Shreya ‘Tis the season of pumpkin spice lattes, apple crisps and rewatching episodes of Gilmore girls, a.k.a my favorite season. Amongst my favorite fall activities, leaf peeping in New England surely tops the list. I love the change around, the chill in the air, going apple picking or to a corn maze. I love how the trees turn into all shades of yellow, orange and red and everything in between. It’s spectacular really and in the northeast US, we are especially blessed with magnificent fall colors.
If you would like to see what the best time is to plan your trip, use this New England fall foliage map.
In this post, I will be sharing with you some of the places I’ve visited over the last few years in fall and my favorite ones for the best fall colors. A special addition to this post will be some incredible photos by my photographer friend who generously agreed to let me use his gorgeous photos so hang right till the end of the article.
5. Connecticut
Let’s start with the home state. Northwest CT starts peaking around the 1st-2nd week of October whereas along the shoreline, we get to see the colors a bit later around the end of the month. My top fall drive in CT is to Kent falls via route 7. Yes, the same one which goes all the way up to Vermont and is known to be picturesque for fall colors.
Photos – left : Kent falls; right : somewhere on route 7
Check out this resource to find more places to visit in CT for the best fall colors.
4. Massachusetts
Top pick for fall colors in Massachusetts is definitely the Berkshires. Hop around the quaint New England towns of Lenox, Pittsfield, Stockbridge in the Berkshires while stopping for breath-taking views and Saturday farmer’s markets or visit the Norman Rockwell museum.
Plan your trip to Massachusetts with the help of these resources.
3. Maine
Every part of Maine sports gorgeous fall foliage. One of my favorite places in Maine is Acadia National park and although I went at the end of summer when the leaves had just started to change, my friend Siddarth shared his beautiful photos from his fall trip which you can see below.
Some more resources to plan your fall trip to Maine can be found here.
2. New Hampshire
Another gem of New England to witness excellent fall colors. Some of the things to do are to visit cascade park, drive on the Kancamagus Scenic highway, hike up to Artist’s bluff, visit a local orchard and plan a picnic (don’t forget to try some fresh apple cider while you’re there).
Visit New Hampshire in fall.
1. Vermont
Just so you know, the decision between 1st and 2nd positions was a really tough one but I went with Vermont as the top destination for fall colors because that’s where I end up every year usually and love it every time nevertheless because there’s always more to explore.
The most specular fall colors I’ve ever seen was on the way to the top of Mt. Mansfield. Every single tree was a different shade of red and orange. Here are some more places to get spectacular fall views.
Photos – left : on the way to the top of Mt. Mansfield, centre : Ludlow, right : Queechee gorge
And that’s all for this post. Hope it gives you some ideas to plan your fall trip for leaf peeping in New England.
Looking for some fall dishes, try these :
