CLIFFTOP, W.Va. -- Have the colors peaked?

Should I leave today or wait another week?

Will the leaves make it through another rain?

Each October, the staff at Babcock State Park is flooded with calls from people asking such questions about the foliage situation near the park's oft-photographed Glade Creek Grist Mill.

"On Bridge Day weekend, people are lined up from the parking lot on this side of Glade Creek to a point far down the road that goes behind the mill," said Clinton Cochran, the superintendent at Babcock. "I've seen six tripods and cameras at a time lined up on the road behind the mill, and people shooting from every angle imaginable on this side of the creek, including from the top of a trash can."

While autumn is the peak season for shooting the mill and its scenic surroundings, photographers call at all times of the year to check conditions before grabbing cameras and equipment and making the trip to Fayette County. 

Callers have been known to seek such detailed information as the coloration of individual trees in the vicinity of the mill, and the time of day direct sunlight reaches it.

"The ladies in the office take a lot of calls from people wanting to take pictures, but not wanting to drive here if the conditions aren't right," said Cochran. "We all look out the window and tell them the best we can, but a good windstorm or rain can change everything in a matter of minutes."

For the upcoming fall foliage season, Cochran may have come up with a solution that accommodates the high interest in photographing the mill while easing the difficulty in describing leaf colors and lighting over the phone. A webcam is now in operation, giving minute-by-minute views of the gristmill, Glade Creek, and the surrounding forest.

"I spoke with a photographer the other day who said he used the webcam to figure out what time of day is best for light, so he could plan when to make his trip up here," said Cochran.

The webcam's images of the mill, found by clicking a link at the bottom of the park's website, refresh every 60 seconds.

Viewers get a bird's-eye view of the mill in more ways than one -- the webcam is housed in a birdhouse both to protect and disguise it. Parts of its circular entryway are visible along the edges of the webcam images.

Images of Babcock's gristmill have appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines, as well as on calendars, posters, playing cards, jigsaw puzzles, clock faces and wallpaper.

"One of our cabin guests was a long-haul trucker who had seen a mural of the mill and Glade Creek at a truck stop somewhere in the West or Midwest," and came to view it in person, Cochran said. "If it's not the biggest attraction we have here, it's certainly one of the biggest. It has to be one of the most-photographed scenes in West Virginia."

In addition to satisfying the needs of photographers and nature lovers, the webcam should help trout fishermen view stream conditions before deciding to travel to Babcock to test the waters, Cochran said.

While the Glade Creek Gristmill, fronted by reflecting waters and backed by a hillside of lush foliage, is attractive to many because of its connection to simpler times long ago, it was actually built in 1976 from parts of three vintage mills.

A gristmill once did operate near the site of the current mill back in the 19th century, but it was gone long before the park was created. The current mill is a combination of the Stoney Creek Mill, built in 1890 near Campbelltown in Pocahontas County, the Spring Run Mill near Petersburg in Grant County, and the Roaring Creek mill near Onego in Pendleton County.

The water-powered mill still produces cornmeal, water levels in Glade Creek permitting, and visitors are welcome to watch the milling process.

Cochran said he got the idea for the webcam after a similar device was installed at Pipestem Resort State Park several years ago.