This is the time of year when Mother Nature pulls out all the stops and puts on an unbelievable show of color. Nothing is more visually thrilling than a crisp-aired car ride through miles of turning leaves and tantalizing landscapes. Here is a collection of famous fall foliage by state, but please add to the list with your own favorites in the comments section!
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a specially preserved stretch of natural splendor. You'll experience endless ridges of forest straddling North Carolina and Tennessee.
Sometimes known as "America's Favorite Drive," the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia is a stunning mix of close-up views and long-range outlooks. The Skyline Drive is another brilliant display of virtually untouched land. Utah's Alpine Loop is a stunning, natural thrill ride, but any drive in one of her many mountain canyons will definitely delight. The Lake Michigan shoreline in Wisconsin will take your breath away. The Great River Road and Kettle Moraine State Forest are can't-miss day trips. Pack a lunch! Michigan's Brockway Mountain drive is a favorite, and don't miss the spectacular views at Tahquamenon Falls. The rolling countryside of Massachusetts can't be beat. Drive through the back roads of Cape Cod, the Berkshires, and the Mohawk Trail. There are over 900 miles of spectacular fall foliage in New Hampshire. Drive through Newport, Columbia, and Langdon, enjoying historic covered bridges and gorgeous small towns. Kentucky's Sheltowee Trace Trail offers a wide variety of natural trees, which results in a variety of colors and a lengthy season to enjoy them. The Aspen trees and alpine lakes of Maroon Bells, Colorado offer rugged mountain beauty you'll adore. Don't let the waterfalls and glaciers distract you from the beauty of the colorful trees in North Cascades National Park in Washington. Vermont's Route 100 will not disappoint, and the Green Mountain National Forest will give you breath-taking views. Allegheny State Park in New York and Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania is an explosion of color, particularly along the 29-mile Longhouse Scenic Byway. And don't miss picturesque Lancaster county's gorgeous farmland; it's a blanket of color. Find your inner Mark Twain in the Mark Twain Trees of Missouri, within the Ozark mountains. A rainbow of colors will inspire you, and maybe your pen, too! In usual Texas form, you'll find big colors and big wows in the "Lost Maples" region along the Sabinal River, north and west of San Antonio. And finally, big-leaf maple, cottonwood and Oregon ash trees put on a medley of the season's best color in Hood National Forest in Oregon. Those are some of my favorites. Please share yours!