From delicious golds to vivid reds, don't miss the fiery colors of fall in Santa Cruz County.
SANTA CRUZ, CA — Fall is just around the corner, so get ready for pumpkin spice everything, apple picking, pumpkin carving — and of course — green tree leaves shifting to the breathtakingly beautiful, fiery colors of autumn.
Anxious to see the leaves change? Us too. Now, the 2020 Fall Foliage Prediction Map is out so you can get ready to see autumn in all its splendor along the Central Coast and across the country.
The first day of fall is still weeks away, but the autumnal equinox isn't the best measure of when foliage will turn to blazing reds, vibrant oranges and sunny yellows in Santa Cruz County.
No predictive tool is 100 percent accurate, but using the newly released interactive "2020 Fall Foliage Prediction Map" can give you a pretty good shot at seeing autumn leaves at the peak of their splendor.
In Santa Cruz, leaves are forecast to start changing the week of Oct. 12, then hit their peak Nov. 2. By Nov. 9, trees are forecast to be past their peak colors.
Developed as a tool to help vacationers book lodging and other accommodations in the Smoky Mountains, which rise above the Tennessee-North Carolina border, the Fall Foliage Prediction Map from SmokyMountains.com provides peak leaf change predictions for the entire continental United States.
To use the map, simply slide the scale to the right to see when leaves will peak in your state. Zero in on your county, and you'll be able to decide whether it's best to plan a northern, southern, eastern or western route.
Santa Cruz County has some great vistas to view fall leaves — just be sure to visit the website before you head out for the latest coronavirus social distancing guidelines. Depending on fire conditions, some parks may be closed due to fire risk.
Here are a few prime spots in Santa Cruz and elsewhere in Santa Cruz County:
Live Oak: Moran Lake Park (East Cliff Drive near 26th Ave.)
Santa Cruz: DeLaveaga Park (855 Branciforte Dr.), Garfield Park (634 Almar Ave.), Harvey West Park (326 Evergreen St.), Neary Lagoon (110 California St.), Pogonip (333 Gold Club Dr.), Riverside Gardens (262 San Lorenzo Blvd.), Westlake Park (Bradley Drive, off of Spring Street)
Soquel: Lions Park (2665 S. Main St.)
Watsonville: Atri Park (602 Atri Ct.), Bronte Park (615 Bronte Ave.), City Plaza Park (350 Main St.), Pinto Lake Park (757 Green Valley Road), Ramsay Park (1301 Main St.), Scott Park (3101 Freedom Blvd.)
Sourced from: https://patch.com/california/santacruz/when-santa-cruzs-leaves-are-best-2020-fall-foliage-peak-map
Kaelin Wagnermarsh
Realtor DRE 01945819
eXp Realty of CA
