I’ve been out driving around in Central Texas this last week and have seen some glimpses of color along the road. Not really solid color, just spots of yellow and red here and there. But, this just isn’t the best place for color anyway. It’s simple, this area lacks deciduous trees, trees that loose leaves in winter. Not based on anything scientific, but maybe half the trees in this area of Texas are evergreens.

Last year I talked about Palo Pinto County as a good place for fall drives. The area features plenty of Cross Timbers woodland and hills. A good combination for producing fall foliage splendor.

This year I want to give a nod to East Texas. I lived in Kilgore Texas for awhile, and I can tell you for sure, they have a lot of trees there. The Tyler area is nice. The Tyler Convention & Visitors Bureau web site has a map of East Texas fall foliage trails. The Rose Garden and the neighborhoods surrounding it are also nice this time of year.

The thing I like about East Texas for fall foliage is that you can pick a destination, Tyler, Palestine, Nacogdoches, Rusk, Winnsboro, and any of them are worth visiting independent of the foliage. More bang for the buck I guess. Drive through East Texas, have a great time, and also see fall foliage.

For an East Texas road trip consider Texas Highway 180, which was previously U.S. Highway 80, East from Terrell to Marshall. Plenty of small towns and antique shops along the way.

Texas State Parks offer good opportunities for leaf peeping. Dangerfield State Park is a good one for fall foliage. And talking of state parks, a new web site from Texas Parks and Wildlife Showcases CCC’s Architectural Legacy in Texas state parks. Some of the biggest attractions in state parks are the depression-era architectural works.

This year is shaping up to be a good year for fall foliage in Arkansas. I talked about some of my favorite spots in the Ozarks in last year’s foliage post. To that list you might add the Telimena Scenic Byway in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Gary and Mary Cooley have published fall foliage reports for the South Central Ozarks in Arkansas and Missouri for many years. If your seriously considering a trip to the Ozarks, you should take a look at their report.

Probably too late to be good planning material for this year, but still a great read, the Goziac blog published a post about the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area in early October. You might bookmark this one for future reference.

The time is ripe to plan a fall foliage drive from DFW. Enjoy your trip and post your best experiences with fall foliage here.

Thing is, I live in North Texas, and North Texas is not the best place for fall foliage.  Fall foliage viewing around here is basically a micro experience.  You drive until you find an area that presents a montage of understory colors and adjacent trees displaying their own rich colors.  When you find this, your there.  Take the picture.

I thought I would put together my list of great places to see fall foliage starting from the Dallas Fort Worth area. Not an exhaustive nor authoritative list by any means, but just recommendations based on my own experiences.

Palo Pinto County, Farm Road 4, Highway 16, and Mineral Well State Park. This is a short drive from the Metroplex. The Palo Pinto Mountains are stunning to see, for us flat-landers anyway. There’s plenty of mature forest available for potential fall foliage photo ops. Mineral Well State Park is great for camping and hiking and relaxing. Possum Kingdom State Park is also near by. For an entirely different perspective you can canoe down the Brazos River.

Tyler Texas and Tyler State Park are not that far from Dallas and Fort Worth.  A plus for travel convenience.   Tyler is a great East Texas town with plenty to see and do.  Plenty of tree-lined streets plus the Tyler Rose Garden is nice most times of the year.  Work Gladewater into your return trip if you want to do some antiqueing.

Arkansas Scenic Highway 7 starting at Arkadelphia or Hot Springs. Scenic 7 manders throught the Ouachita Mountains then the River Valley Region and onto the soaring Ozarks.  Hot Springs is quite a destination itself.  DeGray Lake Resort State Park is another great option for a comfortable stopping off point during your drive.  Heading further north, the view gets better.  beyond Russelleville the mountains and the views get big.  There are several stand out primitive camp grounds in the are of Pelsor Arkansas, Haw Creek Falls Campground, and the Richland Creek Campgrounds and Wilderness Area.  Consider this if your into primitive camping and challenging hikes.  A link for general information and locations at Arkansas.com

Petit Jean State Park is Arkansas’s first state park, featuring stunning views, enchanting woodlands laced with streams and wildflowers, and a spectacular waterfall—Cedar Falls.  The Park has several fine trails, but the Ceder Falls Trail in particular is great for foliage viewing.  A moderately tough trail leading into a picturesque valley graced by the Cedar Falls.  From personal experience I can say that this is a great fall hike.  There are hundreds of campsites, and Mather Lodge for those seeking more comfortable accommodations.

Magazine Mountain State Park is an outstanding state park on the highest peak in Arkansas. Limited camping and R.V. spaces.  Book well in advance.  Can get very cold in November and with very little warning.  Outstanding views.  Bears and large cats also live on the mountain.

I will update this article with pictures if I have time.  Constructive comments encouraged.  Where did you see great fall foliage in or near Texas?

Arkansas fall foliage report

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