Conclusion of Peak Week at Nemacolin

I went out Monday to take some snapshots of the waning tree branches before the rain (and possible snow, but we won’t think about that) hit Farmington. It was a beautiful day and the leaves almost seemed to sparkle in the warmth of the sunlight.  It then that I realized... Peak Week is nearing an end. It was harder to find the types of shots I wanted, with full bright branches reaching overhead. The foliage is darkening into maroon, burnt sienna and dark gold instead of the bright reds and pinks and oranges that I was capturing before. It’s almost as if the leaves are settling into their places; first, young and excited that their time was here, now, seasoned professionals that have calmed into the true colors of fall. Many have already retired to their resting places, littering the ground.

As you tour the resort, you will still be able to spot a few green, full oak and hickory trees. The warmer temperatures over the past week or so have kept the late bloomers at bay, but after this week’s cold front, they may quickly burst into color in order to catch up with their counterparts. The fall changes and color, however, are far from over in Pennsylvania. A drive to or from Nemacolin Woodlands Resort will display many different levels of foliage depending on the destination. The higher elevation of the Laurel Highlands cause color change a week or so before the surrounding lower elevation counties in Southwest and Southeast Pennsylvania. Right now, the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia regions are just beginning to enter into their Peak Week. If your drive is to or from Northern Pennsylvania, the area is already far past full color and prepping for the winter months ahead.

The colors are beautiful here, right now, and there is no better time to come visit us.

Christina Petrilli
Assistant Marketing Manager
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort

Top 10 Places to Leaf-Peep at Nemacolin

Mid-October means we are in peak Fall Foliage season here in the Laurel Highlands. The colors are most vibrant now and tree branches are beginning to look bare as the temperature drops. So, I’ve searched the property for the best places to take in some of the most beautiful views around Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Whether you are vacationing with us or visiting for the day, be sure to check out these fantastic spots over the next week.


Top 10 Places to Leaf-Peep at Nemacolin:

10. Out a Chateau Window
A perfect place to enjoy your morning cup of coffee is looking out a Chateau window onto the Laurel Highlands mountains. The pops of fall color will surely enlighten you and assist in your morning wake-up fix.

9. The Walking Trails
Catch a nice day and enjoy the scenery on foot with one of our various walking trails.

8. Off-Road in a Jeep
Drive into the woodlands for a view of the foliage deep within grounds.  Our Off-Road Driving Academy's 20-miles of terrain welcome you to a rugged, muddy adventure.

 

7. On Horseback
You can’t get any closer to nature than this! Duck under the Fall leaves that hang low on branches, as you take mount and guide through two-miles of trails with our Backwoods Trail Rides.

6. The Nemacolin Field Club
Whether you end up at the Shooting Academy or on a Guided Fishing Trip, you are bound to be enjoying the views of the great outdoors.

5. Animal Enclosures
Trade in the Savannah for Pennsylvania foliage when you take your family on a Safari Ride, right here at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.

4. 40’ Ropes Course
See a bird's eye view of the best colors of fall as you balance your way through our Ropes Course 40 feet in the air.

3. Apex
Sit back, relax and enjoy a casual meal paired with a great view at our restaurant, Apex.

 

2. One of our Two Golf Courses
You have just two weeks left to play your best golf on either one of our championship courses, Mystic Rock or The Links.

1. Fatbird Flyer Zip Line
Cameras are not recommended on this trip, but it’s a sight you’ll never forget as you zip down 1,060 feet of line, catching a bird’s eye view of the surrounding foliage.

Christina Petrilli
Assistant Marketing Manager
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort

Fall Foliage Is Nearing Peak

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for Pennsylvania is predicting October 11 - 17 as the Peak Fall Foliage week in the Laurel Highlands. Which couldn't be any better timing with our Annual RocktoberFest event scheduled for Saturday, October 12, 2013.

If you have driven throughout property lately you will notice the fullness of color along the horizon.  These splashes of  beautiful warm colors are not accidental nor sporadic, but attributed to the tree species and their characteristic colors.

• Oaks - Reds and Browns
• Hickories - Golden Yellow or Orange
• Maples (differ by species)
• Red Maple - Scarlet Red
• Sugar Maple - Orange
• Black Maple - Yellow

Try to identify the species as we highlight some of our favorite Fall Foliage images from this Week! 

 

 

And, if you have yet to make time for Fall Leaf-Peeping in the Laurel Highlands, please plan a road trip soon.  As quick as the colors presented themselves, the season will fade, and we all know what season is just around the corner!

Fall Fishing in Pennsylvania

Fall fishing can be some of the most productive fishing of the year.  As the water cools from the "dog days of summer," the fish become more active, looking to bulk up for winter.  This allows us to use multiple tactics to target hungry trout.  Some of your most productive subsurface fishing happens during this time, streamer and nymph fishing usually will produce the best.

 

Target hungry, aggressive trout by throwing your favorite streamer pattern.  This technique works well in the fall because our Brown and Brook Trout are starting the spawning process.  Both species will eat these larger meals to gain energy that is lost due to spawning.  They will also eat these larger patterns in fear that they are trying to eat the freshly dropped eggs.

If streamer fishing is not your cup of tea, you can always go with your favorite nymph patterns under an indicator.  I, personally, like a large stonefly pattern with a small egg pattern fished in tandem.  This also coincides with the spawning activity.

If you enjoy the colors and cooler temperatures of fall; hopefully, these few tips will keep your line tight when fishing this season.

 

For more information or to schedule a Fall Fishing Guided Tour or Lesson, please contact the Nemacolin Field Club at 724.329.6770.

Tight Lines,
Mike Steiner
Orvis Operations Manager
NSCA Level 1 Sporting Clays Instructor
Nemacolin Field Club

Fall Foliage Update at Nemacolin

My, oh my, has the fall foliage palette burst through the greenery like a firework on the fourth of July. It seems like almost yesterday the "dog days of summer" had us panting by the pool, with long branches of green leaves offering us shade from the heat. That is not the case anymore! The surrounding trees have stolen the show. Take a look:

There are three major pigments that play a role in creating the leaves’ jewel like tones. Of course, we’ve all heard of Chlorophyll in high school science class, which is the green photosynthetic pigment found in plants.  It brings out the green we all know and love in the summer. There are two others; however, that play a major role during the fall. Carotenoids, which reflect orange, yellow and brown colors while Anthocyanin does the same for red, blue and purple. As night falls sooner and for a longer period of time, chlorophyll fades away while carotenoids and anthocyanin take over.

The best views are yet to come, during the week of October 12th through 18th, and we can’t wait to see the views that it brings us.

 

Be sure to kick-off peak “leaf-peeping” week Saturday, October 12th at our Annual Rocktoberfest event, a day filled with craft brew tastings, live music, adventure activities and of course, the colors of autumn.



Christina Petrilli
Assistant Marketing Manager
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort

We Welcome Fall at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort

Welcome to the third day of fall. They days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder, but that means leaves are beginning to showcase the brilliant colors of the season. As you’re driving, I’m sure you’ve taken notice that the tips of most trees are no longer green; most of us know this change all too well. If you live on the east coast, this side of the country is where leaves display the reds, yellows, and oranges of fall. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort is surrounded by the burst of color that fall brings, and I’m on the search to find the best.

Just like winter snowflakes, no two years bring the same foliage sights. Dependent on temperature and sunlight, each year factors in a different array of colors, patterns and leaf-fall. Certain trees carry specific colors in their leaves once the nights begin to grow longer toward the end of the year.

Oak – Red, Brown, Russet

Hickory – Golden Bronze

Aspen – Golden Yellow

Dogwood – Purplish Red

Beech – Light Tan

Sourwood – Crimson

Red Maple – Scarlet

Sugar Maple – Orange-Red

Black Maple – Yellow

When you arrive for your Nemacolin stay, take some time to look around the resort and see if you can name what tree species are growing on property. In the meantime, check out the bursts of color we are already beginning to see around the resort:

 

If you haven’t booked your fall vacation and these pictures aren’t convincing enough, be sure to take a look at one of the best packages we have to offer right now, our Simply the Best Package, and make sure you book your stay to see some of the best sights in the Laurel Highlands!

Personal Growth and a Check Off My Bucket List

It is human character to enjoy what is comfortable, to not push limits and to resist change when it first arrives. We all have done it... as I have. On the younger side of my twenties, it is time to stop resisting the unknown and accept the changes in life. I left my home, family and friends to pursue a life-changing opportunity here at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pennsylvania. Little did I know... that life changing capabilities lie in more than just starting a new career.

Nemacolin offers so many opportunities to cross off my ever-growing personal "bucket list." In order to gain a better understanding of just a small portion of what a guest experiences at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, I jumped at the opportunity to experience some of the Resort's amenities. In just two days, I traded my own vehicle for an Off-Road Jeep Rubicon tour through the rugged back-country of the Laurel Highlands.  The next day, my other ride had four legs, as I took a trip around the surrounding woodlands on horseback.

One Tuesday in June, the Adventure Center set me up with an opportunity to complete the Canopy Tour which combined the 40' Ropes Course and the Fatbird Flyer Zip Line. Never participating in anything like this before, the adrenaline rush had me scurrying up the first set of pegs on a telephone pole sized vertical log. I climbed without hesitation until I found myself frozen on the ladder leading to the first obstacle. I was scared. Looking down, I wavered, “I think I’m going to have to climb back down, I can’t do this.” I stood in position, mentally and physically stuck, as the guide perched above on his stand, forty feet in the air answered back, “Yes, you can.” He howled from the post, “just keep going.” The simple words of encouragement made me gulp. This guy lived up there for hours out of the day, happily offering reassurance and directing guests, and I’m the one who is afraid. I pushed forward, mind completely blank and heart beating out of my chest, but I made it to the first obstacle. Swings – people had to walk across these? Indeed, they did. As the Guide sensed my concern, he told me what to do next, and continued to do so at every point I reached. With each obstacle, I begged myself not to quit, and as soon as I crossed each one, a sense of relief and pride waved over me for a few moments before the determination to finish the next challenge flooded my mind again. The only way down was to complete the course, and I was making it across the jungle of wooden planks, ropes and tires. Before I knew it I was floating down on a Zip Line to the finish. I took deep, full breaths of the clean Pennsylvania mountain air and as soon as I touched the ground, I was unable to wipe the smile off my face. The Fatbird Flyer only enhanced my delight as I flew through the trees in a grand finale.

Pushing through something that I’ve never done before gave me a renewed sense of self. I am a better individual than I was before, and it wasn’t because I lost “those last five pounds” or bought new shoes; it was because I truly became a stronger person for pushing myself to do something that I thought I couldn’t do. Unusual challenges serve as a reminder of what the mind and body are capable of, and anyone can experience that here. I wouldn’t give that feeling up, and I can’t wait to do it again – maybe a little bit faster next time.


Christina Petrilli
Assistant Marketing Manager
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort