Leaf Peepers, we’ll help you track autumn hues as they move across the Peach State this fall. Leaf Watch is filled with top trails and overlooks, mountain cabins and campsites, fall events and hiking safety tips. Show off your favorite shots by tagging #GaStateParks and #GaLeafWatch for a chance to be featured on GaStateParks.org, Facebook and Instagram. Join park rangers for guided hikes, leisurely paddles, kids crafts and more events highlighting this year’s program theme of “Turn Over a New Leaf.”

It has been 20 years since SAM Shortline’s whistle announced its inaugural excursion. Since then, the tourist train has taken passengers across southwest Georgia, crossing Lake Blackshear and stopping at quaint towns along the way. To celebrate, SAM Shortline is offering three anniversary train rides. On October 22, Presidential Flyer travels from Georgia Veterans State Park to Plains, and then Former President Jimmy Carter’s boyhood farm. On October 26, Leslie Explorer lets you tour Georgia's Rural Telephone Museum. On October 29, depart from Americus to enjoy dinner aboard the train, plus a layover in Plains to watch little ghosts and goblins trick-or-treating. All aboard!

Our hearts go out to those who lost so much during historic Hurricane Ian. The Department of Natural Resources was prepared for the impact in Georgia with search and rescue teams, as well as debris removal equipment. Around 2,000 evacuees and pets from Florida and South Carolina sought refuge in our campgrounds, cottages and horse stables. Our sites had minimal damage, and only two trails at Skidaway Island and Fort McAllister state parks remain closed for cleanup.

North America’s largest blackwater swamp is home to mysterious wildlife, primordial scenery and some of the darkest skies you’ll find. Stephen C. Foster State Park serves as the western entrance to the Okefenokee Swamp, where you can spend days fishing and boating, followed by evenings gazing at the stars. Sign up for a ranger-led boat tour or rent a kayak to look for alligators, herons, turtles, red-cockaded woodpeckers and other wildlife. Campers can sleep under Spanish-moss draped trees, and cottage guests can enjoy morning coffee on their private porch. The park was recently featured on 13WMAZ TV in Macon.

Kolomoki Mounds State Park near Blakely is gearing up for its biggest event of the year. This annual festival will include music, an antique tractor parade, pontoon boat tours, crafts and food vendors. You’ll learn about primitive skills such as flint knapping, hide tanning, archery, pottery and more while visiting one of the most significant Woodland Indian sites in the Southeast.