Our eastern mountains in the Southern Appalachians are incredibly beautiful and so rich, botanically. There are wonderful flowering trees and shrubs in spring, cool shaded glades in summer, but those deciduous forests put on a brilliant show when autumn arrives. The mountainsides can become a patchwork of autumn hues with scattered evergreen trees and shrubs for contrast.

Roan Mountain on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee is certainly a favorite spot for me. The Appalachian Trail winds along the crest at elevations between 5000 to 6000 ft through open meadows, or balds, with 360-degree views of the mountains in all directions. It is breathtaking. Those who have hiked the entire 2000-mile Appalachian Trail often say that this stretch through the Roan Highlands is the most beautiful of all. "Through Hikers," the people who try to traverse the entire trail in one year, surely they miss the big show. They are miles away in mid to late June when the trail on Roan is flanked by orange, red, and yellow flame azaleas, Rhododendron calendulaceum, and masses of purple rhododendrons, R. catawbiense, and meadows filled with wildflowers. It is incredible! In autumn, there is another show when the foliage of the native azaleas turn rich burgundy, the grassy meadows change from green to gold, and the native blueberry species (Vaccinium) that went unnoticed earlier in the season are the show stoppers as their leaves turn brilliant red. Some of the plants may still have a few fruits the birds and animals missed. It is truly magical.

The full 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway is another national treasure. There are many overlooks with scenic views, short hikes to points of interest including waterfalls, and flowers all along the road. Different sections peak at different times of the year depending upon latitude and elevation but it is always beautiful. I have many favorite spots. The stretch south of Asheville all the way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is exceptionally scenic and has some of the most dramatic floral displays of flame azaleas, rhododendrons, mountain laurel, and wildflowers. The stretch near Mount Pisgah is one of the best places to see the rare pink native azalea, R. vaseyi. Its foliage turns red in autumn, too.

The Smokies are fantastic, but so are other prime locations like Mount Mitchell, Grandfather Mountain, the Linville Gorge, and a relatively new road, the Cherohala Skyway. The Skyway runs through the National Forest south of the Smokies from North Carolina into Tennessee. We have found some exceptional flame azalea forms on Hooper Bald but the area has some of the best fall color as well.

Autumn color usually peaks at the upper elevations in the Southern Appalachians in late September to early October. I must admit that I have never seen the famous fall foliage display in New England although I do hope to get there one day. I understand it peaks about the same time as our southern mountains so it is really hard to get away.

Note: Special Thanks to Linda Derkach and Mike Stewart who provided some images used in this piece. All other photos were taken by the author.

There are so many spectacular sights including Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, and Mount Baker which are part of the Cascade Range but there are other phenomenal mountains like the Olympics to the west on the Washington Coast and the Sierras to the south including the incomparable Yosemite National Park.

Whenever I attend an ARS meeting on the West Coast, I always try to add some extra days to do some touring on my own. In April and May, many of the mountain routes are still blocked by snow but when I was in college, I had a chance to tour in early summer and saw the phenomenal wildflower display. Since I retired, I have been meaning to get back but at that time I am usually chasing the native azalea and rhododendron bloom in the east.

I have been there in early fall, and that is when the tall peaks get refreshed with new snow as the fall foliage turns color. Although there are fewer deciduous trees, there are many deciduous shrubs including the Cascade blueberry, Vaccinium deliciosa, that turns brilliant red just as our species do in the east. There are some western maples, but at upper elevations, the foliage of R. albiflorum will turn a lovely shade of yellow. Another eye catcher is the Cascade Mountain Ash, Sorbus scopulina, with its yellow fall foliage and clusters of red berries. We have comparable eastern species, Sorbus americana, in the Southern Appalachians which has larger berry clusters but the fall foliage is not distinctive.

One of my all-time favorite spots is the Mount Baker area in the North Cascades of Washington State. The perfect photo op is an adjacent peak, Mt. Shuksan, that can be perfectly reflected in Picture Lake on a still day. There is parking area at the end of the road where there are more views of Mt. Shuksan and Mt. Baker. I particularly enjoy the Artist Ridge Trail which is not difficult and provides awesome views. Since many of the wildflowers at that elevation may have been under snow packs all summer long, it is often possible to see a few spring wildflowers like lupines and heathers flowering as they grab a bit of warmth in late summer, just before the winter snows arrive again.

Linda Derkach sent images of Mount Arrowsmith which is one of the highest mountains on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Its elevation is 5968 ft. (1819 meters) At nearby Cameron Lake in October, the Cornus stolonifera plants along the shore turn red while the cottonwoods turn yellow. On a calm day, the reflections can be stunning. Meanwhile, the native Acer macrophyllum trees on the hillside among the evergreens begin turning butter yellow.

I have included some images images of the native azalea R. vaseyi in the spring as well as its beautiful fall foliage. We will have future newsletters that focus on the spring bloom later. There is also an image of the western deciduous rhododendron species, R. albiflorum, that only seems to grow at high elevations. The fall foliage pictures of that species were taken on the North Cascades Scenic Highway at Washington Pass. That is a beautiful drive. I have included a few images of other favorite western attractions. More on those at a later date, too