The butter-yellow hue of shagbark hickory, the striking color of sugar maple, and other fall colors entice an increasing number of people to go outdoors in the autumn, a report said.
Laurie Vogt at Wyalusing State Park in Grant County, Wisconsin, said the fall season truly showcases what the park offers.
“Even on a typical year, Wyalusing is very popular for fall camping,” she said. Our campground is one of the more popular around. With the bluffs, you have a bird’s-eye view of the landscape. The Wisconsin Ridge campground, there are several spots where you have the view sun up to sundown.
Wyalusing also rents kayaks and canoes later in the year than before. Foliage gazers then hit the convergence of Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers for their adventure.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said that the best time to enjoy autumn foliage in the north region of Dubuque is during the first two weeks of October. In Dubuque and the south, the leaves last for the first three weeks of October.
Beyond the colorful palette on display, autumn can be an enjoyable time for other senses too. The terpenes and other gases released by the leaves when they die give that “fall smell” that folks recognize. A stroll along many trails around the region can be a gateway to the unique scent of the prairie in the fall when the seeds and plants dry.
Campers in the autumn can expect an orchestra of sounds from the season. These sounds often include nuts that drop percussively into heaps of broad leaves, squirrels, and other animals busy preparing winter’s stores, as well as a pheasant cock singing. What is absent among those sounds is the buzzing of swarms of mosquitoes and other insects that make up the summer’s outdoor music.
Ean Popenhagen of Clayton County (Iowa) Conservation said that Bloody Run Park and campground are very popular at this time of year.
“It’s right next to a trout stream,” he said. “It’s a really popular spot for campers and fishermen.”
Fishing thrives in autumn too, when temperatures are getting cooler when many sport fish are present.
The majority of county parks will end their season at the end of October. However, state parks located in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin have camping facilities all year round.
Vogt claimed that campgrounds are to host another type of camper later on in the year.
“In November, hunting season opens, and we get that type of camper,” she added.