Alaska Fall Foliage

[Mark F]

I'll be in Alaska in the third week in September and was wondering if that would be timely for the birch tree fall changes down on the Kenai Peninsula?  I expect the tundra to be  beautiful further north but does anyone know about the leaves further south?

Thanks.

Mark

[Hank]

You should be "okay" for leaves on the Kenai.  I put that in parentheses because the leaves are so variable.  A couple of weeks earlier is more of a sure thing, simply because there is less opportunity for wind to strip the leaves.  We usually get our first big fall storms in this region around the fall equinox, which can do a good job of putting leaves on the ground.  You'll still find good color in smaller areas and in more intimate landscapes, but the big strokes of color may be dimmed in large landscapes.  You can also get good tundra on the hillsides above Anchorage, which you can drive to in short order on good roads.

[Mark F]

Thanks, Hank.

Are you familiar with Skilak Lake and the conditions there?

Mark

You should be "okay" for leaves on the Kenai.  I put that in parentheses because the leaves are so variable.  A couple of weeks earlier is more of a sure thing, simply because there is less opportunity for wind to strip the leaves.  We usually get our first big fall storms in this region around the fall equinox, which can do a good job of putting leaves on the ground.  You'll still find good color in smaller areas and in more intimate landscapes, but the big strokes of color may be dimmed in large landscapes.  You can also get good tundra on the hillsides above Anchorage, which you can drive to in short order on good roads.

[wolfnowl]

You could e-mail these folks and ask them: http://www.skilaklake.com/

[Mark F]

To update this topic, the foliage on the Kenai was pretty good starting Sept 15th and kept getting better every day through the 18th when I headed north.   The foliage along route 3 north of Denali to Fairbanks was gorgeous on the 23rd, absolute peak to my eye.