see the changes already, Tichenor said, especially in the hills and valleys of Eastern Kentucky where the color usually starts before moving west, where the weather is slightly warmer.

"I was down around the Laurel Lake area last week," he said, "and seeing a lot of good colors, a lot of reds, black gum and dogwoods. A lot of the sugar maples are starting to turn."

One of the best ways to enjoy the foliage is by hiking park trails, but Tichenor cautioned visitors to be extra careful this year because it's so dry; one little spark could start a blaze.

"They need to be very careful if they're hiking on the trails; they shouldn't smoke, and they should avoid campfires if they're camping."

For updates on fall colors and events around the state, visit the Kentucky Department of Travel's Web site, www.kentuckytourism.com/colorfall.

Harriett Hendren, hhendren@herald-leader.com