20 September 2006, By Rob Lovitt. If you’re heading to New England this fall, you may want to bring your sunglasses. According to the experts, the autumn forecast is looking exceedingly bright -- bright red, bright yellow, and bright orange, that is -- as the annual foliage fireworks display is about to go off.

In fact, this year’s leaf-peeping season is shaping up to offer a dramatic departure from last year, when unseasonably warm autumn temperatures delayed the color parade in several areas. By contrast, this year’s moist spring, warm summer, and cooler fall nights have helped set the stage for a healthy forest canopy and kaleidoscopic colors.

Even so, predicting when the foliage show will kick into high gear is no easy feat. Some visitors settle on the Columbus Day weekend (October 7–9 this year), which often serves as the expedient, if not the actual, peak of the season. If you go that route, expect big crowds and reserve lodging early as accommodations do go fast.

A better bet is to monitor the season’s progress via the legions of volunteer leaf peepers who report their local conditions to state agencies across the region. Posted to state Web sites throughout the fall, their eye-witness accounts offer a reasonable roadmap of where to head when. Depending on where you want to go, here’s where to start:

Maine: As New England’s northernmost state, Maine is often the first to fire up the foliage show with colors working their way from the northern woodlands of Aroostook County to the bays and coves along the southeast coast. Peak colors typically hit in mid-late September up north; the second to third week in October down south.

This year, the state’s Department of Conservation will post weekly foliage reports at www.mainefoliage.com/, starting on September 13 and continuing through mid-late October. Eyewitness reports, suggested driving routes, and live-help will be available.

Vermont: Like Maine, Vermont usually begins its annual color shift in mid-late September. Starting in the Northeast Kingdom (north of St. Johnsbury) and along the spine of the Green Mountains, colors work their way east and west to lower elevations along Lake Champlain and the Connecticut River.