When is the best time to see Fall Colors?

When is the best time to see Fall Colors? Not such a simple question to answer but one that will be asked on every Travel panel, every tripadvisor post, photographers forums,,,, the question is when is the best time to see Fall Colors?

Fall Colors happens in more locations than just New England but for many of us that is the best place to go because of the depth of subject matter and the variety of colors– yes I said variety– I still find after traveling many places during October that the largest variety of color range from yellow, to orange to reds and combinations of these is in New England specifically Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. Even year to year this palette changes from more dusty, to more vibrant– so many factors at play.

Colorado gets some wonderful Fall Colors but timing can vary dramatically from year to year– Northern Colorado vs Southern vs canyons and mountains.

The Midwest gets a nice little spattering of color as well- I have seen some color in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Indiana.. and some of those states also have some covered bridges.

When trying to determine where to go for color- do some research- check out past years Fall Foliage reports- most states have these now via a website – check with local newspapers such as the Coloradoan- https://www.coloradoan.com

Look for Fall Foliage Hotlines– they will start up probably early in September but do a search now for the phone numbers.

Contact Chamber of Commerces for brochures, maps and information- I have contacted many who are very eager to chat and help you choose the b est time to visit.

If there is a State park or National Park in the state look at previous years reports- that will give you a good starting point. Once you have some dates you can begin to make your plans.

With any travel plans I highly advise booking ahead for weekends, many of the places you want to be to enjoy Fall Colors others will want to be in as well, and I always like to know at the end of the day there is a bed and bathroom in my future.

If you prefer to just “wing” it something I advise a bit against– be sure and have one of the apps like hotels tonight, or Kayak or one of the others to find something in the area when you are finished for the day.

Sites like sunrisesunset can be invaluable in letting you know before you go the time for sunset. 

IF you are traveling to New England to enjoy Fall Colors- have other plans in case the color is underwhelming, like carry a PAPER MAP– maps by DeLorme, or a good state map which can point you to other sights like covered bridges, historic markers or even scenic routes. As a general rule, color moves North to South so if you are not seeing color you may want to go farther north if you are seeing a lot of green, or possibly go south if many of the trees are bare.

Areas with water have a schedule all to themselves- but again I think having a second plan besides just seeing leaves will be sure you don’t bet everything on the trees!

Choose a theme, maybe you want to see as many covered bridges, or country stores, or go to the towns having a festival, check out as many pumpkin patches or even sample as many cider donuts as possible!

If this is your first time to New England or another area for Fall Color and you need some help in your travel plans contact me- I have been photographing the change in the trees since prior to 2003. Taking a fall weekend was something I remember as a child growing up in the Midwest, festivals, apples, and fall colors– we would head out the door for the day or sometimes the weekend.

No matter what your days off are– if seeing Fall Colors is your goal let’s chat!

Contact me- April

april at aprilart dot com

818..723-74 1 3