Leaf-peeping
10So, for the last few years, my wife and I have been exploring the Northeast at this time of year for fall color. We live in Central Alabama where it’s predominantly pines, so color change is minimal.
We did the Poconos a few years back, Berkshires last year, and this year we’re in the Green mountains in Vermont.
We are staying near Smugglers Notch for a week, then headed to the area east of Montreal for several days. Even though it’s been cloudy since we’ve arrived, the color is still pretty spectacular. Plus, this area has multiple waterfalls and a ton of covered bridges.
So, my question for you, the meh community, is this:
Is the autumn color in the area you live in spectacular enough that we need to plan a trip there in one of the upcoming falls?
If that’s the case, what time of year is your peak color? What other outdoor hiking/driving/visiting activities would you recommend.
Thanks for your input.
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I got to go to a pretty little cabin in upstate VT over the weekend. Here was my view from the front porch:
So northern VT is right now. Upstate NY isn’t there yet.
@Thumperchick
Nice. What lake? We’ve been exploring the area around Smugglers Notch down to Stowe. Went looking for moose at dusk on Belvidere pond yesterday
Jeffersonville area today, then headed to Montpelier/Barre tomorrow and Friday probably go to Shelburne since it’s supposed to be raining.
@Thumperchick
Yep, area around us has really good color at the moment. I was afraid we might be a little bit early because it’s been so warm. Evidently west of here is a couple of weeks behind. That being said, the local color is very nice even on cloudy days…
Lots of trees here in NW Oregon. Unfortunately (for leaf-peeping) most are either evergreens (that don’t change) or maples and alders (which turn dirty yellow, then brown). So - not so spectacular.
@macromeh
For us in Central Alabama the best color we got was from the (trash) “popcorn” trees (Chinese tallow) in our yard which are invasive and a PITA but very pretty (scarlet to bright yellow) none the less. We cut a big one (that was just outside our back bedroom window) down when we put the pool in. Used to love having the windows open in the fall and hearing the birds in it in the morning eating the popcorns. We still have some that pop up every now and then around the acre we own.
Like you, most of our deciduous trees go from green to brown to bare.
@chienfou We have several specimen trees in the yard that do turn nice colors in the fall, but the many wild maples surrounding us are kind of ho-hum. (And a PITA to rake up after.
)
@chienfou @macromeh I’m sometimes NW Oregon or SW Washington. Some years are not bad, but yes a mix of green and yellow/red if you are lucky. But a sudden change in weather may make all the “pretty” stuff fall of quickly or just get soggy.
Just got to North Carolina where it is known for that tourist attraction just about starting now. Many mountain communities are limiting traffic and adding strict no parking or stopping (for photos) rules.
Mrs. & I went on a tour of NY last year. From Buffalo to the Finger Lakes, & from Schenectady up to Plattsburgh in the northeast side. We did this all over 11 days, so it was a little rushed. Unfortunately, it was a bad year for the colors they are known for, but the areas we experienced were still pretty special, to the point that we absolutely would return!
As far as colors around our area (Fargo, ND), not really so much…but we aren’t far from it…We make several leaf peeping journeys every year into the state parks of Minnesota (several close enough to be easy day/weekend trips) & Wisconsin & would highly recommend anything about & around Lake Superior/Arrowhead & northern Wisconsin. Great views & Great hikes to be had.
We just got back from a trip to The Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. We chose this time specifically to beat the crowds that head that way for peak leaf viewing season which is around mid to late October. It’s been awhile since we visited (~3 hr. drive for us) and we enjoyed our trip so much that we plan to return to stay at one of the two hotels that are on the 8,000 acre property. There is a show projected against the home at night (Luminere?) that we would like to view but it runs March-October 18th. Hubbie wants to select one of the guided tours next time that allow entry to the boiler room. I am giddy with anticipation. The aspect that I enjoyed the most was getting to see Christmas decor being placed around the home. I did not expect to see whole trees already decorated in some rooms so that was a nice surprise. Yes, it is too early for all that but there are long lines to get in around the holidays. We had very little wait time to get inside on this trip.
@SilentMedina We were going to go to Asheville two years ago, but right when our trip was scheduled, there was that crazy storm (hurricane remnant) which washed out the town (Chimney Rock) including the hotel we were going to stay. Mrs. H. really wants to see the Biltmore, but we thought we should probably let the town get their collective feet underneath them for a few years before we commit to a trip again.
@SilentMedina @tohar1 i think I responded to your sent message about doubts for the trip. I think I said don’t worry, it should be fine. I wasn’t there yet, and when I got here, realized a lot of stuff was massively devastated. Now just got here a few days ago. 2 years later some districts are still rebuilding or some restaurants gave up and relocated. There was no power or water for 10 days. My friends figured out they could fill up buckets of water from a creek to fill their toilet tanks, and there was emergency bottled water available, plus free cell phone towers and internet available. I had no idea it was that bad. I lost all my frozen food, and a basement flood did $2000 damage to my heating system. I wasn’t here to run a pump.
Anyway by now Biltmore should be fine it is on a hilltop but surrounding walks and trails might still be closed. It’s a big beautiful estate and gardens though. Admission is pretty high but worth it. Starting Dec 26th there will be an exhibit of original recovered artifacts from the Titanic.
@pmarin @tohar1 Sorry you had to deal with all that along with the expense. We did not have a lot of extra time to explore surrounding trails but do plan to return. Thank you for the information. We hope to check out the exhibit in December when we have more time. We just happened to stay overnight in Hendersonville, NC this trip because we came from the SC coast which is not our usual route.
@pmarin @SilentMedina Fortunately, we had trip insurance. We were able to get credit for almost everything we had purchased ahead of time (Flight/motel/car, etc.) so we really weren’t “out” too much. We ended up using the credit on our trip across NY last year (which was fantastic). Again, I’m sure we’ll get there sometime…just thought it wise to let the healing process continue for the folks trying to get back to normal in the Asheville region.
@pmarin @SilentMedina @tohar1
My thoughts (FWIW):
While the idea of waiting for them to have a chance to rebuild is a good one, there’s also a lot to be said for helping to support the stores, restaurants and lodgings that survived or have re-opened already. I believe the key in these situations is to temper your expectations, be open and friendly, and be supportive (fiscally and physically) of the community. Take time to listen to the tales, admire the character and resilience of the residents, and be grateful that it wasn’t worse.
There is so much more to tourism than seeing pretty sights. Be a good human.
@chienfou @pmarin @SilentMedina Always a good idea to support those that went through any wrath of Mother Nature situation. I have made donations both to an animal shelter in Asheville & directly to some friends of mine’s daughter’s family who lost their business in entirety to the flooding which literally washed away the brewery they ran in Asheville!
@tohar1
Yes…THIS!
I just looked up the info for leaf changing times by elevation in the NC mountains because we also went to the swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain. Early October is listed as a start for that elevation whereas Boone and Blowing Rock are mid to late October. Lower valleys go into early November. Our oldest went to ASU in Boone. We do our best to avoid Boone during home games but Blowing Rock can be a cute town to explore. A drive along “Blue Ridge Parkway” is usually lovely in October but all of the little towns have only increased in popularity over the years. We do our best to avoid crowds these days but we also want to do our part to aid in their recovery since many of their businesses are dependent on tourism. The flooding the NC mountains experienced will take time to fully recover from but it has come a long way.
@SilentMedina yes agree, we need tourism back! Downtown and Biltmore area are mostly OK and on high ground, But a lot of tourists still stay away; they are trying to boost tourism because as you say it is/was a major draw for the area. River Arts district and other local towns still rebuilding.
If you come in from the West, Knoxville side on I-40, it is now open but only 1 lane each way and may have delays. 12 miles of parts of the highway were washed away. I just drove through there. At the visitor center you can learn more, but it will be a $2.8 Billion project, 400 people working on it, to be completed in 2029!
@pmarin @SilentMedina
Thanks for the update. As I told lots of people prertaining to hurricanes, you can build for wind but it’s much harder to build for water.
Ok Tx ain’t NE.
there are a couple of state parks pretty famous for almost new England level autumn color.
Both kinda close together west of San Antonio, not too far. Kinda just south of Kerrville (the town where the Guadalupe River flooded so badly on July 4 2025 and all those girls were lost)
In spite of the horrible tragedy, this is a gorgeous area. There’s a reason the best summer camps are all in that area.
The first I’ll mention is Garner State Park. named for John Nance, Garner, who was one of FDR‘s vice president
His most famous quotes are:
@f00l
Some folks claim the final word of that quoted accurately is “piss” Not “spit”
And then FDR replaced him with Harry Truman, so he never got a shot at something big again
He was supposedly pissed off about it all his life
As a politician from that era, he was probably reasonably humane and decent and was supposed to be quite talented so if you’ve ever gotten a shot at the presidency, he probably would’ve had some successes
@f00l
Anyway, here’s some fall foliage at Garner State Park
@f00l
Here’s some fall foliage at the nearby park, which is Lost Maples State natural area
@f00l
Or maybe I accidentally swapped out the photos from the two parks. I’m not sure they look quite similar.
The fall foliage in that area is reputedly gorgeous and it’s a beautiful area to drive around. It’s hill country in the spring you get bluebonnets and there’s lots of limestone springs and lakes and what have you
I believe there are quite a few caves in the area. I don’t know how many of them are accessible though.
Timing can be a bit tricky because this is pretty far south like a bitfurther south than Houston perhaps
I I believe I 10 goes a bit south heading from Houston to San Antonio and then out of San Antonio to the west goes sharply to the northwest
And these parks are west and a tiny bit north of Central San Antonio
Which means that the weather stays warm for a long time in the autumn
And can be unpredictable some years it’s almost summer there in December in January
Other years, the freeze has come early and the cold nights come early and bring the fall collar out early
I’ve heard this is well worth doing, but if you want to do it, you’re going to have to research the weather prognostication for the year in you want to go which you want to go
These are also state parks with camping and all that and there’s a reservation system, which might fill up
But there’s going to be a lot of hotel hotels nearby
For day injury, I don’t think you’ll have a problem
There’s a small fee it shouldn’t be anything to care about
OK, I once lived in Manhattan and that’s a whole different world
I never went to Vermont during the fall because I heard too much about the traffic going 10 miles an hour even when you would like to go faster there’s no way out of it or there wasn’t then
Recently, I’ve heard that in Vermont a whole lot of influencers would think were the best spots are very private property and people have made big efforts to privatize the roads so that tourists can’t go down them and sometimes they put billboards in front of pretty picture spots on purpose because the influencers were just double parking in the street in a city area in order to get their pictures and so the city had to stop it at that spot
On the other hand, I’ve done New Hampshire that time of year and it’s spectacular and I’ve done Maine and it’s spectacular and pretty damn empty and you can just feel free there or at least you could when I was there
Also, the upstate New York area is spectacular the Adirondacks, the Catskill and then to the west the lake areas
There are some amazing waterfalls with fall color close to Ithaca
One of the waterfalls, which is gorgeous is I think the tallest waterfall east of the Mississippi or something like that?
My brother tells me that parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania and West Virginia Virginia are spectacular, but I don’t know precisely where
I’m guessing that in a lot of rural place is not too far from the Great Lakes it’s just gorgeous
I also think Missouri has some really gorgeous spots
Also, if you go to Missouri, the fictional cave where Tom Sawyer and Becky got lost and then finally found their way out is actually a real cave. It’s on private property, but it’s operated very much like a state park and it used to be that for a very modest fee, you could tour the cave, which was really interesting and is a long kind of goes on and on. They just show you a tiny bit of it on the tour in the same way that they just show you a tiny bit of mammoth cave or Carlsbad if you take the tour.
But even that part you see is just really interesting
So Missouri, and that hold cliff area on the west side of the Mississippi can be really interesting
Also, I’ve seen the quaking Aspen with my own eyes decades ago and it’s worth it
I don’t know where the best spot to go are though
But gosh, does this sound like a pleasant obsession for the two of you to have?
In return for all our help and ideas I hope you post pictures every year wherever you wind up
And then on top of all this, of course there’s Canada
Go far enough north and you might catch some northern lights as well as foliage
I don’t know it’s a big continent and I hope you have a blast wandering around in October or November or whenever
By the way, I’m guessing that those Texas parks I mentioned are probably at their best in November but research that are called the parks and talk to a Ranger
@f00l
Thanks for the input.
Traffic in Vermont this season has not been bad. The only slow downs we’ve had to deal with so far are going through the town of Stowe… but they only last a few minutes. Everything else has been pretty well uncrowded.
As a tourist, I try to be conscious of vehicles behind me and will pull over so they can pass me, if I feel like I’m holding up traffic. There are lots of areas around here with windy roads and 50 mph speed limits that suddenly drop to 40 or 35. Locals know these roads and feel comfortable zipping around. I, on the other hand, am not sure what to anticipate so tend to drive a little slower than I would on similar roads at home. Plus, I’m in a rental car which I’m not as familiar with, and the last thing I want is a ticket in a different state.
One thing I have noticed is that prices in Vermont are way worse they are in the area of the Berkshires we were in last year, never mind back home in Alabama.
The wife and I have been in all 50 states. There are none that I would call irredeemably ugly. Each one has had its unique charm and appeal. We’re finding that fall travel has been a lot of fun for us. The combination of beautiful scenery, pleasant hiking weather, and the kids being in school, makes being out and about during the day pretty sweet.
We frequently travel with another couple that we get along well with. Unfortunately they had to bail on this trip last minute when one of their parents passed away suddenly. It’s been different, but also very pleasant, having it be just the two of us (though next week my SIL will be joining us for our Canada stay).
@Chienfou “The Homestead” in Hot Springs, Va. is now run by Omni Hotels and has been doing improvements. They also refurbished the actual hot springs bath places for visitors to enjoy. I have not had a chance to visit those yet. I grew up visiting that area and it’s beautiful in any season imo. We took a ride in one of their horse drawn carriages during a snowfall one year. It is a little pricey to eat all meals in the hotel but the town of Bath is within a short walk. They had a few other smaller options to check out. The Greenbrier is also one enjoyed by many. I used to white water raft and ski in West Va. so I too am trying to figure out exactly where to go there now in a more low key way. I have heard Berkeley mentioned. Sorry to hear about the passing of your travel companion’s parent. The season of illnesses and subsequent passings of two of our parents are partly why we took a break from our wanderings.
To clarify, The Greenbrier is in White Sulphur Springs, West Va. and it has a Cold War underground bunker which was opened for public viewing after it was outed. Hubs wants to schedule a visit so hopefully we will get there soon.
View off of the swinging bridge at Grandfather Mtn. in Linville, NC last Saturday.
View off the veranda of The Biltmore House in Asheville, NC two weeks ago.
My apologies, I did at least attempt to caption the pics. Speaking of trees, this will have to do for now as a big tree just fell on our property. Fortunately no damage. Happy travels.
@SilentMedina
Thanks. Sorry to hear about your “windfall”
(Don’t forget to blame @cbatte)
Just letting you see that NC is not quite there yet leaf wise.
I live in the SoCal desert, so what is this autumn of which you speak?
we do have scrub oak and apple trees not far away but what green we have is mostly evergreen
/showme a realistic depiction of a pine and spruce forest
@Cerridwyn Here’s the image you requested for “a realistic depiction of a pine and spruce forest”
@Cerridwyn @mediocrebot
Interesting “foliage” (often spotted year round from Texas to Cali and points N and S of that) in the desert areas of the great SouthWest of the US.
/giphy rattlesnake strike
For anyone considering NC for leafs, local news says expect to add 1-2 weeks to usual foliage schedules. Very warm September tricked the trees into thinking it was still Summery, will cool down next week which should get the natural process going.
@pmarin
El Niño has pushed a lot of fall color back this season.
@chienfou Rural Maryland can be beautiful in the fall. And if you get close enough you might just get a free meal
And possibly some coffee 
And here is some drone footage of my neighborhood in the fall. Two years ago, I believe
@capnjb
Very cool. Will have to put that on my ‘bucket list’.
Likewise, if you are ever ‘down south’, we need to get our tribes together.
Thursday we headed south past Stowe. Visited a cider press house, Cabot cheese farm store,
and the Ben & Jerry’s factory!
One of the highlights of the site was the old flavor cemetery. The tombstones and epitaths were excellent. Got to admire B&J for their wit.
Next stop was a quick tour of the state capital building in Montpelier.
Then we finished the day at a real graveyard! Barre is an area with a lot of granite mining and production. Consequently there are a ton of stone cutters and memorial makers in the area. At the turn of the century these were primarily Italians (made up 14% of the town population) and they designed and executed elaborate headstones for their family and themselves. Definitely an hour well spent wandering around among the tombstones.
@chienfou
That is cool. Went to Cabot and Ben and Jerry’s on a big motorhome trip in 1996. Missed the cemetery. It’s a beautiful area. Had to get to Burlington Vermont which is also great to visit.
Met up with an IBM guy I had worked with before. We went to dinner and he gave me a bottle of his homebrew beer.
@pmarin
We’re flying in and out of Burlington. I’ll have to come back and spend a few more days in the area to visit the museum at Sherburne and more of the area around lake Champlain.
@chienfou @pmarin
The western side of that lake and far upstate NY and then heading west to Ithaca and Niagara Falls and then possibly onwards to western PA or Ohio (depending on time) could be worth its own trip next year.
/image autumn Ithaca NY waterfall 5
@f00l
We have done a little traveling in that area but would love to do more.
We were in the Poconos a couple of years ago. Might be time to do upstate NY.
Wave if you come thru CT… always pretty here in the fall.
@mikibell
Will do
Friday was a rain day so we hung out at the condo all day. Dod laundry and prepped for our departure Sunday. Saturday we hiked around on the property at the resort. It has a bunch of trails and many of them were beautiful.
@chienfou
gorgeous.
/giphy “oh my!”
@f00l
It’s been amazing! My eyeballs hurt from overuse…
@chienfou
I hope you can both feel yourselves de-stressing with every moment outdoors.
@f00l
It’s been a great trip so far.
Languid mornings spent over coffee then meandering through the countryside. Oohing & ahhing over the scenery on our drives and hikes. Visiting beautiful churches, little local shops and galleries, wonderful food stores. Eating local produce, cider donuts and maple creamees. Listening to local musicians, meeting new people, and seeing outdoor sculptures in the middle of nowhere. So, just generally enjoying life…
NC/VA update. Heard that another section of Blue Ridge Parkway just re-opened in time for Fall tourism season. Repaired damage from landslides from Hurricane Helene. Now apparently open full distance except for one 11mi stretch.
Note that some sections do have seasonal closure in snow/ice season but that won’t be here yet.
Sunday was our travel day to cross the border and get to the west side of lake Memphrêmagog. Where we crossed I was the only car going across either way (tiny crossing station). and only open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. . Glad we hit it before they were closed. That would have sucked.
Stopped by Enosburg VT to visit an outdoor sculpture park. Pretty cool. Also went by another couple of covered bridges and picnicked at Big Falls!
I’ll add some pictures from my phone later since I’m doing this on my tablet.
Bridge was cool. It’s lattice trussed…