Fall Spectrum -- Hilltops Are Awash In The Season's Splendid Colors

Washington may be the Evergreen State, but autumn colors now sweeping over its hilltops can rival the spectrum in a jumbo pack of color crayons.

In the state's high country, summer's shades are becoming fall's tones. From now to late October, the color wave will roll down the elevations, swallowing alders, huckleberry, red-vine maples, poplars, cottonwoods and big-leaf maples in its path.

Warm days and chilly nights have created ideal conditions for vivid reds, yellows and oranges, from the peaks of the North Cascades to the gardens of Seattle's Washington Park Arboretum.

That's because cool weather combined with less moisture changes the chlorophyll content of leaves, said University of Washington botanist Arthur Kruckeberg. When leaves stop making the chlorophyll needed for photosynthesis, yellow and orange pigments typically hidden under green start to peek through. As chlorophyll breaks down further, red pigment is revealed.

This drastic temperature difference - combined with less sunlight due to shorter autumn days - makes the changing hues even more bold.

These colors intensify on warm afternoons when sugars build up in the leaves. When eventual cold weather restricts the sugars from moving back to the plant's stem, cells there begin to close, preparing for the leaf's fall.

Take advantage of nature's autumn palate by taking a day or weekend trip to one of the following areas:

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

Begin this drive along Highway 101 south from Port Angeles. Wind through the high country of Hurricane Ridge and Obstruction Point to admire red huckleberry leaves.

At lower elevations, vine and big-leaf maples are reaching their peak, said park spokeswoman Cat Hoffman.

Look for good color around Lake Crescent. It's a 3 1/2-hour trip from Seattle, including ferry time. Take the ferry from Edmonds to Kingston and Highway 104, which will wind into Port Angeles.

SNOQUALMIE-STEVENS PASS LOOP

"One of the outstanding displays is across any of the passes," said Kruckeberg. "I'd tell people to try the east side of the Cascades almost anywhere. Vine maple is turning red just east of Snoqualmie or Stevens Pass on the colder, drier side of the mountains this week. Chinook Pass or Swauk Pass - that's where the yellow of a Western larch is outstanding."

NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK

The high country of the North Cascades is a full day trip on its own, or can be connected to the Snoqualmie-Stevens Pass Loop for an overnight excursion.

For the two-day trip, drive into the North Cascades by taking Highway 2 east beyond Leavenworth to Wenatchee.

Purplish dogwood, scarlet red vine maple and golden aspen dot the drive through Chelan, Twisp, Winthrop, Mazama and over the Cascades via Highway 20 to Marblemount.

"One of the best places to look is high up an avalanche chute on a clear day," said North Cascades natural interpreter Jim Harris. "The white snow will provide a border to the changing leaves and the sky will be a brilliant blue. It's a premier view."

SEATTLE

"Based on the current weather, we're assuming the peak color will be the third and fourth weeks of this month," said Dave Stockdale, continuing-education coordinator at the Center for Urban Horticulture, which operates the Washington Park Arboretum.

That's why the center will host its second Fall Foliage Festival Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the arboretum.

For the younger set, pumpkin decorating, wreath making and environmental scavenger hunts are planned. Adults can make vine wreaths and watch other autumn craft demonstrations.

Regular Sunday arboretum walks begin focusing on the season's changing colors as free guided tours leave at 1 p.m. from the Graham Visitors' Center. Explorers' Walks with greater botanical study leave from the center at 10 a.m. Oct. 23 and Nov. 27. These walks are free, too.

On the grounds of the Weyerhaeuser corporate campus in Federal Way, the Rhododendron Species Foundation hosts autumn activities on its 24-acre gardens. Special classes are planned each Saturday and Sunday in October, including a leaf-collecting course for kids at 10 a.m. today for $5. Adults may enjoy a class on maples at 2 p.m. today for $10.

Tours of the gardens are each Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission is $2.50 for adults, $2 for students and senior citizens, and free for children under 12. Call 838-4646 in Seattle or 927-6960 in Tacoma.

For the latest update on fall colors, call the state Tourism Department at 1-586-2102 or 1-586-2088.