Western states hold own when it comes to fall colors

When it comes to autumn color, New England’s reputation is five-star.

So are Westerners blowing it out their cowboy hats when they claim their golden aspens and cottonwoods can go head to head with Northeastern maples and oaks in October?

“I have never heard any New Englander say, ever, ‘I must go to the Rockies to see fall color.’ No. We wait until winter to see the powder snow for that trip,” says Yankee magazine editor Mel Allen.

Allen adds that he loves the West’s “mountains, the deserts, the incredible wind-carved rock formations. But no matter how much it wants to sell aspen as the defining color fall, it just doesn’t fly.”

Lisa Taggart, contributor to Sunset magazine, which covers the Western states, grudgingly acknowledges that “yeah, the East has pretty trees.

“But going to see fall foliage out West is like finally putting it together: the forest and the trees, with mountains and wildlife and the long light,” she says. “The whole shebang adds up to WOW.”

Here are some recommendations for places to go leaf-peeping among the West’s golden underdogs:

California: “Driving inland from the North Coast in California, Eureka to Redding, is gorgeous,” Taggart says. “The pines pop with the deep red leaves of poison oak vines.”

Other Sunset magazine recommendations for seeing fall color in California: June Lake Loop in the Eastern Sierra; aspen trees in Carson Pass and Hope Valley along state 88 south of Tahoe; Highway 395 from Lee Vining south to Tom’s Place; big leaf and vine maple trees along the Avenue of the Giants and Redwood National Park; sycamores in the Southern California coastal canyons; and black oaks in Yosemite Valley.

Colorado: This state is known for bluebird skies and white-capped mountains. But in autumn, the landscape gets another color: gold.

Aspen and Vail “simply glow gold in the fall; the state is luminous with aspens,” says Taggart.

You can hike, bike and take plenty of scenic drives. Lodging prices, even in upscale ski areas, are low compared to winter and even summer. Near Aspen, the Maroon Bells wilderness area is especially pretty.

Idaho: Old Mission State Park in Cataldo is a lovely place to view fall colors. It’s also home to Idaho’s oldest building, the Mission of the Sacred Heart, which was built in the 1850s by Catholic missionaries and members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe.

The mission is framed by trees that turn orange, gold and red in the fall, creating a pretty picture to rival the classic New England village scene with a church nestled amid colorful maples.

Montana: Cottonwoods, aspens and tamaracks provide the golds and yellows here. One way to experience the scenery is to travel east along Highway 200 from Missoula, along the Blackfoot River. You might see a moose wading in the water or elk moving toward their winter home, the Blackfoot-Clearwater Wildlife Management Area.

Turn left at Clearwater Junction and head north on Highway 83 to the Seeley-Swan Valley, where you’ll find the Seeley Lake Giant, the largest known tamarack tree in the country. The tamarack’s needles change from green to gold, and the Seeley Lake Tamarack Festival will celebrate the transition next weekend.

Washington: Among the color-route suggestions from Washington State Tourism:

•Cascade Loop Scenic Byway ( www.cascadeloop.com/index.php)

•North Pend Oreille Scenic Byway ( www.experiencewa.com/scenic- byways/north-pend-oreille.aspx)

•Palouse Scenic Byway ( www.palousescenicbyway.com/)

•Columbia River Gorge ( www.experiencewa.com/scenic- byways/columbia-river-gorge.aspx)

•Chehalis River Valley, on the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad ( www.steamtrainride.com/index.html).

Utah: The Alpine Loop is a 20-mile road through American Fork Canyon in Utah’s Wasatch Mountain range, 15 miles from Provo. In fall, the maples turn red, the aspens turn yellow, and wildlife is plentiful, including turkeys, elk and bighorn sheep.

Visitors will also find plenty to do along the way, from Timpanogos Cave National Monument, a series of caves with unique formations and underground pools, to Robert Redford’s nearby Sundance Resort, where you can take a chairlift ride to the top of Ray’s Summit.