The Most Glorious Fall Foliage in the U.S. Isn't in New England

Leaf peeping knows no borders.

Is it just us , or does it seem like we ’re all desperately trying to leap out into fall this year ? Maybe it was the record hotness this summer . Maybe we ’re all just jonesing for pumpkin spiciness , but are too lofty to drink it in August . Or maybe we ca n’t wait to travel somewhere a small chillier and check out all the bursts of color among the tree diagram .

For years , New Englandwas the spot where all the leaf - peepers went , but we ’ve happen upon that other section of the state do changing leaves just as well . The American West , for instance , has a lot of spots teeming with fall colors . So does Alaska . And even Texas . So consult your favoritefall - color mapand plan your road trips now . Here are the best situation in America outside the northeast to insure out fall leafage .

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

descent colors are great . Fall temperatures ? Not always so much . That ’s why if you opt the climate - assure ease of your SUV , there ’s no better position in America for leaves than Shenandoah National Park . It ’s home to the famous105 - mile Skyline Drive , where you ’ll be enshrouded by a canopy of red , orange , scandalmongering , and light-green . get for the park ’s easterly mete and you ’ll find another famous drive : Blue Ridge Parkway , which climb thousands of metrical foot in lift from its offset in fundamental Virginia to its end in Cherokee National Forest . Typically , leaves in higher elevation will turn color first — toward mid - September — and the lower superlative will transition as the season wears on .

Traverse City, Michigan

The glittering waters of Grand Traverse Bay make for a sensational contrast with the colorful hills surround Traverse City . Asimple afternoon cruisefeels like a body of work of midwestern art , but if you want a full immersion in fall foliation you may tuck intoSleeping Bear Dunes National Seashoreand rise through it all . The Cherry Capital of the World switches its focus to Malus pumila in the fall , where you may hit the You Pick atRennie OrchardsorJacob ’s Farm , also home to a 10 - acre , GPS - equip hay maze . Apple Cider is an fall must , and the boozy kind is readily available at local cideries likeTownline CiderworksandSouls Squeeze Cellars . Or you could just roll through the colorful vineyards on the Leelanau Peninsula and go wine-coloured try out among the changing leave .

Aspen, Colorado

It ’s a given that fall foliage will be spectacular here , considering the city ’s namesake shimmery gold trees , but that does n’t signify you ’ll be at all inclined when you actually see it . It ’s worth a trip to this recourse townspeople 160 gorgeous miles sou'-west of Denver just to fleck bright yellow and orangeness counterpoint against regal , snow - capped mountains . Visit the nearbyMaroon Bells , an iconic vista and the most - snap mountain range in North America , then try andsnag a permitto hike to Conundrum Hot Springs to enjoy the colors from the warmth of a thermal bath . For something a little more fighting , enjoy a amber - flecked bike drive up theRio Grande Trail .

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

America ’s most visited national parkrelies on more than just the Old West photos in Gatlinburg . Summer hiking and wintertime skiing are n’t even the best ground to go ; the best clip to see here is the gloam — especially mid - October through early November — when the Great Smoky Mountains burst forth into a ocean of orange , yellow , and scarlet . One of the best way to scope that splendor is tohike to Looking Glass Falls . Plan out your sojourn with the Smokies’Fall Foliage Prediction Map .

Julian, California

The former gold - mining town sit in the backcountry of San Diego County , about an hour ’s drive from the metropolis and just north ofCuyamaca Rancho State Park . you’re able to boost the perimeter ofLake Cuyamaca , head uphill on theVolcan MountainandGarnet Peak Trails , or challenge yourself to make it toThree Sisters Fallsfor a coup d’oeil of SoCal ’s best leaves . But Julian ’s claim to renown is on the nose what get to it truly shine as an unexpected fall gem : apples . While You - picks are closed this year because of the drouth , do n’t leave without passing byJulian Pie Companyfor apple pie with an unexpected twist of cherry red , peach , or pieplant . ( Just be sure to check over for wildfires , which can flare up around this clock time of yr . )

Door County, Wisconsin

Door County has more than earned its report as “ the Cape Cod of the Midwest , ” with all the beacon , languid beach , and folio - peeping you ’d get from a Northeastern escape implant steadfastly on the shores of Lake Michigan . Headquarter yourself in Fish Creek or Ephraim and sip cherry wine atDoor Peninsula & Distillerybefore embarking on your foliage tour . From there , hike and kayak your path throughPeninsula State Park . Hit up the spectacle that isNewport National Park(during the twenty-four hour period , it ’s an autumnal Eden ; at night , the existence above make it copiously clean why this wasWisconsin ’s first point Dark Sky Park ) . And do n’t pull up stakes without photographing the scenicCana Island Lighthouseamongst the foliage .

Denali National Park, Alaska

Alaskamight seem a little far to go for twilight foliage in the continental US , but by September , the throngs of seniors on go buses are gone and you’re able to bask the brilliant downfall colors of America ’s North by yourself . A drive through the parking area not only showcases the bright chromaticity ready againstDenali — the highest point in North America — it also gives visitors a chance to see moose , bears , and elks in their natural environment ( which is even more beautiful than usual thanks to the farewell changing ) . surrender comes quicker in these piece , so plan your leaf pilgrim’s journey no later than other October .

North Shore, Minnesota

One of the most arresting stretches of route in America , Minnesota ’s North Shore is a pipe dream throughout all seasons — from theshores of Lake Superior and the town of Duluthall the way to the base of Minnesota ’s tallest waterfall . Here , the colors shift into a rainbow that meditate off the choppy piddle of Superior and sway collectively in seas of trees along 150 twist — often soaring — miles of adventure . Be certain to discontinue often — the route is packed with gloam photograph - ops from the small waterfalls atGooseberry Falls State Parkto the historicSplit Rock Lighthouse . The beer scene here is one of America ’s overlooked , so at the end of your ride reward yourself with some suds among the gloaming color atVoyageur Brewingin Grand Marais .

Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho

If you need even more validation that the West can go head - to - head with the Northeast during decline ( or any time of year ) , look no further thanSawtooth National Forestin central Idaho . During summertime , it ’s home toone of the most underrated beaches in the US , Orval Hansen on Redfish Lake , and during fall , the already - thin crowds thin out even more as sunburst chromaticity take over the trees that delineate the shoring and stretch on for more than 2 million acres . TheSawtooth Scenic Bywayhas all the maple , aspens , black larch , and birches you need . And if you ’re looking to stretch your legs a bit subsequently , boost theFishhook Creek Trail , a relatively easy junket , or theSawtooth LakeorBench LakesTrails , hard treks with highly rewarding payoffs .

The Ozarks

The Ozarks , to those who only know them as the office where Michael Bluth break fantastically regretful , is a mountain region that covers swath of Missouri , Arkansas , and Oklahoma with a surrealistically thick cover of Tree dotted with serene lake . And derive fall , those otherworldly vibes get even more surreal when vivacious colors start popping off . For a groovy hits import , cruise up the unbelievably scenicTalimena , a 54 - mile stretch of road that superintend to be the most scenic driveway in two states .

Chuckanut Drive, Washington

place just north of Seattle , in a state utterly bursting with enough colors to make you rethink the notion of “ evergreen , ” the wildly twisting roadstead of State Route 11 bundle the beaut in tightly . Each twist reveals new ways to cast the vivid orange and yellows that pop against the dense pines . Head intoLarrabee State Parkfor spectacular persuasion , and do n’t skim a Hell stop atTaylor Shellfish Farmsfor unused crab before resuming your drive past tilth , H2O , and mountains through what feels like a kaleidoscopical burrow of trees .

Brasstown Bald, Georgia

turn up about two and a half hours from Atlanta , Brasstown Bald is the gamy item in the craggy northeastern part of Georgia — and also its most beautiful panorama . perch atop the viewing deck , you may take in the sort of panoramic leaf - peeping only afford by being about 5,000 feet above ocean story . You ’ll get sight of changing color in Georgia , both Carolinas , and Tennessee from up high up , and if you really want to feel like you ’ve get this gorgeous landscape painting all to yourself , take a little expedition through nearbyAnna Ruby Fallsfor some crisp crepuscle air with a touch of mist .