OUTDOOR LIVING
Blazing Outdoor Colours
Aspen stand near Elk Island National Park
Duane Radford Article and Photos
There ’ s a saying , “ autumn is a second spring when every leaf ’ s a flower .”
This quote is a testament to the glory of an autumn day . I just love being outdoors in the fall . Because I live in Edmonton , a couple of must-see destinations are nearby , like Elk Island National Park and Jasper National Park , for a getaway before the snow flies . Another prominent autumn wonderland of mine is Waterton Lakes National Park . This park has an otherworldly mystique about it at the end of the summer , long billed as , “ Where the mountains meet the prairie .” It is so tranquil that if you can ’ t relax there , there ’ s probably no hope for you . Banff National Park and Kananaskis Country also have outstanding landscapes , with spruce forests dotted with larch — a species of tree that is both deciduous ( leaf-dropping ) and coniferous ( cone-bearing ). The tiny leaves on larches change into a bright yellow in the fall .
Of course , there ’ s nothing wrong with staying near home for picnics or walks in Edmonton ’ s famed river valley urban park or any other river valley in Alberta , for that matter . The cottonwoods along the riverbanks of all major rivers in southern Alberta are usually dazzling in their autumn garb .
It ’ s best to wait until after a hard frost triggers a change to autumn colours to get the most out of your autumn travels . Some years this doesn ’ t
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