Peak foliage is taking its time arriving

CONCORD - At Walden Pond State Reservation in Concord one recent afternoon, a group of tourists from Tennessee was disappointed at the lack of fall color.

"I think I saw one red leaf out there," lamented Robin Rose of Franklin, Tenn.

A dry summer has led many to anticipate an early fall with its blazing colors, but that has not materialized yet in this area.

Most inns in the area are booked solid or have few vacancies this month, when tourists typically come to see the foliage.

"People are traveling," said Gregory Burch, owner of Concord's Hawthorne Inn. "As far as whether nature will cooperate and give one of those glorious displays, we've yet to see."

Massachusetts has tried to attract leaf-peeping tourists in recent years. The tourism website, massvacation.com, devotes a section to it. The Office of Travel and Tourism and the Department of Conservation and Recreation run a foliage hot line - 800-227-6277.

Charlie Burnham, who checks on trees as program supervisor for forest health at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, said, "What I have seen where it's started to change, the reds and oranges and yellows are just nice," and not spectacular, because of the dry season.