The melodic but melancholy jazz standard “Autumn Leaves” began life as a French tune written in the early 1940s by composer Joseph Kosma titled “Les Feuilles mortes,” which literally means “The Dead Leaves.”
An aerial view shows fall colors at the confluence of the Clarks Fork and Yellowstone Rivers near Laurel on Monday.
And that presented a bit of a challenge for Johnny Mercer, the legendary American songwriter, who fell in love with the song and wanted to render it for English-speaking audiences. He worried a jazzy romantic ballad called “Dead Leaves” would fall flat — like the eponymous foliage — with American listeners.Â
In 1950 he struck on the phrase “autumn leaves” and knew he had his hit. He tapped Jo Stafford to record the song and the rest is jazz standard history.
Well, here in Montana those autumn leaves have started to show their colors and with another week of warm weather forecast there’s little time left to get out and see them.Â
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Luckily reader Andrew Knight with the Montana ad agency, Windfall, Inc., has offered up some of the best places to see fall foliage around the state:Â
Eastern Montana
• Seven Sisters Wildlife Management Area (located between Sidney and Glendive along the Yellowstone River)
Local tip: Be on the lookout for deciduous trees that will offer more colorful fall colors, and check out Glasgow in the fall along the Milk River for nice fall foliage pictures.
• Hi-Line (stretch of U.S. Highway 2)
Local tip: Start in the Glasgow area near Tampico Highway (Highway 246), and drive out to Tampico across the Tampico Bridge and then back towards town along the Riverside Drive Rd. Add stops in Malta, Chinook or Havre for a full loop.
• Beaver Creek Park along Highway 234.
Local tip: Also try driving along the Missouri River along Highway 528 (mostly a gravel road) between Highway 24 and Highway 13.
• Elk Island Wildlife Management Area
Central Montana
• Missouri River Corridor
Local tip: Look out for the Cottonwood trees along the banks of the river from Holter Dam down to Fort Peck.
• Rocky Mountain Front + surrounding rivers and creeks that drain from the front:
Local tip: The further north you go toward Glacier National Park and the Canadian border, the more you will see aspen trees with nice fall colors.
• Sluice Boxes State Park and the Little Belt Mountains
Local tip: View yellow aspens and larches in the fall at these locations.
• Ten Mile Creek Environmental Trail
Local tip: The one mile loop near Rimini features some beautiful aspen meadows.
• Trout Creek Environmental Trail (Interpretive six-mile out and back trail east of York)
• Patrol Mountain Lookout (More challenging, 10 mile-trail at the end of Benchmark Road on the Rocky Mountain Front)
• Kings Hill Scenic Byway (Located between Monarch and White Sulphur Springs)
• Willard Creek Trail (Located near Clancy)
Northwest Montana
• Whitefish Mountain Resort
Local tip: The ski area is located on Forest Service land and has hiking trails open to the public before and after ski season. The larches blast cool colors that are within a short hike.
Local tip: Take the North Fork Road from Columbia Falls to see fall colors in Glacier National Park on the right side of the road and Flathead National Forest on the left.
• Bison Range and the Mission Valley
Local tip: The Bison Range is a must-see spot, but really any dirt road in the Mission Valley around Polson and Ronan will offer awesome colors in the fall.
• Jewel Basin Hiking Area
Local tip: This is a great, easy hike with tons of sightseeing. Watch for bears.
• North Shore Flathead Lake
Local tip: Just south of Kalispell, this state park transforms into a vast beach starting in fall as the lake recedes. The shoreline shines with yellows and oranges. The fall migration of birds is epic. Watch out for bird hunters.
• West Valley Viewing Area
Local tip: There’s great fall birding opportunities with agriculture production in the backdrop.
Local tip: Starting in early October, the western larch needles turn yellow.
• Tally Lake Ranger District
Local tip: Check out the lower half of Good Creek Road (Forest road 60), with a view of Johnson Peak for views of scenic larch stands.
For the hikers, the Tally Ranger District also has the Tally Ridge Trail (Trail 458) that has a view of Tally Lake below and a hillside of larch beyond.
• Hungry Horse-Glacier View Ranger District
Local tip: This area has many larches as a result of the fires in 2003 along the Hungry Horse Reservoir. Both the West Side Road (Forest Road 895) and the East Side Road (Forest Road 38) are very scenic drives with access to hiking trails, camping, boat launches, etc.
Please note, Forest Road 38 on the east side of the Hungry Horse Reservoir is closed and impassable just past mile marker 22 at the McInerney Creek crossing due to a construction project. The 22 miles north of the road remain open and are quite beautiful, with a turnaround available for large vehicles at Murray Bay Campground. Â
Southwest Montana
• Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway
Local tip: There are several aspen stands along the byway that are stunning in the fall. Cliff and Wade Lakes are gorgeous as well as the Georgetown Lake area.
• Goat Flats hike in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness
Local tip: This hike has incredible views and about 7-8 miles roundtrip.
• Lee Metcalf Wilderness, east of the Madison Valley.
Local tip: The aspens in this area are so beautiful in the fall
Local tip: Fall colors tend to be best around the third week of September. Plus-who doesn’t love a ghost town ahead of Halloween?
• Big Hole National Battlefield
Local tip: Head Up the Main Boulder past Newman Creek Road
• East River Road, Paradise Valley
• Lower part of the Beartooth Highway
Other recommendations:
• Lewistown or other island mountain ranges have lots of shrubs and bushes that change colors in the rolling foothills and open prairies that make for great views in big open spaces.
