Northern CT here…and there is noticeable color change from yesterday…to today!
Central PA here – a few maples have started to turn, but it’s hard to tell with all the constant rain!!
Seriously, I live in PA, was just thru Shenandoah (beautiful IF the weather cooperates and less crowded than other spots) but my family is from New England and nothing beats that view. Nothing. Find an airbnb to use as a base and then just boonyride around. Hope for a couple cold nights to snap the trees into color, and enjoy.
H and I drove from Albany to the Finger Lakes Region (Seneca and Keuka) last Saturday and nothing in terms of color. Then onto Niagara on the Lame and Toronto, until today. Nothing in Canada where we were. Driving back today saw the beginnings of change but still nowhere near peak. Nothing in the Albany area either. My dogwoods are the first to change and nothing. I’m only 45mins-1 hour from the Berkshires and the Catskills (Hudson Valley) but leaves likely just starting there, too. Should be perfect in two weeks, I think.
One very popular route for leaf peeping is through the Berkshires in MA (Lee, Lenox, Stockbridge, Williamstown area) and into Southern Vermont (Bennington then north aways) but I’d expect hotels/inns/b&b’s are completely booked.
Here’s a pretty good article.
https://www.boston.com/weather/travel/2018/09/28/2018-fall-foliage-forecast-maine-new-hampshire-vermont-massachusetts
It’s in the 70’s where I am and forecast looks the same all of next week. That might slow things down a bit.
It might be too late for New England this year, but it’s probably not too late for the mountains of Virginia. You could fly to Dulles and head west. Monticello, the wine country, and lots of apple orchards are out there, plus Shenandoah National Park. The Park might be too crowded to stay in by now, but check out Graves Mountain Lodge or the Homestead or probably many other places to stay.
Another thing to mention - maple trees change earlier than some other ones. They are the bright red ones so you don’t want to miss that!
Current thought is flying in and out of Boston and driving around.
You’ll find leaves in a week or two. New England really isn’t that big so you can do a day trip a few hours in one direction or another and find them. Like I’ve said before, if it is past peak in the mountains, you’ll find foliage )and plenty of other things to do) along the coast.
Boston in the fall is lovely - spend some time in the city and some driving around leaf peeping. Do those fall things at a nearby farm - cider and apple donuts.
Michigan is much underrated for leaf-peeping, but Nikon, the camera company, recently named it the best state for photographing fall colors. I’ve spent plenty of autumns in New England and the colors there can be gorgeous, but they’ve got nothing on Michigan. Color is already peaking in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, but in the Grand Traverse region of the northwestern Lower Peninsula, including Traverse City, the Leelanau Peninsula, the Old Mission Peninsula, and Sleeping Bear Dunes they’re not expecting the peal until mid-October.
It’s not just latitude that determines the peak. Higher elevations are usually colder, so the peak is usually earlier. Lake Michigan also has a moderating effect on temperatures in the Grand Traverse area, which makes the peak there later than some interior areas much father south. And local weather conditions matter, too. An early spring, a dry summer/early autumn, and a chilly September will all tend make the peak early. Flip any or all of those factors and it will tend to push the peak later. And strong winds and/or heavy rains will sometimes knock the leaves off the trees early, short-circuiting the peak season.
Here’s the most recent fall color report for Michigan and some suggested spots to visit:
https://www.michigan.org/article/peak-color-october-5-2018
The September 28 report has better photos:
https://www.michigan.org/article/peak-color-september-28-2018
Some other ideas.
- Algoma Central Railway. Heads north out of Sault St. Marie, ONT up through a series of canyons into the Canadian shield. My father used to use this train when he was surveying up north in the late 40's. Back then they used to just flag the train down. Wild, and pretty spectacular.
- Laurentian Mountains, north of Montreal. You can get any amenity you want at Mont Tremblant, but I prefer the smaller French villages like St. Marguerite. Great eating to be had. Colors are similar to what you would have in new England, though local residents will always insist theirs are better.
- The Gatineaus just outside Ottawa. Most fall color enthusiasts agree that the area around Ottawa, in the Gatineau mountains, are the best. Spectacular colors. Fly into Ottawa, rent a car, and head out.
We can’t be sure those are current year pix (an issue in many areas.)
But the point here is a) many good areas, b) it is somewhat unpredictable, and c) there’s so much more to do, to engage with classic autumn, than just leaf peeping.
We were just in southern Canada along the St Lawrence River today - from the 1000 Islands Tower on Hill Island to the bridge at Prescott. It’s about 10-20% most places with some areas more than that. Select trees are gorgeous having patches of red, orange, and green on the same tree in various polka dots or regions. Within the next week or two it ought to be really spectacular. The 1000 Islands Tower closes Oct 15th, so between now and then…
Try to time it on a sunny day to see the gorgeous blue of the St Lawrence too - the world’s most gorgeous river IMO. Obviously, don’t drive 410 (Canada’s Interstate in the area). Take Rt 2 and the 1000 Islands Parkway if anyone opts to go. In the area one can also take a boat trip to see the multitude of islands and/or the two famous castles (Boldt and Singer), plus there are a handful of small museums on either side of the river. The scenery is best on the Canadian side - as are the dining options.
To actually get here, fly into Ottawa, Syracuse, Rochester, or Buffalo (pending how long of a trip/drive one wants). At the tower we met folks from Colorado, France, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Germany, and various areas of Canada. Quite a few had come along the Great Lakes and St Lawrence to get here - starting essentially at Niagara Falls en route to Montreal. Some were going the other direction. Apparently we’re not the only wanderers. It’s gorgeous up here, but the trees will be at their peak in another week or so I suspect.
I changed my profile pic to show what it’s looks like outside my door. (Don’t be too jealous, it was about 40 and windy last night, we were golfing and I was freezing).
I’m in the Grand Traverse area. This week has been cold and rainy and the colors have popped. I’m sure the colors aren’t as pronounced right next to the lake but this is what it looks like a little bit away from the lake. Last year, we had hardly any colors. My S got married this weekend and it was pretty green last year and the year before. So peak colors will be in October, some years it’s early and some years it’s a couple of week later.
@HImom, have a great time in Boston. As much as the fall colors are beautiful, I’ve become jaded and take this for granted.
Any suggestions of where to stay in Maine? We’re thinking of flying in and out of Portland, Maine. Thanks! We really don’t know New England well at all and are looking forward to exploring. We are thinking of having a “home base” and driving out for day excursions to see what we can see.
My friend in MA says it’s about a 2 hour drive from Boston Logan to Portland, so that’s not awful.
OK, have reviewed all the “bar harbor” threads and gleaned what I can from them. Just switched my flights so I am flying from HNL to Bangor, Maine and then from Portland back to HNL. These seem like the best ways to avoid backtracking and seeing more of this lovely state. I’m very excited and the clerk I spoke with in Portland says the leaves are still turning color and should be lovely for our visit.
Stay IN Portland someplace. There is plenty to do, and lots to see and do within an hour of Portland.
Bangor is a LONG drive.
And as an FYI…you posted your query about where to stay at 11 or so EST. You know…most folks on the east coast with an opinion about this were SLEEPING.
No suggestions, but wishing you a terrific trip with lots of color!
No worries. Bangor is only a 2 hour drive fromPortland and plenty to explore of you take the slightly longer and much more scenic route along the coastline. Midcoast Maine, along that stretch, is gorgeous.
Yeah, we figure we can see Acadia and Bar Harbor area from Bangor and make our way to Portland. Since we will be in Maine for more than a week, we feel we can see more with the open jaw routing with less backtracking.
Now, Himon, you’ve got a new challenge. You “should” drive down the coast, to see the beautiful water and places along the way. But the leaves will be a different route.
Oh, dear.
Portland also has amazing food.
If anyone meets, I’d be willing to drive up.