"Snoliage" Is the Holy Grail Of Vermont Leaf Peeping, And It Happened Saturday

Snoliage atop Mount Mansfield as viewed from 
Irish Settlement Road in Underhill, Vermont on Saturday.
The white sheep dotting the green field in the
foreground is a nice touch. 

 I'm sure everybody loves snoliage, even if they don't quite know what it is. 

Snoliage is when beautiful autumn leaves combine with snow to create especially beautiful scenery. Here in Vermont, it doesn't happen every year, but it does occur often enough. 

On relatively rare occasions,  the snow extends down to valleys during peak foliage season, and that's when it really becomes awesome. Most times, though, the snow is limited to the mountains, but it still comes off as stunningly beautiful.

It's especially gorgeous when the skies clear, so you can the deep blue of a chilly autumn sky, the warm hues of orange and yellow and red trees, with snow capped mountains with a few wispy clouds around the peaks being the cherry on top. 

That's what happened in parts of Vermont on Saturday. 

Snoliage, with a white Mount Mansfield summit, and
brightly colored trees, as seen from a field off of 
Pleasant Valley Road in Underhill, Vermont Saturday.

I intercepted some snoliage yesterday, mostly in Underhill, near Mount Mansfield. The photo of it I posted on social media yesterday was a hit, so I reprised that photo as the first image you see in this post. 

Of course, I took other photos as well. Who could resist?  I put some of them in this post as well.  Click on the images to make them bigger and easier to see. 

I also put together a quick raw video of it too, which you can see at the bottom of this post. 

The snoliage around Mount Mansfield on Saturday not surprisingly attracted quite a crowd. 

The parking lot at the famous sledding hill on Pleasant Valley Road was often nearly full, as was a patch of gravel close to the Underhill town offices. 

Back roads like Irish Settlement Road were also unusually busy. 

A snow and rime ice topped Mount Mansfield with peak
fall foliage in the foreground Saturday in 
Underhill, Vermont. 

The best snoliage views often don't last long, and Saturday's were no exception. The beautiful blue skies only lasted from about noon to 4 p.m. and then clouds returned.

 Most of the thin trace of snow and rime ice atop Mount Mansfield has probably melted by now. 

There might be more chances for snoliage over the next week or two, but the beauty might not be as great as Saturday's.  Foliage will go past peak.  But, I'm happy to share a few images captured Saturday.

I'm so glad I decided to veer away from the responsibilities of work and just enjoy an autumn Vermont afternoon for a change.  

It's also testimony to the fact that it's much more fun to avoid the peak fall foliage season traffic jams in the usual tourist hubs and instead try some back roads. They're much more fun. 

Also, the video is below. If you don't see the image for it, click on this link to view. If you do see the image, click on it to watch on YouTube.