Blaze a trail to fall foliage getaways

— -- When Weather Channel meteorologist Jim Cantore polled his Twitter followers this week on their favorite leaf-peeping destinations, the responses ranged from predictable (the Blue Ridge Parkway) to offbeat (I-95 in New Jersey).

For his part, Vermont-born Cantore is particularly bullish about his old stomping grounds this year.

"They had a ton of water and cool weather over the summer, and have been drying out recently, " he says. "We're already seeing splashes of color, and it looks like the makings of a classic New England fall."

But, Cantore adds, an absence of drought and other extreme conditions that can affect vibrant autumn hues means "this could be one of those years when almost everyone gets a good hit."

That, in turn, could mean a much-needed boost to local economies from California and Oregon (where new fall-foliage blogs launched this month) to Virginia (whose own revamped fall travel site includes a roundup of "48-Hour Guilt-Free Getaways"). And, notes Hotwire's Clem Bason, the cost of getting to leaf country continues to drop: Overall airfares and hotel rates are down 9% and 8%, respectively, from 2008.

A sampling of resources for tracking color and planning leaf-centric getaways:

Nationwide

•U.S. Forest Service (800-354-4594, www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors): Links to Web updates from 22 states and national forests across the USA.

•The Weather Channel(weather.com/fallfoliage): Updates peak times with state and regional maps.

•FoliageNetwork.com:Twice-weekly reports from spotters across the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest.

Northeast

•YankeeFoliage.com:Reader forum and interactive map; professional photographer Jeff Folger blogs, tweets and posts Facebook updates.