Red maple is certainly showy in the fall. It's one of the more widespread eastern US tree species, found from New England and eastern Canada all the way down to east Texas. It's sometimes called "swamp maple" because it often occurs in wetland areas (and there are a lot of those along the WW&F right of way), but it will grow just as easily on dry uplands in the absence of fire. (We've been very efficient at controlling wildfire in eastern forests in the last 100 years, so many foresters are starting to complain that red maple is taking over! )
-Philip Marshall