AUSTIN— Magical shades of red, orange and yellow leaves are coloring Texas State Parks’ landscape statewide just in time for Thanksgiving.

“Our parks are ripe with change, and natural cycles, but few changes are quite as inspiring as Fall foliage,” said Ky Harkey, director of interpretation for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “Cool weather and Fall colors make these months popular for visitors to Texas State Parks.”

With the recent cold snap, several state parks offer opportunities for families to enjoy the fall foliage in all its glory.

In northeast Texas, state parks like Atlanta State Park, Daingerfield State Park, Lake Bob Sandlin State Park and Martin Creek Lake State Park are bursting to life. At Lake Bob Sandlin State Park, the maple, sweet gum and black gum trees are hitting their peak. This week, the hickories, oaks and sumac trees should burst to life.

With the recent cold front forecast, Central Texas parks are predicted to have their foliage change in the next several days. The bald cypress trees at Guadalupe River State Park are changing colors and the cedar elm, red oak and post oak trees are expected to start turning thanks to the cooler temperatures.

Lost Maples State Natural Area is known for sporting dazzling displays of fall color and that is the case this year with the leaves increasingly changing each week. The big tooth maples are currently yellow with a tinge of red. The mesquite trees are sporting amber leaves while the sumacs are a vibrant shade of red. The maple trees are expected to turn reds and oranges just in time for the Thanksgiving holidays. Visit the Lost Maples website to view this season’s foliage reports from the park. Lost Maples usually reached capacity on weekends, so visitors are encouraged to plan their visit early in the morning or on weekdays.

Visit a park soon or look for fall foliage photos at your favorite state park’s Facebook page to catch this season’s great fall color.

To see more of Texas State Park’s fall foliage images, visit our Flickr page.