Fall foliage spreads across northern Maine, where the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Katahdin Lake, Basin Ponds and South Turner Mountain can be seen behind Hamlin Peak in this September 2020 file photo. Credit: Courtesy of Aislinn Sarnacki

Fall foliage is starting to peek out in some places as temperatures become more consistently cool across the state.

The fall foliage report for the week of Sept. 21, 2022. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine Department of Agriculture and Forestry

According to this week’s fall foliage report, hints of gold, orange and red are present across about 30 percent of Maine. The majority of the foliage changes are happening throughout central Maine right now, according to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

“With the cooler fall-like temperatures this week, the colors will emerge rapidly,” according to Maine Foliage Report spokesperson Gale Ross. “Fall officially begins tomorrow, Thursday, September 22, so there is plenty of time to plan an outdoor adventure in the upcoming weeks among the crisp weather and beautiful hues of the fall colors.”

Piscataquis and Penobscot counties will be the best places to catch vibrant colors in the next few weeks, and the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, located in the North Maine Woods, can offer some of the most scenic leaf-peeping opportunities in the state.

Some leaf changes will also likely be visible across forests in northern Washington county, as well as southern Somerset and Franklin counties.

Leela Stockley is an alumna of the University of Maine. She was raised in northern Maine, and loves her cat Wesley, her puppy Percy and staying active in the Maine outdoors.