Sept. 22, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Turner
304-558-2288, ext. 341
mturner@callwva.com
www.callwvanews.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: ADDITIONAL STORY IDEAS, EVENTS, DRIVING TOURS, PHOTOGRAPHS, FALL FOLIAGE MAPS AVAILABLE AT WWW.CALLWVANEWS.COM

CHARLESTON – Autumn officially begins today and state forestry officials say the Mountain State is braced for a magnificent show of fall color across its 55 counties, while the state tourism office prepares to share the best leaf-peeping spots with visitors.

“Each year we’re asked whether this year’s foliage will be good,” said Randy Dye, director of the Division of Forestry. “I’m pleased to say, it always is because West Virginia’s forests are so thick.

“Some people were disappointed with a shortened foliage change season we had last year, and we believe part of the reason for that [shortened season] was cloud cover. If we can avoid thick cloud cover and heavy rains, which tend to knock off leaves prematurely, we should have a spectacular fall foliage show,” he said.

About 20 percent of West Virginia’s visitors come for sightseeing, and leaf peepers fall into that group, said Tourism Commissioner Betty Carver. “Viewing fall foliage is one of our most popular activities and it ties in with many of our traditional festivals, which are also our visitors’ top picks,” she said. “We think West Virginia’s fall color is among the best in the world, and with our location so close to the country’s major metropolitan areas, we hope the word continues to spread and visitors continue to increase.”

West Virginia is the third most forested state in the nation – nearly 80 percent is tree-covered -- and tourists eagerly await the brilliant show of fall color across the Mountain State. West Virginia’s varied topography and elevation, ranging from a few hundred feet above sea level to nearly a mile high, stretches the leaf-peeping season from late-September into the early days of November. Depending on where they drive and the time of the fall they visit, tourists can expect a brilliantly colored drive that rivals any fall color show in the country, Carver said.

To assist visitors and in-state residents in their search for the best foliage, the Division of Forestry tracks the best places to spy peak fall color. Beginning Sept. 29, the Division of Tourism will provide Forestry’s weekly updates, with suggestions for the best leaf-peeping routes, on its toll-free hotline, 1-800-CALL WVA.

The information also will be posted on the tourism web site, www.callwva.com and on Forestry’s site, www.wvforestry.com.
“Forestry employees are in the field every day and by the nature of their jobs, they view the best fall foliage and are more than happy to pass that information along to the public,” Dye said.

The updates will be available at the Division of Tourism web site, www.callwva.com, the Division of Forestry web site, www.wvforestry.com, or by telephone at 1-800-CALL WVA.

The web sites also feature a state map that shows which counties are expected to offer the best color throughout the fall. Division of Tourism callers and web site visitors also may request a free fall color map, highway map and visitor guide.

For more information, call the Division of Tourism’s toll-free hotline, 1-800-CALL WVA.

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West Virginia Division of Tourism • 90 MacCorkle Ave., SW • South Charleston, WV 25303

304-558-2200 or 1-800-CALL-WVA • FAX: 304-558-2459 • www.callwvanews.com