Best National Parks for Fall Foliage okay i currently smell like campfire and regret. just got back from shenandoah and my camera roll is 90% orange blobs and 10% me crying into a pumpkin spice latte. here’s the parks that ruined every other season forever.
1. Acadia, Maine Fall Foliage – peak oct 8-18ish
cadillac mountain sunrise + atlantic on fire behind the trees. i proposed to a sugar maple. she ghosted me.
2. Great Smoky Mountains – mid-late oct
most visited park but drive up to clingmans dome at 6am and it’s just you, god, and 47 shades of crayola vomit. elk bugling sounds like someone learning the trumpet drunk.
3. Shenandoah, Virginia Fall Foliage – oct 12-28
skyline drive but make it flaming. big meadows lodge has apple cider donuts that should be illegal. ate nine. zero shame.
4. Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio – mid oct
yes ohio slaps. brandywine falls with red trees reflecting in the water looks photoshopped. the train is basically a bar on wheels.
5. Glacier, Montana Fall Foliage – late sept-early oct
larch trees go full neon highlighter for like 9 days then drop all their needles like a dramatic breakup. going-to-the sun road + golden larches = i saw jesus and he was wearing gore-tex.
6. Zion, Utah – late oct
cottonwoods along the virgin river turn gold against red cliffs. narrows in fall with leaves floating down? jail. it’s actual jail for being too pretty.
7. Congaree, South Carolina Fall Foliage – mid nov
swamp trees explode and you canoe through it. saw zero humans and one very judgmental alligator.
8. North Cascades, Washington – early oct
diablo lake turquoise + maple pass loop on fire. saw three people total and we just nodded like members of a cult.
9. Rocky Mountain, Colorado Fall Foliage – late sept-mid oct
aspens go full gold and shimmer like they’re gossiping. elk bugling 24/7 sounds like a bad dubstep drop.
10. Voyageurs, Minnesota – late sept
basically canada but cheaper. rent a houseboat and wake up inside a postcard. mosquitoes still invited themselves tho.
stuff i learned the hard way Fall Foliage
- overcast days = better photos (sunny fall pics look like nuclear waste)
- book lodging yesterday or sleep in your car (been there)
- leaf peepers are worse than influencers
- i will fight you if you say “fall foliage” three times fast
which one are you hitting?? tell me below before i book another flight to maine and my bank account files a restraining order.
currently googling “how to become a park ranger with only mild emotional damage.” send donuts and a therapist who accepts payment in pretty leaves
