{"id":870,"date":"2017-11-10T10:50:17","date_gmt":"2017-11-10T16:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allabouttrees.com\/?p=870"},"modified":"2021-05-24T16:52:47","modified_gmt":"2021-05-24T21:52:47","slug":"fall-colors-in-springfield-mo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allabouttrees.com\/fall-colors-in-springfield-mo\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Places to See Fall Colors in Springfield and the Ozarks"},"content":{"rendered":"
http:\/\/www.news-leader.com\/story\/entertainment\/2017\/09\/27\/7-places-see-fall-colors-springfield-and-ozarks\/701450001\/<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n (Photo: News-Leader file photo)<\/strong><\/p>\n Gregory J. Holman and Wes Johnson, News-Leader Published 6:00 a.m. CT Sept. 27, 2017<\/p>\n It’s leaf-peeping season in the Ozarks. As summer temperatures slide into fall’s chilly breezes, leaves transform from bright green to a range of fall colors: golds, reds, oranges and purples. And some brown. Why brown? Drought is a part of this year’s fall-foliage season. The National Weather Service announced Sept. 14<\/span>\u00a0that much of the Ozarks and the eastern half of the state is undergoing light drought conditions. Drought is already making yellow and brown leaves appear on trees in the Show-Me State right now, a forestry specialist told the Columbia Missourian\u00a0Tuesday<\/span>. \u201cThe reason we are seeing some yellows now is due to the lack of rainfall these past few weeks,\u201d Hank Stelzer, a forestry extension specialist at Mizzou’s College of Agriculture, told the paper. Typically, mid-October is peak fall color season in Missouri, though predicting exactly when those autumn hues will come to life is “difficult,” according to a Missouri Department of Conservation website. Search “fall color” at\u00a0nature.mdc.mo.gov<\/a>\u00a0for more details, along with a weekly updated guide to how the leaves are doing in each of Missouri’s regions. The latest on southwest Missouri is that leaves are “beginning to turn.”<\/p>\n Despite the drought, the classic reds, oranges and purples are on their way, Missouri Department of Conservation officials said in a separate news release. To appear, those colors just need cool \u2014 not freezing \u2014 autumn nights. Cool air helps trap natural sugars inside the leaves, forming “building blocks” for the full range of fall colors. Meanwhile, cool air breaks down the leaves’ green pigments. Where to find showy, beautiful trees this year? It’s not hard, but here are 7 tips on where to experience fall in all its glory in Springfield and the Ozarks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Topping the list and so easy to see is Maple Park Cemetery in the heart of Springfield, on Grand Street between Campbell and Jefferson avenues. The cemetery is filled with maple trees, which arguably produce the most vivid colors of any tree in the Ozarks. Maple leaves always contain bright red pigments once the green chlorophyll fades away.<\/p>\n Fun fact: Maple Park Cemetery is accessible by a City Utilities bus. Take the red line.<\/p>\n Fall color at the Springfield Conservation Nature CenterBuy Photo<\/p>\n Fall color at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center Tuesday, October 27, 2009. (Photo: News-Leader file photo)<\/p>\n Hiking trails and paddling trips on the James River offer great ways to get outdoors and experience the fall colors.<\/p>\n Walking trails at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center take wanderers down to the river’s edge. Sycamores, oaks and ash trees will soon turn from green to yellow, orange and gold.<\/p>\n Splash your canoe or kayak at Lake Springfield and follow the James River Water Trail five miles upstream to enjoy trees changing color along the shoreline.<\/p>\n In fact, MDC recommends routes along any river with views of forested bluffs and on float trips under a colorful forest canopy.<\/p>\n The cold, blue waters of Ha Ha Tonka Spring emerge<\/p>\n The cold, blue waters of Ha Ha Tonka Spring emerge from a towering rock bluff. (Photo: File photo)<\/p>\n Another beautiful fall hike among the trees, the trails at the 3,751-acre Ha Ha Tonka State Park, an hour and 20 minutes northeast of Springfield, are a great place to see the changing trees and towering karst cliffs up close.<\/p>\n The park and its historic stone castle ruins was voted fourth best state park in the nation by readers of USA TODAY.\u00a0 Not to be missed: The deep blue Ha Ha Tonka spring that pours 58 million gallons of water a day into a forest stream from the base of a massive vertical stone wall.<\/p>\n A small waterfall trickles into a crystal clear poolBuy Photo<\/p>\n A small waterfall trickles into a crystal clear pool at Cedar Gap Conservation Area. (Photo: Wes Johnson\/News-Leader)<\/p>\n If you’re up for a vigorous walk, Cedar Gap Conservation Area in Wright County is just 30 minutes east of Springfield, south of U.S. 60 highway.<\/p>\n The moderately strenuous hiking trail takes visitors downhill through oaks, pines and dogwood trees to a gurgling clear creek that forms the headwaters of Bryant Creek. The first half is all downhill and takes hikers to a small log cabin that once was a fishing and hunting getaway for the previous landowner.<\/p>\n Visitors are surrounded by tall, steep hills, and one of them is the second-highest prominence in Missouri. Be ready for a workout going back uphill, and wear sturdy boots.<\/p>\n An abundance of tree species will be changing color<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For a much less grueling (and more kid-friendly) fall outing, take a stroll at Nathanael Greene\/Close Memorial Park on Springfield’s west side. The walkways are paved! The tops of the park’s trees will soon begin changing color, especially around Lake Drummond.<\/p>\n The geese will want a snack, but visitors are encouraged not to feed them. And for a huge variety of color, walk a short distance to the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center and the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden, which features hundreds of species of trees and plants. All areas are free.<\/p>\n Henning Conservation Area offers more than five milesBuy Photo<\/p>\n Henning Conservation Area offers more than five miles of scenic hiking trails on the northwest edge of Branson. (Photo: Wes Johnson\/News-Leader)<\/p>\n The Branson\/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau suggests four fall color routes you can drive. They’ll take one hour up to four hours, and leaf-peepers can see Table Rock Lake, Kimberling City, downtown Branson, Forsyth, Rockaway Beach, Bull Shoals Lake, Peel Ferry and Mark Twain National Forest, depending on the route you choose. Oh, and there’s a tour for walkers and joggers through Branson Landing and downtown. Find all the details, including handy maps, at\u00a0explorebranson.com\/fall\/driving-tours<\/a>.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, don’t forget the Henning Conservation Area, located on Highway 76 near Shepherd of the Hills Expressway. It contains five miles of scenic trails.<\/p>\n Leaves of a sweet gum tree glow red and orange\u00a0Friday<\/span>,<\/p>\n Leaves of a sweet gum tree glow red and orange Friday, Nov. 4, 2005, at Pinnacle State Park near Little Rock, Ark. (Photo: DANNY JOHNSTON, ASSOCIATED PRESS)<\/p>\n If you really want to road-trip it, head south of the state line. Arkansas Parks and Tourism has a guide to scenic drives throughout the state and beyond. Explore the Boston Mountains Scenic Loop \u2014 from Fayetteville to Alma, it’s studded with state parks, historic sites and trails. Or consider the Scenic 7 Byway, from Harrison to Jessieville. Visit\u00a0arkansas.com<\/a>\u00a0and search “fall foliage.” Like MDC, Arkansas Parks & Tourism offers a leaf guide that’s updated weekly.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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\nHow our weather pattern in mid-Missouri could affect fall foliage<\/strong><\/h2>\n