Credit: innvirginia.com

If you’re into travelling Virginia to peep leaves, the Department of Forestry maintains a cool resource on their site. Fall Foliage in Virginia offers a map of when leaves should change by region, a chart of which trees turn which colors and a list of other leaf-peeping resources. And this year, for the first time, the DOF has tasked its foresters with producing a number of off-the-beaten-path fall foliage tours. Here’s what they said in a recent press release:

As cooler temperatures arrive and the leaves on the trees begin to change color, visitors come from near and far to admire Virginia’s autumn splendor. Foresters with the Virginia Department of Forestry have developed local scenic driving tours as an alternative to well-known, and well-traveled, locations.

“Fall is a wonderful time of year to come out and enjoy and experience the outdoors,” said Jack Kauffman, a VDOF forester in Culpeper, Greene, Madison, Orange and Rappahannock counties. “Although you can see seasonal leaf color in your neighborhood or park, travelers looking for the ‘undiscovered gems’ all over Virginia may find those gems in our tours.”

Each of these tours – designed by a local VDOF forester – is sure to exceed your expectations and fill your eyes with wide swatches of vibrant yellows, reds and oranges. And, because these recommended drives are “off the beaten path,” you’ll be able to enjoy a leisurely trip without the hassles of a lot of traffic on the road or large crowds at stops along  the way.

Scenic driving tours are listed for the following areas:

• Charlottesville and Culpeper Area: counties of Greene and Madison
• Harrisonburg area: counties of Rockingham and Shenandoah
• Lexington area: Bath County
• Roanoke area: counties of Bedford, Craig and Franklin
• Staunton area: Highland County