Five images from the month of October– In the New England region, October is all about autumn foliage. Photographers and tourists flock to the area to view the breathtaking foliage that takes over the region.

October is my busiest month of the year. Much of my time is spent traveling to photograph the foliage. The autumn foliage looked incredible this year, but peak foliage only lasted a few days in the mountains region. I'm always amazed at how fast the foliage season comes and goes.

I photographed a few locations this year that have eluded me in the past. The above image of Ledge Brook being one of them. The last few times I have visited this location during the autumn months it was pass peak. This year it looked great!

I hiked into the Pemigewasset Wilderness to photograph the debris site of the 180 foot suspension bridge. The foot bridge crossed the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River and was removed in 2009 because of safety issues. Numerous problems made the debris removal a very long process. 

From what I can see, all the debris from the suspension bridge removal project has been removed out of the wilderness. You can view the progression of debris removal over the last 3 years in a slideshow here. Some debris (small amount) does remain at the Black Brook bridge site, which was also part of this project.

I took a day off from shooting to hike the classic Franconia Ridge loop hike with a friend. We did the loop via Falling Waters, Franconia Ridge, and Greenleaf Trail and the Old Bridle Path. There is an outcrop near Mt Lincoln referred to as the "gargoyles". I have hiked this loop 75-100 times and never knew there actually is gargoyle profiles. Pretty cool to see them!

Trail crews have made great attempts to protect the fragile alpine vegetation along Franconia Ridge. The stonework along the trail is of quality and very impressive. Hats off to the ones responsible for the work.

As October comes to an end and I start to prepare for the month of November I think about winter. Many seem to feel we are going to have a great winter with lots of snow here in the White Mountains. I hope so! View more imagery from the month of October here.

Bonus Image: Some areas of the White Mountains were treated to a dusting of snow in October. Its that time of year when the weather is very unpredicatble. 

Don't forget to grab a 2014 White Mountains calendar (below) before the sale ends. Sometime in November it will be back to regular price of $12.95.

Happy image making..

Now Available: The White Mountains New Hampshire calendar.
Subscribe To Our Blog here

Erin Paul Donovan

Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC

Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.