It’s not too late to check out Seattle’s fall colors. Here’s why the leaves are especially stunning this year

Get outside and look at those fall leaves while you can: They’re particularly spectacular this year, but the season could end quickly.

As the tens of thousands of people new to the area this year may have discovered, despite being known more for our evergreen trees, we do get beautiful fall colors here in the Puget Sound region.

It’s just that usually, by this time of year, we’ve had a big rainy windstorm that’s knocked all the foliage off our deciduous trees and turned it into brown mush on the ground.

But we have a dry weather forecast for this week, and according to AccuWeather, the recent combination of abundant sunlight and cool, frostless nighttime temperatures has made this year a prime one for late leaf watching.

Because we don’t know when the next big wind and rain storm is coming, it might behoove you to crunch a few leaves under your feet soon. (You know you’ll feel better if you do.)

A foray outside almost anywhere ought to yield a chance to see at least a few trees with yellow, orange, red and purple leaves, but here are a few specific ideas to get you started.

• Go to a park. Many, if not most, of the parks in Seattle, King County and throughout the Puget Sound have great places to see fall color. For example, Seattle Times staffers have recently noted arboreal beauty at the Washington Park Arboretum, Green Lake Park, Golden Gardens Park, Woodland Park and Discovery Park. Red Tricycle has a list that includes Kubota Garden in South Seattle, Lincoln Park in West Seattle and some farther afield from the city’s core.
• Sounds Fun Mom, a site about family activities in the South Sound, has compiled a list of places to see fall color, including Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, Wright Park in Tacoma and Tumwater Falls Park.
• Take a walk near your home. You may discover you see your neighborhood in a whole new way.
• Check out these recommendations from Greater Seattle on the Cheap for 13 best nature walks to see Seattle fall color.
• Take a drive. The Seattle Times wrote more than a decade ago about five fall drives that will make you fall in love with Washington all over again — plus, things to see, do and eat along the way — and these routes still make for great leaf viewing. That said, road construction and alerts are in place in some areas, particularly on Highway 101, so check the Washington State Department of Transportation’s website before heading out.