If you\u2019re looking for a fall getaway, there are plenty of spots to see fall colors at their peak. Take a road trip, spend a night or two camping or pack a picnic and enjoy the color display in these 15 spots in America, identified by Fodors Travel Guide as the best locations for leaf peeping.<\/p>\n
The Catskills, New York<\/strong><\/p>\n The Catskills offers vibrant fall colors in thick, wooded hillsides and along the six major river systems in the region. Visit the last two weeks of September through mid-October to get the most of the fall colors.<\/p>\n Aspen, Colorado<\/strong><\/p>\n Not just for skiing, Aspen offers picture-perfect fall colors mixed in with its spectacular mountain peaks. Color season peaks around the end of September through the first of October.<\/p>\n Green Mountain Byway, Vermont<\/strong><\/p>\n Take a drive in Vermont this fall and you\u2019ll be treated to a colorful fall display in state forests and state parks. Stop in at Stowe and take a ski area gondola to get a bird\u2019s-eye view of the jaw-dropping colors. Want to bring the dog along?<\/p>\n The Berkshires, Massachusetts<\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019ll experience world-class fall colors in The Berkshires. This area of Massachusetts offers winding roads for leaf viewing, along with art galleries, antique shops and spas for when you need a break from nature. Colors generally peak around Columbus Day.<\/p>\n Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee<\/strong><\/p>\n The Great Smoky Mountains offers impressive fall colors with plenty of orange, crimson and gold tones. Hit the trails for a hike in October and even into early November for some impressive color displays or enjoy the park\u2019s scenic roads by car.<\/p>\n Columbia River Gorge, Oregon<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re in the Pacific Northwest, check out Oregon\u2019s Columbia River Gorge for breathtaking fall colors. Hike a variety of trails or even kayak down the river to take in the leaves mid-September through mid-October.<\/p>\n Glacier National Park, Montana<\/strong><\/p>\n If you visit Glacier National Park in late September, you\u2019ll find most of the tourists have left since the park\u2019s concessions have closed for the season. This is a great time to enjoy the park and see its spectacular fall color display.<\/p>\n Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, New Mexico<\/strong><\/p>\n From late September into early October, you\u2019ll be dazzled with the fall colors in this 83-mile loop that begins and ends in Taos, New Mexico. Take a picnic and make a day of it, enjoying the breathtaking mountain vistas.<\/p>\n Upper Peninsula, Michigan<\/strong><\/p>\n Enjoy a camping trip in Michigan\u2019s Upper Peninsula from mid-September to mid-October and you\u2019ll enjoy a bounty of fall colors. Make one of the Upper Peninsula\u2019s 20-plus forested state parks your home base and venture out on a few day trips to make the most of the fall color display.<\/p>\n Denali National Park, Alaska<\/strong><\/p>\n Head to Alaska\u2019s Denali National Park in September for breathtaking yellow birch trees. When you\u2019re there, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll see some of the park\u2019s 200-plus species of wildlife.<\/p>\n Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri<\/strong><\/p>\n This getaway in central Missouri offers an array of fall colors to enjoy while hiking, biking or even riding horses. The best time to visit for optimal leaf viewing is the last couple weeks of October.<\/p>\n Litchfield, Connecticut<\/strong><\/p>\n Visit the rolling foothills around Litchfield Connecticut from mid-October through early November and you\u2019ll be treated to spectacular fall colors. While there, visit the village of New Preston, which is perched above a waterfall on the Aspetuck River.<\/p>\n Rhode Island<\/strong><\/p>\n This tiny state packs a big punch when it comes to viewing fall colors. Take a drive along winding roads around Providence to admire small towns, rolling meadows and apple orchards. The best time to visit is the end of October.<\/p>\n Mendocino, California<\/strong><\/p>\n When it comes to viewing fall colors in Northern California, Mendocino offers vibrant color early October through Thanksgiving. From lighthouses to area small towns, you may think you\u2019re in New England! A cross-country trip will expose you to these houses that will make you think an extraterrestrial lives there.<\/p>\n New Hampshire<\/strong><\/p>\n Take a drive through the small towns and villages of New Hampshire in early October and you\u2019ll be wowed by the fall colors. There are plenty of fun fall color tour drives around the state, complete with covered bridges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019re looking for a fall getaway, there are plenty of spots to see fall colors at their peak. Take a road trip, spend a night or two camping or pack a picnic and enjoy the color display in these 15 spots in America, identified…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":389,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,23,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nature","category-photography","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advicecave.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advicecave.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advicecave.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advicecave.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advicecave.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=388"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.advicecave.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":390,"href":"https:\/\/www.advicecave.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388\/revisions\/390"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advicecave.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.advicecave.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advicecave.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.advicecave.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}