Blogger: Wally Hayes

Well, for the benefit of him and others who are gearing up for fall foliage, I spent the past weekend in Cape Breton for the Hike The Highlands festival (more about this in another blog) and found little evidence of colour either on the way up or back to Halifax.

I wasn't surprised, because I usually don't find significant colour until the first or second week of October and sometime, later than that. Yes, you will see the occasional bright red maple in September, but they are usually one or two trees growing in wet, soggy areas. 

When they start, trees will change colour at various times. So while there may be little colour in one place, another can be a real winner. If you want help to keep track of these hotspots, you should stayed tuned to the Autumn Leaf Watch link on the novascotia.com web site for postings by picture takers around the province. I'll have timely postings of autumn pictures on this site as I travel around this fall.

Have a look at the following photos of some of my favourite places for autumn photography in Nova Scotia.

Horse back riding in the Margaree Valley of Cape Breton

There are plenty of photos to be taken along the Margaree River in Cape Breton

Keep your camera in your golf bag if your playing Highland Links Golf Course in Cape Breton Highlands National Park near Ingonish

Two other great areas for autumn photography in Cape Breton are the Mabou area on the west side of the island and the northern part of the Cabot Trail. The upper photo was taken at Glenora Distillery near Mabou and above is a view from North Mountain in Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Western Nova Scotia, particularly the interior in places like Kejimkujik National Park, is always worth visiting. Other hot areas can be found around Bear River in Annapolis County and along the Lahave River in Lunenburg County or the Medway and Mersey Rivers in Queens County. But these are just a few and you're bound to find many others.

Finally, there is another lesser known area for spectacular autumn photography and that's in the blueberry fields of Cumberland and Colchester County in northern Nova Scotia. The blueberry bushes turn an intense scarlet colour and this happens a little later in the season, usually mid to late October. The low lying shrubs in the Peggy's Cove Protection Area, not far from Halifax, also exhibit similiar colour, particularly early in the morning or in late afternoon when the sun is low in the sky.

I'll post more pictures as things start into heat up, so stay tuned to this blog and the Autumn Leaf Watch on novascotia.com