You don’t have to head for the mountains to enjoy a little fall color.

The Port Tobacco River offers a good reason to grab a light jacket, step outside and take your time.

Maybe you’ve walked these trails dozens of times. Maybe you keep meaning to go. Either way, fall is a perfect excuse to spend an hour strolling through the woods and along the shore as the seasonal transformation takes shape.

Fall is a slow build in Southern Maryland.

The western part of the state gets colder earlier, and more colorful sooner. Our shoreline can hold onto summer a little longer. Watch for yellow leaves tucked among the green, then return a week or two later. As leaves fall, you may find a river view opening up through branches that screened it all summer.

The shoreline changes, too.

Along the river’s tidal stretches, rising and falling water covers and reveals the edges of the bank. Pause where marsh grasses meet the water. Notice the reflections, the exposed shoreline or the ripples breaking up an otherwise still cove. There’s plenty happening, even on a quiet afternoon.

And keep an eye out for the neighbors.

A great blue heron might be standing in the shallows, so still you overlook it at first. A bald eagle might catch your attention above the river or perched in a tree.

Fall brings other birds through Southern Maryland, too. Migrating songbirds and shorebirds stop in Maryland, and the Chesapeake Bay region welcomes waterfowl that spend the winter. What you see can change throughout the season. That’s part of the fun of coming back.

Port Tobacco River Park, off Chapel Point Road, is a good place to start.

Its trails and observation platforms offer opportunities to look across the river, marsh and pond, with meadow and wooded habitats adding to the variety. Bring binoculars if you have them. If you don’t, just stop occasionally to look and listen.

Keep to the trails, move quietly and give wildlife plenty of space. Take a photo of the same view on each visit, or make a quick note of what’s different each time.

There’s no need to turn it into a big outing. A short walk, a few unhurried minutes at an overlook and a little curiosity can be enough.

The river is right here. Let’s make some time to enjoy it.