#fall-foliage

#fall-foliage

A new study by the travel experiences booking platform analyzed five years of visitor data and Google reviews to find which U.S. national parks are most popular during the fall. The study analyzed National Park Service data from 2020 to 2024, combining visitor numbers, time spent in each park, and online reviews to create a "fall score" out of 100. After crunching all the numbers, Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee took first place, with a score of 96.9 out of 100

You can have a little bit of the country, a little bit of the hills and the changing leaves, so fall is a wonderful time,

I first visited the charming mountain town of Brevard, North Carolina, in the fall of 2019. I was enamored with its boutique shops and delicious restaurants, but the stunning nearby waterfalls and the gorgeous red, yellow, and orange foliage are what really drew me back. Now, visiting has become a fall tradition and I drive there every year from my home in Greenville, South Carolina.

The first big site for hikers is the McAfee Knob, which juts out over the valley (much like Pride Rock in "The Lion King") and is one of the most photographed spots on the Appalachian Trail for its sweeping valley views. The next big stop is the Tinker Cliffs, which overlook the Catawba Valley. The third and final major sight is the Dragon's Tooth, a jutting tooth-like rock formation that's impossible to miss. The best part? You can climb partially up the 35-foot spire.

Nothing says fall in Virginia quite like crisp apples, bold wines, and mountain views painted in fiery colors. For me, having lived in central Virginia for more than 20 years, there are just a few places that capture the spirit of the season so completely, and Amherst is at the top of the list. This small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains shines brightest in October, when festivals dot the calendar and the landscape turns a golden hue.

A patchwork quilt of rustic reds, fiery oranges, and bright golds stretch endlessly into the horizon. From my perch atop Castle Rock, the lake sparkles, dotted with a smattering of foliage-cloaked islands. The autumn air is crisp and refreshing in one of my favorite places to explore this time of year; Blue Mountain Lake in the Adirondack Mountains. The tiny hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake might be small, but it delivers big on beauty.

West Coasters don't need to board a cross-country flight to enjoy a picture-perfect autumnal weekend. All they have to do is venture to Julian, California, otherwise known as the "Apple Capital of Southern California. This small mountain town, population 1,491, is a year-round destination, but it's particularly magical in late September, October, and early November. As fall arrives, visitors come to Julian-which sits in the Cuyamaca Mountains, about 60 miles outside of downtown San Diego-with a few fall activities on their to-do list.

Continuing along Oregon 242, the scenery changes as dark lava fields stretch across the hillsides, revealing the volcanic history that shaped this part of the state. A popular stop here is the Dee Wright Observatory, built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps from the surrounding lava rock. On a clear day, the observatory offers views of countless Cascade peaks, including the Three Sisters, Mount Washington, and Mount Jefferson.

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad takes passengers on scenic, round-trip journeys through North Carolina. You can opt for just a train ride, or choose a package that pairs a train ride with white-water rafting or ziplining. However, if you are planning to visit around leaf peeping season, be sure to book far in advance-tickets go fast. One of the most popular options on the railroad is the

Hop in your car or on a train, and you can find peak autumn energy a short distance from the city-with gorgeous scenery throughout the Hudson Valley, the Catskills, the Berkshires, the Adirondacks, and even into the quieter corners of Pennsylvania and New England. The properties you see below are so much more than just a place to rest your head.

Nestled at the base of the soaring Sierra Nevada mountains, the small town of Bishop, California, has autumn views that rival leaf-peeping destinations the world over. This rugged little mountain town is located in Owens Valley on Highway 395, near landmark destinations such as Death Valley National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Mount Whitney (the tallest point in the contiguous United States).

30 minutes west of Lebanon, New Hampshire, is the cute-as-a-button town of Woodstock, Vermont. As the fall season ramps up, there's nothing more fulfilling to me than visiting a place where the air is filled with the smell of mulled apples, maple syrup, and the crisp cool of autumn. I've been heading north from New York City and Boston to Vermont since I was a kid. Now, I have a family of my own, and the Green Mountain State has become our little escape.

It is the world's first mountain-climbing railroad, and it was invented by New Hampshire native Sylvester Marsh, who thought there should be an easier way than hiking for people to visit the summit. The thought came to him during a hike up Mount Washington in 1857, when bad weather closed in on him and a friend, and the pair barely made it to the two hotels-the Summit House and Tip Top House -on top of the 6,288-foot peak.

The Old Farmer's Almanac has released its 2025 fall outlook, and for Lancaster, PA, the forecast calls for a cooler and drier-than-normal season. While the western half of the U.S. basks in lingering warmth, the Northeast and Appalachians-including Pennsylvania-are bracing for a brisk autumn. But while the state is seeing a cool down, several suburbs like Lancaster are having a red hot moment after being named among the top ZIP codes in the country this year.

The Old Farmer's Almanac has released its 2025 fall forecast, and for Cuyahoga Falls, OH, cooler-than-usual days are ahead. While much of the western U.S. will feel warmer-than-normal, the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Ohio Valley regions-including northeast Ohio-are in for a brisker, drier autumn. While a cool down is headed for the area, the suburb is still enjoying being dubbed a hot market after landing one the Realtor.com® 2025 Hottest ZIP Codes list.

As temperatures drop across the U.S. and Canada, the trees become an autumnal mix of red, yellow, and orange hues. Sure, you could appreciate the scenery from a car window, but to fully immerse yourself in the riot of color, lace up those hiking boots and hit one of the best fall trails from Upstate New York to British Columbia.

The fall colors in Minnesota don't get the attention of the foliage in Vermont or Maine, but while every other leaf peeper heads east this autumn, our tip is to head north, where you can experience two distinct peak foliage seasons. Along Minnesota's North Shore, which runs along Lake Superior between Duluth, Minnesota, and the Canadian border, there are two distinct fall foliage seasons: the colorful maple trees in the mountains, followed by the aspen and birch trees that run along the shore.

Larch trees, a type of deciduous conifer, are typically found east of the Cascade Crest throughout Washington's Cascade Mountains, as well as the broader Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies. Unlike other conifers, though, larches lose their needle-like leaves each fall. But first, they turn gold, blanketing the mountainsides of their high-altitude homes in a gilded hue. The spectacular vistas and short viewing window create the same foliage-spotting frenzy as the rest of the U.S., drawing huge crowds for Larch Madness season.

Few experiences compare to riding a vintage steam train that winds through the heart of the Rockies in the fall. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, North America's longest and highest steam railroad, takes passengers deep into landscapes that few people ever get the chance to see. Designated a National Historic Landmark, this remarkable route spans more than 64 miles of unspoiled wilderness, traversing the majestic scenery of Colorado and New Mexico.

Take full advantage of autumn's cooler temperatures and beautiful foliage by planning a fall road trip through the most scenic regions of the United States. Naturally, the prettiest state to visit depends on your road trip goals-cruise the Northeast to see the colorful changing leaves on a journey through mountain landscapes, or head south to the Gulf Coast, where you'll find foliage with a side of warmer weather and ocean views.

And as it does, the leaves begin their own slow evolution-putting on one final display of color before winter arrives. This unhurried transformation is well suited to Michigan's Mackinac Island, where life always moves a bit slower. Instead of cars, there are horse-drawn carriages, and the debate on who makes the best homemade fudge is ongoing. The island moves to its own beat-one that is noticeably slower than life on the mainland.

There will be drastic differences in fall foliage across this country this year,

The first report lands September 10 and will drop every Wednesday through November, courtesy of more than 90 volunteer "leaf peepers" stationed across New York's 11 vacation regions. Their job is to obsessively monitor tree lines and send in dispatches on everything from the percentage of color change to the best viewing spots for the upcoming weekend. In other words, you'll know exactly when it's worth leaving your couch for a road trip.

Two excellent interactive map tools can help reveal when the leaves are likely to change in your area. However, it should be noted that no tool is entirely accurate when predicting fall colors, and several factors, including local temperatures and rainfall, can affect when the leaves will change. Still, as September progresses into October and October into November, the leaves will continue to change through their cascade of seasonal colors, progressing from north to south.

Garner State Park, located in Concan, Texas, about three hours southwest of the Live Music Capital of the World. It's a popular destination for tubers who like to float the Frio River, but come fall, the park dazzles as trees turn from green to golden, orange, and red. Founded in 1941, Garner State Park is one of many parks built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a program created by President Franklin Roosevelt to combat the unemployment crisis of the Great Depression.

there should still be plenty of time to enjoy outdoor activities without the need to bundle up. That's because meteorologists are now predicting that the Boston area will see an autumn that is warmer than average. Forecasters with the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center recently released a temperature outlook for September, October, and November. It shows that most of New England has a high chance of experiencing temperatures that are warmer than what is normally seen during the fall months.