When we hit a good year, the deep hues of oak and hickory, a pinpoint splash of scarlet oak, the mahogany color of ash, the brilliant yellows from tall, fast-growing tulip poplar, the golden leaf of the black hickory and the splendid glow from several varieties of maple, combine to produce an effect that is more spectacular. It is not, however, an immutable annual occasion in which all these species and factors act in perfect concert. There is nothing quite so stirring as an expanse of forest at the peak of its foliage color change. The Interstates take you quickly through a wide variety of terrain and, therefore, color. Take any loop north or south on a county road and you'll find a radiant maple standing solitary in a farmer's field.
Some years are better than others.
Some years are the best you'll find anywhere. Scherman-Hoffman NJ Audubon Sanctuary, Somerset County.