Fall doesn't make its official arrival until Saturday, but officials with Georgia State Parks say people have been making leaf-looking plans for months.
Kim Hatcher, the Public Affairs Coordinator for Georgia State Parks, said there's just enough color right now to spark some excitement.
"We typically have peak fall color in the North Georgia Mountains in late October through early November. I'm starting to see a few maples turn red already, though, so we're looking forward to a pretty fall season," Hatcher said.
This season is likely to be a little more colorful than Fall 2017 when Tropical Storm Irma knocked down trees across the region.
Hatcher said accommodations at some of the more popular parks are difficult to come by already.
"The weekends are really popular in October, so we encourage people to make reservations for their cabins far in advance," Hatcher said. "You can actually make reservations now for next year because a lot of the peak weekends are already full at parks like Vogel."
Hatcher said campsites are not as scarce as cabins. Still, she said don't expect to show up on a Friday night in October and find an available campsite at one of the more popular parks.
While Vogel State Park is one of the most popular destinations in North Georgia, Hatcher said there are others that attract large numbers of visitors in the fall.
"Black Rock Mountain is always popular - it's actually the highest [elevation] state park - you've got Fort Mountain, which is in Chatsworth, Moccasin Creek, which is on Lake Burton, Tallulah Gorge near Clayton, of course, is really popular," Hatcher said.
The top destinations in the state are listed on the official Leaf Watch page on the Georgia State Parks website. Hatcher said that's the same place visitors will be able to see photos of the best leaf-looking locations for 2018. Visitors will also be able to submit their own photos to guide other people who are looking for the best leaf color in the state. Right now, the page has photos from Fall 2017 and new photos will be posted starting in October.
Watch for other stories on AccessWDUN this week about hiking safety and Your State Parks Day.
