PENNSYLVANIA, USA — At an elevation of more than 2,000 feet, Pine Hill Vista is one of the tallest points you can get to in the southern part of Lackawanna County. Located in the Pinchot State Forest, you can see as far north as Elk Mountain and as far south past Interstate 80 on a clear day.
That is why Chris Cannata from Pen Argyl and his family make it a point to visit at least once every fall.
"This is the best time of the year to come. You see the most vast amount of colors. It's been ten years since we started coming here. Now it's time to start bringing the next generation, which is our daughter, which is even cooler," said Cannata.
It is also one of Austin Noguera's favorite places to be. But for him, it is work. Noguera is a service forester for the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), covering five counties in northeastern Pennsylvania. He helps the DCNR with its weekly foliage reports and is responsible for reporting back what's happening in the five counties he covers.
"I'm keeping an eye out for the species that are changing. So some of your early-changing species include maple, birch, cherry. Some of the later-changing species are your oak and your beech. Once I start seeing the oak and beech, I know it's towards peak time, and it's getting ready for full color," Noguera said.
According to the DCNR, Pennsylvania has one of the longest and most varied foliage seasons of any other place in the world.
"Some places haven't even started to change yet, especially in the southeast. We're unique and lucky that we actually have a fall season with the amount of hardwood trees that we have available. There's only a few places in the world that have a vibrant color season like this," Noguera said.
That is why the DCNR has a forester in each of the 20 districts in the state going out every single day this time of year. From there, the DCNR releases its weekly map, showing how far along each county is in the foliage season, so you never have to miss seeing the best color.
"I mean, you look out, and you get the full-color spectrum. This is the best thing every year for us," Cannata said.
And while we are approaching peak this week in this part of Lackawanna County, you could take a road trip from one corner of the state to the other through the end of the month or even beyond, thanks to Pennsylvania's long and varied foliage season.
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