Fall will soon begin painting the forests in Shenandoah National Park/Kurt Repanshek

It's mid-September, and while the temps are still almost summerish, the trees know fall is right around the corner, and that's a great reason to head to Shenandoah National Park now.

While the peak foliage turn isn't expected for another few weeks, the colors will start creeping into the park fairly soon. The rule of thumb is that colors generally peak in Shenandoah during the last half of October. Catching the peak can be tricky, however, since this elongated park is north-south oriented and varies considerably in elevation.

Colors make their appearance up to several weeks earlier in the north and at higher and middle elevations (which can be 10-15 degrees cooler than adjacent valleys). The extended season in the south and at lower elevations offers extra options. There are lots of small trees and shrubs like sassafras and sumac that remain vibrant with color after the oaks are past their peak.

Head out to the park now, and while you might not enjoy the vibrant hues that paint the mountains in another month, you will miss the crowds that those colors draw to Shenandoah.

Where to go? Take in some of the waterfall hikes. Of course, a fall hike is not the best of time to see a real gusher. But sometimes, as they say, it's not the destination but the journey that matters, and the relatively short hike down to Lewis Falls is a nice morning's or afternoon's activity. From Big Meadows Lodge the loop hike is just over 3 miles and can be accomplished in a few hours, at most. For details on the hike, head here.

Another excellent fall hike is the trail to Dark Hollow Falls. The hike is just a mile-and-a-half roundtrip, rather short if you were looking for a good leg stretcher. You can, however, easily extend that hike by more than a few miles by weaving in some other trails and fire roads. Tack on a short piece of the Rose River Fire Road, and another of the Stony Mountain Trail, and finally a leg of the Rapidan Fire Road, and you'll have a nice hike of about 6 miles that will entail several hours. Plus, you'll have some great solitude in the mountains, as these are not mainstream hiking corridors in the park. For details on this hike, head over here.

Though fall ebbs waterfalls in Shenandoah, Lewis Falls continues to flow and is a great hiking destination/Kurt Repanshek

Of course, a great option if you have the time is to head out for several days, either entirely along the Appalachian National Scenic Trail that runs the length of the park, or by taking some of the side trails that head down into Shenandoah's wilderness areas. Fall is a spectacular season to hike in Shenandoah. Reds, golds, greens and browns are dappling the hillsides, deer are on the move, and, if your timing is excellent, bears are falling from the trees and Mennonite women are backpacking along the Appalachian Trail. For details on an extended hike, head here. 

For some other great hikes, check out Waterfalls of the Blue Ridge, a great resource for finding waterfall hikes in Shenandoah, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

If Shenandoah is too far for a day trip, or you can't break away for an extended trip, you can follow the fall colors in the park via this webcam.