Why This Year's Fall Colors Might Disappoint You

Remember those Instagram-perfect fall photos you were planning to take this year? Well, you might want to lower your expectations.

Here's the deal: Mother Nature's basically having a bad year, and she's taking it out on the leaves. All that drought you've been hearing about this year? It's not just messing with your water bill - it's about to make fall foliage look pretty sad in huge chunks of the country.

What’s Happening to Our Foliage?

The folks at Explore Fall, who basically track leaves for a living, are already seeing "multiple areas of high stress" in trees across America. Translation: the leaves are giving up early and not even bothering to put on a show.

Let's talk about what's actually happening here. Trees need water to produce the sugars that create those gorgeous reds and oranges everyone drives three hours to see. No water means no sugar. No sugar means dull, brown leaves that fall off before you can even get your camera out.

The Northeast - you know, the place everyone thinks of for fall leaves - is getting hit particularly hard. Some of those famous leaf-peeping spots in New England are looking at what experts are calling a "short-lived and less vibrant peak."

Out west, it's even worse. The Rocky Mountains are dealing with severe drought conditions, which means the aspens everyone loves are basically just going to turn yellow and fade out. No lingering golden displays this year.

The timing's all messed up too. Usually, you can count on October for peak colors in most places. This year some areas are changing in September and dropping by early October. Others aren't changing at all - they're just going straight from green to dead.

The Saddest Part

The weather pattern that creates the best fall colors is warm sunny days followed by cool nights. That's when trees produce tons of sugar and create those mind-blowing reds and purples. This year we're getting drought and weird temperature swings instead.

Michigan State's forestry experts say ample precipitation is required for "robust displays of color." And late summer drought - which is exactly what's happening - delays everything and makes the colors look washed out.

Jim Salge, who photographs fall foliage professionally, says most recent years have been trending later than historical averages. But this year it's going to be "earlier and shorter because of the extreme drought we're facing." So not only will the colors be mediocre, but they won't even stick around long enough for you to catch them on a weekend trip.

Some Spots Will Still Shine

Now, before you cancel all your plans, there are still some spots that might deliver. The southern Appalachians are supposedly still on track for decent colors. Parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and Wisconsin might squeak by with normal foliage. And even in a bad year, places like New Hampshire's White Mountains and New York's Adirondacks are still worth seeing - they're just not going to be as spectacular as usual.

The Alpine Lakes in the White Mountains might still give you something to look at. Utah's Wasatch Mountains have these things called bigtooth maples that turn brilliant orange and red - which might hold up okay.

Is Climate Change the Culprit?

Here's what nobody's really saying out loud: climate change is messing with fall foliage, and it's probably only going to get worse. We're seeing more droughts, weirder temperature patterns, and stressed trees everywhere. That magical two-week window of perfect fall colors your parents remember is becoming more like a long weekend, if you're lucky.

The real kicker is that leaf tourism is huge business for small towns across New England and other regions. Hotels, restaurants, tour operators - they all depend on those few weeks when city people drive out to look at trees. This year, they're wondering if anyone's going to show up for lackluster leaves.

So what should you actually do? If you've already booked a trip, go anyway - even mediocre fall colors beat sitting in your apartment. But maybe adjust those expectations. And if you haven't booked yet? Either go right now before everything drops, or save your money for next year and hope for more rain.

At least the pumpkin spice lattes will taste the same.