October Glory red maple is one of the most popular red maples in cultivation. It has strong branches that form a pyramidal shape. The leaves of red maple have 3 to 5 lobes, with the lobes near the petiole smaller in size. Red maples flower in late March to early April, with clusters of tiny red flowers. Newly emerging leaves are red, but soon become green. Fall color is reliably a bright red-orange, and after turning color, the display can last for a month or more, until wintry winds whip off the leaves. While red maples are native to rich, damp, acid soils, this cultivar has proven tolerant of poorer soils.

There is a nice specimen of this maple located on the west side of the road north of the Visitors Center.