Tracking Fall Foliage: 2024

Bright fall foliage in Vermont mountains. Dreamstime/TNS

It’s time to start or firm up your fall foliage plans. Although New England has long claimed championship of the fall foliage game, you can actually find good fall foliage viewing throughout much of the United States and Canada. Peak viewing dates move gradually from North to South between mid-September and mid-November. And you can view foliage displays in your car, on a bus tour, or through a train window. And if you don’t figure on an extended trip, you can often locate something close enough for a quick weekend or day trip from your hometown.

Where to Go

If you haven’t decided on a destination yet, start by checking TripSavvy’s annual guide to top spots in the United States for fall foliage posting. It covers the entire United States, from Alaska to Wyoming, with links to local sources throughout the country. For a bunch of other ideas, a quick Google of “fall foliage” will give you as much information as you might need.

When to Go

Several sources post fall foliage calendars or maps to help you decide when to hit each area, but some of the coverage for 2024 won’t be online for several more weeks. Start with The Foliage Network, with separate regional reports for the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast.

The National Park Service touts foliage opportunities at dozens of parks. Log onto NPS.gov/search/?affiliate=nps&page=2&query=fall+colors for details and links to each park, including the best times to visit.

The online weather channels typically post fall foliage calendars. Take care to avoid football weekends at any big-time college towns. I once made the mistake of booking a Great Smoky Park foliage night in Knoxville on the day of a big game at the University of Tennessee.

How to Travel

Most people think of fall foliage as a road trip. Fall foliage websites typically include driving directions, many with links to local visitor activities, tours, and accommodations. Lock in your accommodations as early as you can.

Amtrak offers good train-window foliage vistas on several routes. The most popular is the New York-Montreal Adirondack day train, which passes through good leaf scenery. Other Amtrak options passing through good foliage areas during daylight hours include the daily daytime Vermonter between St Alban’s, Vermont, and New York, and the daily Ethan Allen Express, between Burlington, Vermont, and New York; in both cases, southbound trips offer the best viewing. Other possible foliage opportunities include the Pennsylvanian between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and the California Zephyr daytime segments from Denver to Green River and Reno to Sacramento.

Most tourist trains in the United States run foliage-oriented trips and excursions. Check the website of any outfit that intrigues you. Some foliage trains operate behind steam power, and some include dinner and entertainment. In almost all cases, these are short, one-day out-and-back excursions.

If you’re late to the game this year, your best bet might be a fall foliage package, typically including accommodation and some combination of bus and train travel through the foliage areas. Dozens of local and national operators run foliage tours. Operators often have late availability that is already sold out to independent travelers. Check with any travel agency to see what’s on the market.

Where to Stay

You know how to locate whatever accommodations you prefer: hotel, motel, resort, B&B, Airbnb, campground. The prime locations fill quickly, so book sooner rather than later. Often, an inclusive tour package is the best way to make sure you’ll get accommodations where you want them.

Wherever you are, be on the lookout for some great displays. Two of the most spectacular fall foliage vistas I’ve ever seen were on business trips, from an airport bus on the Parkway between Baltimore and Washington and on a back road just out of Santa Fe. And don’t be surprised if even your own local city park has something to see.

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