It’s the third week of October, which means it is the peak season to peep autumn leaves in much of the U.S., according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
New England is known as one of the best spots to see changing fall foliage. However, that means the region also attracts a lot of tourists – in some cases a dangerous amount. NBC 10 in Boston, Mass., reported this week on overcrowding at popular leaf-peeping spots in New Hampshire.
“We saw people pushing each other, going off-trail to bypass crowds,” Tamara Breau, someone who recently hiked the state’s Artist Bluff Trail, told the outlet. “A few hikers came down from the summit saying they were terrified by how packed it was.”
Luckily, New England isn’t the only area with beautiful fall foliage. Audacy combed through some lists from Newsweek, The Washington Post and the Farmer’s Almanac covering the top locations to check out leaves this season. This is what we found:
NORTHEAST
Of course, New England still features prominently on many lists.
Newsweek identified Cape Cod, Mass., as one of the best locations in the country to take in the sight of leaves changing color. It noted that leaves here change a bit later than some other places, so sight-seers might have a chance to see them late this month or into November.
The Farmer’s Almanac also recommended The Berkshires in Massachusetts. Other New England locales that landed on the lists were Vermont’s Green Mountain Byway, the Connecticut River Valley in Connecticut, Acadia National Park in Maine and Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Outside of New England but on the East Coast, Newsweek recommended checking out the Shawangunk Mountains in New York state, just a 90 miles drive north of Manhattan. The Adirondack and Catskill Mountains – also in New York – were suggested by the Farmer’s Almanac.
Both The Washington Post and Newsweek recommended Pennsylvania as a top spot for autumn leaf appreciation. In particular, Newsweek recommended Bucks County, which was also named the number one fall foliage destination by Travel & Leisure.
SOUTH
While parts of the South don’t get the same chilly air as other areas on this list, there are still several areas in the region where beautiful fall leaves can be spotted.
In fact, five spots in the South made it on to the Farmer’s Almanac list. They are: the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina, Buckhorn Lake State Park in Kentucky, Vogel State Park and Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia, as well as Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains also got a shout out from Newsweek and The Washington Post. Newsweek noted that tens of thousands of people visit the mountains each year to see the vibrant colors of autumn leaves in the area. According to the Post, peak foliage there is expected from Oct. 28 through Nov. 1.
MIDWEST
There are also a bunch of places in the Midwest that could merit a trip to see colorful leaves.
Hoosier National Forest in Indiana was featured on Newsweek’s list. Per the outlet, it has “204,000 acres of pristine leaf peeping at this time of year,” spanning from halfway between Indianapolis and the Kentucky state border. Leaves there usually start changing in early October and then turn into deeper shades in November.
Indiana isn’t the only Midwestern spot for foliage fans. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, Traverse City, Mich., Pere Marquette State Park in Illinois, Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio and Door County, Wisc., are also choice spots to enjoy fall nature.
WEST
On the West Coast, Oregon seems to be the sweet spot for fall foliage destinations.
Newsweek recommended the McKenzie Pass—Santiam Pass Scenic Byway there. It described the area a as 34-mile stretch of road with “everything you want for a fall road trip” through the state. Meanwhile, The Washington Post recommended the Willamette Valley, where a trip to see leaves could be accompanied by a pinot noir wine tasting.
For those who can’t make it all the way to the coast, the Post also recommended Colorado as a good place to see fall leaves. However, leaves there begin to change early, at the end of September. Black Hills, South Dakota; Jackson, Wyoming; Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, Utah and Taos, New Mexico are other locations in the West recommended by the Farmer’s Almanac.
Time is running out!
Leaves lose their green hue in autumn because there is not as much sunlight as in the spring and summer. Without the sunlight, they are not able to make chlorophyll and they begin to turn yellow, orange and red, The Farmer’s Almanac explained.
“Those vivid leaf colors were actually hidden underneath the green all along,” it said.
According to the almanac, some areas of the West and Midwest are past their prime, fall foliage-wise, by early October. However, many places in the South and East will be full of fall leaves through this month.