Travelers Seeking Colorful Getaways

Photo Credit: The Gatlinburg Department of Tourism

It comes once a year and it is unpredictable to predict peak time, but travelers looking to delight in orange, red, yellow and brown hues seek out fall colorful palette destinations. Fall arrives with sensory overload stimulation such as smelling leaves burning, tasting apples, touching pumpkins, telling and hearing scary Halloween tales, hiking through a brilliant canvas of colors, feeling the brisk, cooler winds, seeing trees transforming and more.

Americans seeking a view of dramatic fall foliage travel to Tennessee and Pennsylvania more than any other states, according to a recent survey of leisure travelers AAA conducted with Ypartnership.  

“Tennessee and Pennsylvania each capture 13 percent of fall foliage travelers, followed by Massachusetts and New York, which both draw 10 percent. Virginia, North Carolina and Wisconsin round out the group, each with 9 percent,” the survey reports.

One of the survey findings reveals that travelers who live in the West or Northeast are less likely to have taken a trip to see fall foliage than those who live in the Midwest or South. This is not surprising as the change of seasons for those who live in those geographic areas is common and the changing leaf colors is something that is not as a dramatic of a change as for someone who lives in Florida.

“For Westerners, the distance required to visit top fall foliage destinations may be an inhibiting factor while, for Northeasterners, easy access to the most famous fall colors may diminish the likelihood to plan viewing trips,” according to AAA’s travel experts.

AAA travel experts put together a list of some of their favorite locations to enjoy the fall foliage, including tips on when the colors will be at their peak. 

Photo Credit: Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Brilliant fall colors on mountains in North Carolina.)

Blue Ridge Parkway, N.C. and Va.: This famous, picturesque 469-mile route is best seen in October. Connecting Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina, the parkway shows off over 100 species of trees. Leaf color changes begin high in the mountains, progressing gradually to the lower slopes and valleys. Bobcats, foxes, white-tailed deer, and woodchucks inhabit an area overflowing with geological features, while such manmade points of interest as the Blue Ridge Mountain Frescoes enhance this AAA GEM attraction.

Fall Color Update for the Great Smoky Mountains: Species that typically change early, such as dogwood, sourwood, Virginia creeper, sumac, and an occasional maple are beginning to show brilliant reds as of October 8, 2008. Look for these species along the edges of mowed areas beside roadways throughout the park. At lower elevations walnut, buckeyes, and birch are beginning to turn to yellow. While at mid to upper elevations, birch and beech are starting to color. Most trees however are still green at this time. Good places to find early colors are along Foothills Parkway East and at high elevation along US-441 and on Clingmans Dome Road.

Photo Credit: www.myerhotels.com in Branson, MO (view of Tablerock Lake from Branson)

Branson, Mo.:  Folks treasured the physical beauty of this family-oriented Ozarks destination well before live music theater began luring visitors. Though neon signs along the strip illuminate the city year-round, Branson’s dense hardwood forests are aglow with fall color in late October. Nature lovers can ride Branson Scenic Railway through Missouri’s backwoods and, from an altitude of 500 feet, scan rugged hills and tinted woodlands aboard the Branson Balloon.

Northern New England, Mass. and Vt.: Skirting the border between Massachusetts and Vermont, this AAA Drive Trips journey meanders by covered bridges, dairy farms, cornfields, and Bennington Battle Monument, a GEM attraction. Molly Stark Trail, a AAA Scenic Byway, runs through Vermont’s Green Mountains and Green Mountain National Forest, which are known for their incredible colors. Beginning around mid-September, miles of country roads inspire hordes of veteran leaf peepers.

Seeley Lake, Mont.: The valley between the Mission and Swan mountain ranges is a great place for the outdoorsy traveler to enjoy horseback riding, fishing, and backpacking. Visitors encounter densely wooded slopes, sun-kissed streams, bald eagles, moose and otters. The region also is characterized by its western larches, or tamaracks. One of only three types of conifers that shed their needles, this tree exhibits bright yellow fall foliage. The unusual display is the highlight of mid-October’s Seeley Lake Tamarack Festival, which includes a larch interpretive center, an arts and crafts fair, and a bike race.

Plumas National Forest, Calif.: This rural hideaway in northeastern California presents nearly 300 miles of trails as well as camping, fishing and white-water rafting opportunities. Bridges, waterfalls and meadows along Feather River National Scenic Byway are well worth the trip. Here, where the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges meet, evergreens are abundant; however, a palette of fall hues is visible in mid-October.