the Travel Enthusiast
- 11 Sep
kachou_n in Travel Planning | 1 COMMENT5 national parks to visit this autumn in the US
Great Smoky Mountains, photo by BalckburnPhoto
Early autumn is the perfect season for spending some time outdoors if you’re lucky enough to get some fine weather. And mild weather notwithstanding, there’s another upside to going out into nature in autumn: autumn foliage! Of course, if you want to bask in the brilliantly colored beauty of autumn trees, you have to make sure that you’re visiting a destination in a temperate region, and more importantly, a deciduous forest.
As these key ingredients can be encountered in many national parks, this is the perfect time of the year to spend a few days in a cabin, go camping or have a road trip. Here are 5 national parks to visit this autumn in the US.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has several weeks’ worth of a foliage season, and it’s very interesting to see how the brilliant foliage ‘travels’ down the slope. So in fact, you can visit the park for fall colors at several points during the autumn months, but mid-October and early November are the best times to see the foliage at lower elevations.
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Shenandoah, photo by Jeffry N Curtis
Fall colors in Shenandoah are so spectacular that there’s even a bike festival organized for the purpose of viewing fall leaves. The spread of autumn leaves can be admired on biking/walking routes of 10-100 miles, so depending on your willingness to exercise, you can spend quite a bit of time wandering through the rusty forests.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
The fall colors in Grand Teton National Park are indeed grand, and the park is famous for some of the most jaw-dropping autumn scenery in the US. The wood-covered mountain range is certainly spectacular enough in summer, when the lakes reflect the image of the landscape, but in the autumn months the whole park is doubly spectacular.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
Cuyahoga, photo by Joanne
Cuyahoga might not sound familiar to those who haven’t spent much time in Ohio, but if you are in the state this time of the year, the best place to see the fall foliage is here.
There are 125 miles of hiking trails in the park, so you won’t have to worry about where to go, and the vintage Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is another great way to see the fall scenery.
Acadia National Park, Maine
Acadia is one of the premier destinations for fall foliage viewing in the US, and while there are many stunningly beautiful natural areas on the East Coast, Acadia is definitely among the top. The foliage starts turning golden in September, and the season can last well into October. Walk, bike or ride on horseback to discover the astonishing palette or colors in Acadia.
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The smell of autumn makes autumn perfect! I agree that the best time to have an activity outdoors is during the autumn season. Its nice to visit a forest or a park where there are lots of trees so that we can appreciate the colored beauty of autumn trees.