7 Ways to Fall for Autumn

Name That Tree

If all this talk of chlorophyll and leaf biology has put you in a studious frame of mind, you might start your own autumn journey at one of Virginia's best-kept secrets, the state arboretum in Boyce, on the edge of the Shenandoah Valley in Clarke County.

"So many people say, 'Wow, the state arboretum! Where is that, in Richmond?' " says Tim Farmer, the arboretum's public relations coordinator. "And I explain that it's about two hours north of there, so much closer than people realize" to the Washington area.

The arboretum offers miles of pathways, including a five-mile bridle trail (bring your own horse), for roaming among its more than 8,000 trees and woody shrubs. "Most everything close to the public areas is well labeled," Farmer says, "so you see more than pretty trees -- you actually learn something. We have beautiful walking trails, including a native-plant trail through woodland, wetland and meadow areas, with a series of interpretive signs to explain the native plants and trees."

For fall color, "we have the largest grove of ginkgoes planted for research outside of their native China," Farmer says. "Usually by the first weekend of November they turn a beautiful gold. Also, we have a beautiful collection of maples that are spectacular." Autumn's other attractions at the arboretum, he says, include "the nice views of the Blue Ridge as the summer haze drifts away. We are also on the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail, and a lot of the raptors use the ridges for migration this time of year, so we are seeing a lot of birds."

Although the crowds are flocking to the usual leaf-peeping haunts, the arboretum's quieter reputation means that "depending on when you come, you can kind of have the place to yourself," Farmer says. "The best part is we are open dawn to dusk, 365 days per year."

If, however, you prefer your trips, and your trees, a lot shorter, you could instead visit the U.S. National Arboretum in the District. In addition to its 446 acres of woods and trees, the National Arboretum is home to the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, where an exhibit from Oct. 29 through Nov. 6 will feature deciduous bonsai from the museum's permanent collection and "the autumn coloring of leaves and the ripening of fruit," according to the arboretum's Web site. Exactly how many bonsai apples would it take to make a pie?

STATE ARBORETUM OF VIRGINIA -- 400 Blandy Farm Lane, Boyce, Va. 540-837-1758.http://www.virginia.edu/blandy/home.html. Open dawn to dusk daily year-round. Free.

U.S. NATIONAL ARBORETUM -- 3501 New York Ave. NE. 202-245-2726.http://www.usna.usda.gov/index.html. Open daily, except Christmas Day, from 8 to 5. The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is open from 10 to 3:30. Free.

Hit the Trail

With bright blue skies above and the crunch of leaves underfoot, a perfect autumn afternoon calls for rambling, whether your inclinations run to strenuous hikes or leisurely saunters. In Delaplane, in Fauquier County west of Middleburg, Sky Meadows State Park gives you your choice, with the added attraction of "an amazing panoramic view of the mountains," says Kathy Nations, who directs the park's interpretive programming. "We have trails that are especially designed to enhance those views," she says, and one of Sky Meadows's six hiking paths also connects in less than a mile to the Appalachian Trail. (In case you're feeling ambitious, it's a three-day hike to Harpers Ferry, W.Va., and two days to Shenandoah National Park.)

This weekend and next, Sky Meadows will host a Fall Farm Fest at Mount Bleak House, the cheerily named historic farmhouse within the park that has been restored to depict daily life as it was lived there in the 1860s. You can pick your own pumpkins at the Farm Fest ("and check out a pumpkin kit and carve it," Nations says), take a tour of the house and, on Oct. 29 from 1:30 to 3, learn about the raptors you might see soaring overhead, with a program from the Raptor Conservancy of Virginia.

"Right now, the fall foliage is starting to peak," Nations says. "It is quite beautiful."

Not to be outdone in either the natural beauty or aerobic challenge departments, the National Park Service's Rock Creek Park has 32 miles of trails, "and you totally forget that you're right in Washington, D.C., because once you get out on the trail, you don't hear cars, you don't hear noise, you're really in the wilderness," says park ranger Lora Williams. Apparently the park's human visitors aren't the only ones to appreciate the wilderness either; in the past year, coyote sightings have been confirmed within the park. Perhaps you might catch your own fleeting glimpse of a ghostly gray figure slipping into the shadows if you join a ranger Oct. 30 for a three-mile hike focusing on fall changes in the park, leaving from Rock Creek's Pi erce Barn (across the parking lot from Pierce Mill) at 9:30 a.m.