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10 Scenic Spots for Fall Foliage

Open roadways with colorful trees combined with comfortable temperatures make fall an ideal time for travel. Best of all, nature’s display of changing leaves can turn any road trip into a breathtaking adventure.
Folks trek near and far across North America, Europe, and Asia to find the brightest yellow, orange, and red leaves during autumn. Months and dates for the most awe-inspiring views vary for different regions. For example, in the northeastern U.S. and New England areas, early to mid-October is typically an opportune time to visit orchards and farms for peak color. One of our preferred tools for monitoring America’s foliage is at SmokyMountains.com, which provides NOAA data along with scientific facts for travelers. Browse the 2018 National Map and timeline for Fall Foliage and Peak Leaf Forecast at www.smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map/ to plan your trip. If you are open to suggestions, here are 10 of our favorite American places for fall travel:

1. Jeffersonville, Vermont
2. Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
3. Williamsburg, Virginia
4. Red River Gorge, Kentucky
5. Gatlinburg, Tennessee
6. Asheville , North Carolina
7. Ozarks, Missouri
8. Aspen, Colorado
9. Lake Tahoe (California and Nevada)
10. Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Whether you head to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or the Green Mountains in Vermont, there are countless mountainous regions and other tree-lined places across America to enjoy the bright and beautiful leaves of birch, elm, maple, oak, aspen, and other trees.

We hope these tools and tips help you find spectacular scenery this fall. You might book your trip at a large resort or plan a weekend at a quiet bed and breakfast, but we bet you won’t be spending much time indoors. The fresh, crisp air will call you outside for invigorating bike rides, exploratory hikes, and leisurely strolls through the trails. Many hotels, resorts, and lodges will offer an array of fall-themed excursions, guided leaf-identification tours, and nightly bonfires to bring you close to nature.

Where will you travel this season? Share your autumn travel pictures with us via Twitter or Facebook. Together we eat well, live long, and travel far!