CLIFFTOP, W.Va. -- With the arrival of October, West Virginia's fall foliage season moves into prime time, sending thousands of leaf-peepers down country roads across the state in search of the perfect autumnal scene.

Nowhere in the state is the quest for the perfectly tinted landscape more intense than at Babcock State Park, where the Glade Creek Grist Mill, surrounded by mirror-like waters and leaf-draped hills, has been attracting photographers and other leaf admirers for decades.

Scenes of the mill have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines as well as on calendars, posters, jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, clock faces and wallpaper, according to Babcock Superintendent Clinton Cochran.

The photogenic grist mill, assembled and made operational at Babcock in 1976, is actually a combination of parts from three water-powered mills: the 1890 Stony Creek grist mill from Pocahontas County; the Onego grist mill from Pendleton County and the overshot water wheel from the Spring Run grist mill near Petersburg in Grant County.

"It's been a big attraction for us," said Cochran. "Seeing it here is kind of like stepping back in time. I can't imagine another place in West Virginia that's photographed more than this."

The mill is photographed in all seasons, but it gets the most attention from lens artists in fall.

While the foliage around the mill was almost exclusively green last week, "we're already getting daily calls from people wanting to know how the colors are coming along," Cochran said. The calls will intensify from mid-October into November, he added.

"Sometimes they'll ask about individual trees, like 'is that maple behind the mill getting pretty red?'" Cochran said. "Or they'll want to know what time the sun will hit the mill or want us to predict what the colors will be like two days from now. I got a call a couple of years ago from a guy who said he was getting ready to leave Colorado, but wanted to make sure the leaves would be good when he got here."

Cochran and the Babcock staff do the best they can to field the hundreds of fall color queries they receive, but trying to describe colors over the phone can be difficult. That's why park officials are seriously looking into the possibility of installing a Web cam near the mill, giving photographers and other leaf lovers a more accurate way of determining when to make the trip to Babcock.

CLIFFTOP, W.Va. -- With the arrival of October, West Virginia's fall foliage season moves into prime time, sending thousands of leaf-peepers down country roads across the state in search of the perfect autumnal scene.

Nowhere in the state is the quest for the perfectly tinted landscape more intense than at Babcock State Park, where the Glade Creek Grist Mill, surrounded by mirror-like waters and leaf-draped hills, has been attracting photographers and other leaf admirers for decades.

Scenes of the mill have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines as well as on calendars, posters, jigsaw puzzles, playing cards, clock faces and wallpaper, according to Babcock Superintendent Clinton Cochran.

The photogenic grist mill, assembled and made operational at Babcock in 1976, is actually a combination of parts from three water-powered mills: the 1890 Stony Creek grist mill from Pocahontas County; the Onego grist mill from Pendleton County and the overshot water wheel from the Spring Run grist mill near Petersburg in Grant County.

"It's been a big attraction for us," said Cochran. "Seeing it here is kind of like stepping back in time. I can't imagine another place in West Virginia that's photographed more than this."

The mill is photographed in all seasons, but it gets the most attention from lens artists in fall.

While the foliage around the mill was almost exclusively green last week, "we're already getting daily calls from people wanting to know how the colors are coming along," Cochran said. The calls will intensify from mid-October into November, he added.

"Sometimes they'll ask about individual trees, like 'is that maple behind the mill getting pretty red?'" Cochran said. "Or they'll want to know what time the sun will hit the mill or want us to predict what the colors will be like two days from now. I got a call a couple of years ago from a guy who said he was getting ready to leave Colorado, but wanted to make sure the leaves would be good when he got here."

Cochran and the Babcock staff do the best they can to field the hundreds of fall color queries they receive, but trying to describe colors over the phone can be difficult. That's why park officials are seriously looking into the possibility of installing a Web cam near the mill, giving photographers and other leaf lovers a more accurate way of determining when to make the trip to Babcock.

"We want to be able to show people the fall colors, the winter snow, and the rhododendrons in bloom in spring," Cochran said. "We're working out the details of lighting, focus and placement, but we hope to have one up and running in time for next fall."

When the colors are peaking at Babcock and the weather is fair, "there are lots of times during a weekend when there will be more than a dozen photographers and tripod after tripod out there, taking pictures of the mill," Cochran said. "The trash can across from the mill used to stay full of Kodak film wrappers all October, but now that everyone's gone digital, it doesn't get as full."

For the record, Babcock State Park's prime color time is generally mid-October, according to Cochran. "Around Bridge Day, maybe a little before, is usually a good time," he said. "But it always looks good around here."

Leaves are already changing color quickly in the highlands of Preston and Tucker counties, where autumn tints are now at 75 percent of their peak, according to the state Division of Forestry's first fall foliage report for the 2009 season.

Peak conditions are predicted to take place within one week at Dolly Sods in Grant County and on North Fork Mountain and Spruce Mountain in Pendleton County. Colors in the highlands of Pocahontas, Randolph and Upshur counties are expected to peak within the next 10 days. With early frosts this year, the annual color change is expected to take place faster than normal, according to state foresters.

"Most maples have changed, especially in the higher elevations, along with some birches and beech," said regional forester Tom Cover. "Yellow poplar is also beginning to change, but oaks are remaining green."

Cover said he expected the southern portion of his region, which includes Greenbrier, Fayette and Raleigh counties, to peak within the next two weeks.

The Division of Forestry will update its statewide fall foliage report each Thursday. The report can be viewed at www.wvforestry.com

Reach Rick Steelhammer at rsteelham...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5169.