Finding Fall Leaves <i> Before</i> the Trip

New Hampshire-born Darryl Gehly used to scoff at the “leaf-peepers” who clog New England roads each fall--until he spent a few Octobers in Southern California. Now living in Boston, a contrite Gehly has rediscovered the joys of scuffling through scarlet maple leaves. And he’s inviting other cyber surfers to do the same via the Friday Project, his new World Wide Web site devoted to travel in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont (https://www.friday-project.com).

“In Search of the Leaves,” a special Friday Project report, includes daily updates on what’s turning where, and solicits reader suggestions on the best vantage points for enjoying the seasonal light show. One of Gehly’s own tips: Bypass the crowds by heading for the Maine coast, where the spectacular scenery compensates for leaves that are more muted in color than those farther inland.

For more information, also try Web sites, commercial services and Usenet discussion groups. They often offer maps, lodging and festival information, links to regional weather forecasts and on-the-spot feedback from residents and fellow leaf-peepers.

Maine Tourism Web (https://www.state.me.us/decd/ tour/welcome.html) offers a rundown of expected peak color times across the state, along with a discussion forum that organizers promise will give visitors “the inside scoop on vacationing in Maine from the locals.”

New Hampshire-bound travelers can get color updates late-September through mid-October by pointing their Web browsers to the new White Mountains Assn. site (https://www.whitemtns.org); or, the Mt. Washington Valley Homepage (https://www.tiac.net/us ers/traveler/mwv).

Prodigy users, meanwhile, can check out the extensive New England travel section (jump NEW ENGLAND GUIDE). It’s laced with suggested itineraries, lodgings and attractions from fellow subscribers. Prodigy also offers a special travel discussion forum devoted to fall foliage around the country (jump TRAVEL BB).

Another nationwide resource for fall foliage is the Web page operated by the U.S.D.A. National Forest Service (https://www.fs.fed.us). Cybertravelers can access the same weekly color updates available through the Forest Service’s toll-free number, and the page offers links to camping, hiking and other information about 175 national forests and grasslands.

The Internet’s Usenet newsgroups offer travelers a chance to glean “been there, done that” information from residents and fellow tourists. Likely places to find fall color recommendations include rec.travel.usa-canada, rec.back country, alt.travel.road-trip, rec.outdoors.national-parks and such regional newsgroups as alt.appa lachian and alt.great-lakes.

A particularly intriguing resource is DejaNews, a free Web service that combs through thousands of Usenet newsgroups for applicable postings (https://www.dejanews.com). For example, a search in late August using the terms “fall foliage” turned up the news that trees in the Finger Lakes region of New York were already starting to show twinges of color. . . . and a query from a woman who wanted some “preseason guesses for leaves changing in the Traverse City (Mich.) area.” The prompt response from another ‘Netizen: “They probably will.”

Bly welcomes reader comments ; her e-mail address is at Laura.Bly @ news.latimes.com. Electronic Explorer appears monthly.