Enjoy the Autumn Fall Foliage Surroundings All Over the USA
Fall foliage, contrary to what everyone may tell you, is not just a New England thing. For most of the country there are great places to see leaf color change not too far away. While New England has been most famous for its foliage, other parts of the country have equally stunning leaf color with mountain backdrops, rock canyon vistas, lakeside scenes, or sprawling vineyards.
The Southwest
Often forgotten, but equally impressive foliage!
Often overlooked are the southwestern states for foliage, but it's a great time to visit or view the foliage. Northern Arizona, New Mexico and and southern Utah, including the National Parks, will peak in mid-October. This means cooler temps in the desert region, making for easier hiking and the bonus of fall colors added to the already wide spectrum of red and brown canyons.
Try Arches, Zion or Canyonlands National Park in Utah, or the red rocks of Sedona. Northern Utah, western Colorado and western Wyoming will peak in early October/late September. Here you'll find the beautfiul parks of The Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, the Rocky Mountains (and Rocky Mountain National Park), and more, along with Salt Lake City and the grand views of Hells Canyon in Idaho.
Fall Foliage in the Southwest & California
- Arizona Fall Foliage
- Foliage in Arizona is mainly concentrated in the northern area, near Sedona and Flagstaff.
- New Mexico Fall Foliage
- You wouldn't think you'd have much of an opportunity to see fall color in New Mexico, but you do!
- Texas Fall Foliage
- Where to find the best foliage in Texas...it does exist!
- Utah Fall Foliage
- Perhaps the most underrated fall foliage state, Utah boasts incredible leaf color.
- Colorado Fall Foliage
- What better time to visit Colorado than fall? You'll find amazing sites and color in the early fall months.
- Napa Valley Fall Photos
- Let pictures tell you how great Napa Valley is in the autumn months!
- Yosemite National Park Fall Foliage Photos
- Another reason to visit Northern California in the fall is Yosemite National Park.
Pacific Northwest & California
Wine harvests, National Parks and colorful mountain vistas
Washington, Oregon, and the inland areas of northern California, including Napa, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park will peak much later, in mid-late October. Here you'll find a wide variety of colors including the intense purples and reds from Napa and Sonoma harvest, the beautiful contrast of Yosemite National Park's granite rocks and multicolored leaves, and the always fun, intriguing Lake Tahoe. Also, you'll see some color in inland Oregon and Washington.
Recommended Fall Foliage Books
Find the best fall foliage hotspots and photos!
Fall foliage is something that lurks everywhere on the east coast, in pockets and hidden spots. You can find it on a creek, near the ocean, high in the mountains, or in the center of a busy city. These books will give you an idea on where you can find these leaf peeper hot spots all across the United States.
The Midwest
Skip over to the midwest and you'll find more foliage in mid-October in the states of Iowa, southern Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The Appalachian Trail is beautiful and worth the ride, you'll see gorges, orchards, scenic trails, and mountains...this part runs along West Virginia and features several large parks and scenic areas.
National Parks--Which Ones?
National Parks in the USA that are perfect for fall foliage
North Midwest/Great Lakes
The Northern Midwest, the Great Lakes Region, peaks in early October. This includes Wisconsin, northern Minnesota, the northern Michigan peninsula, and northern Michigan. The Great Lakes area has some awe-inspiring water views, lighthouses, rocky cliffs, sand dunes and pine forests.
A visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan or Pictured Rocks National Seashore will greet you with beatuful contrast of the sienna grass against the rocks and light blue autumn skies.
Higher Elevations
often peak before lower ones. If you're headed near any mountains, you'll notice the base is much more green in the early fall than the top.
The South

Northern Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and South Carolina won't peak until early November, just before Thanksgiving! There's still plenty of foliage down south.
Most of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina will peak in late October. However, the Appalachian area will peak a few weaks earlier in early-mid October. The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Smoky Mountains are a favorite area for fall foliage, with the breathtaking mountain views, rolling autumn fog, and countryside appeal. Visit Smoky Mountain National Park for the ultimate experience.
Peak Foliage Times
Peak foliage times vary yearly, and often vary greatly within short distances. A town 20 miles from where you are may be experiencing its peak, while the town you are in may be fully green. Check the foliage finder here.
Foliage Links for the Southern States
- Great Smoky Mountain Fall Foliage
- What, where and when of fall foliage in Smoky Mountain National Park.
- Georgia Foliage
- Foliage in Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests of Georgia.
- South Carolina Color Update
- Best in the upstate region, you can view great color in South Carolina.
- Alabama Fall Foliage
- Even Alabama looks better in the fall!
- Best Places in Virginia to see Fall Foliage
- Virginia has some excellent autumn leaf color to see.
- Southeast States Fall Foliage
- The Foliage Network is a great place to get started and find great fall foliage info.
- Maryland Fall Foliage
- It's updated weekly with leaf changes in the state.
Where Foliage Isn't...
You won't find much foliage in Florida, parts of Texas, most of Southern California, Lousiana, Southern Arizona, Southern New Mexico, and along the coast of the the Carolinas, along with the Badlands stretch of the Dakotas.
who told you that?
It's just not true that foliage can only be seen in the northeastern states of the USA. Great fall color can be seen throughout the country, from Northern California to the Western Carolinas, even into Georgia!

Mount Monadnock, NH in October
The Northeast

Finally, the Northeast will peak in early October for the most part. New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, southern New York (including New York City and Central Park), and southern Massachusetts will peak in late October.
The city will offer great views, like Manhattan's Central Park, or visit Long Island for a fall experience including pumpkin patches, coastal retreats and sandy beaches.
Connecticut will offer beautiful rolling hills along the Connecticut River Valley, and Rhode Island's rocky coast will provide stark difference to the inland foliage.
The Blue Hills of Massachusetts offer grand views of the city of Boston and hillside walks. This area will peak in late October, along with most of the rest of coastal Massachusetts.
The Hudson River Valley of New York and the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts will peak in mid-October. These areas offer unmatched riverside viewpoints, brilliant foliage, rough rock-filled mountains and quaint village towns. Camping, hiking, fishing, and shopping will be abundant. Be sure to bring your camera!

Upstate New York, southern Vermont, southern New Hampshire and most of Maine will exhibit peak foliage color in early October. The Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountain region of New Hampshire are argued as the best in the country in terms of fall leaf color display.
Small towns along the ride in Vermont and New Hampshire will give you the ultimate autumn experience. Try taking a ski-lift up the mountains in middle Vermont, and you'll see babbling brooks, white birch with fire-intensity oranges and yellows agains the tall pines. Maine as well, will offer unparalleled vistas of the coastline paired with the foliage, however it might be omre intense inland. Northern Vermont and New Hampshire will peak earlier, in the last week or so of September.
Northeast Fall Foliage Links
- Fall Foliage in Pennsylvania
- Live cams of Pennsylvania fall foliage (unless it's not fall!).
- New Jersey Fall Foliage
- Things to do, see, and go to in New Jersey during peak foliage time.
- Fall Foliage Driving Tours in New York
- New York has some of the best foliage of any state, and some amazing highways and backroads to see it on.

Foliage on Mt. Killington, Vermont
New England Fall Foliage Links
- 8 Best Places to See Fall Foliage in Connecticut
- It's a small state, but the foliage here is amongst the best.
- Rhode Island Fall Foliage
- Coastal fall foliage can be some of the most interesting autumn has to offer, but may come later in the season, like on RI's coast.
- Massachusetts Fall Foliage Driving Tours
- From the Berkshires to Cape Cod, the landscape varies greatly in Massachusetts, and the peak leaf times also vary just as much.
- New Hampshire Fall Foliage Driving Tours
- Know ahead what's the best to see in this state. Watch out! Crowds are humongous in this small state, so you might want to book way ahead.
- Foliage Vermont
- Perhaps the best foliage anywhere in the country can be found in Vermont. Live foliage updates and more.
- The Best Fall Foliage in Maine
- Go west for the best fall foliage in Maine, not to the coast!
Fall Foliage Books on Amazon
Peak Foliage Times
The Foliage Map!


One of the Best Times of Year for Photography
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Have you seen some great foliage lately?
Where have you been lately that the foliage was outstanding? Share it with the world here!
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Reply
- Light-in-me Light-in-me Nov 11, 2009 @ 8:19 pm
- Wonderful lens, I love fall it is a beautiful time of year! I love the pictures they are beautiful. Lensrolling this to my Everything Autumn lens.
Thanks for sharing,
Robin
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Reply
- EverythingMouse EverythingMouse Oct 23, 2009 @ 5:38 pm
- An excellent lens as always. Blessings to you. I miss seeing fall foilage as really the seasons where I live just don't show that much change.
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Reply
- SnowAngel77 SnowAngel77 Oct 23, 2009 @ 10:03 am
- I've only ever been to South West America. It's beautiful. Just the other day we were driving in Oreland down a oad with tall trees on either side enclosing the road and the colours were magnificent. I love this time of year!
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- Pukeko Pukeko Oct 22, 2009 @ 7:09 am
- In 2002 we spent October traveling from Vermont, then up into Canada from Montreal to Toronto. The colors were spectacular. Love this lens. Squid angel blessed.
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- OhMe OhMe Oct 18, 2009 @ 7:02 pm
- We are heading up the mountain sometime this week, I hope to see the colors at their peak. I do love this lens and just had to drop back by to give you a well deserved Squid Angel Blessing.
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Reply
- Michey Michey Oct 16, 2009 @ 6:35 pm
- I like the Fall colors, and I like that you post foliage map.
It really is a great lens. Squid Angel Blessings for you.
Regards
Michey
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Reply
- Brit303 Brit303 Oct 13, 2009 @ 3:39 pm
- Nice work. Sadly, many super-busy office workers fail to get out and enjoy the beauty just beyond their urban areas. Here in Wisconsin, we're relishing the change in colors--thanks for mentioning our fair state!--as many of us do every year at this time. It's a sight to behold.
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- GrowWear GrowWear Oct 10, 2009 @ 10:20 am
- Wonderful lens about the best foliage spots in the US! Have seen my area, here in the South, many times, and never am not bowled over by how awesome it is, but I sure do hope to one day visit Vermont in the autumn. :) Angel blessings to you.
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Don't risk not having a room reserved for you. Buy a timeshare at a discount and you can save a load of money every year and be guaranteed a place to stay!
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