Best places to see fall foliage

Western larch is a deciduous conifer that turns gold weeks after everything else has dropped, giving Montana a second season.

Aspen peaks late September; larch is a late-October into early-November event.

• Holland Falls Trail Sep 16
• Lake McDonald at Apgar Sep 18
• Seeley Lake Sep 18

The Tetons rise straight out of aspen and cottonwood flats, which is why Oxbow Bend is photographed more than almost anywhere in the West.

The Tetons and high country peak in the last week of September; the basins in early October.

• Oxbow Bend Sep 17
• Schwabacher Landing Sep 18
• Snake River Overlook Sep 16

The largest aspen stands on the continent, turning a saturated gold against 14,000-foot peaks and, often, fresh snow.

Above 10,000 ft peaks in mid-September; the 8,000-ft valleys follow in early October.

• Dallas Divide Sep 23
• Kebler Pass Sep 18
• Kenosha Pass Sep 17

Bigtooth maple gives Utah a true crimson that the rest of the Rockies simply does not have.

The high Wasatch peaks late September; the canyons and Zion in mid-to-late October.

• Devils Kitchen Overlook Sep 22
• Fish Lake Sep 23
• Guardsman Pass Sep 15

The North Shore turns earlier than almost anywhere in the lower 48, and tamarack extends the season into November.

The Arrowhead peaks in the last week of September; the Twin Cities and south in mid-October.

• High Falls of the Baptism River Sep 29
• Honeymoon Bluff Sep 23
• Oberg Mountain Sep 26

The Eastern Sierra aspen canyons run gold against granite, and the season stretches from September highs to November in Yosemite Valley.

Bishop Creek and the high Eastern Sierra peak late September; Yosemite Valley in late October into November.

• Convict Lake Sep 29
• Lundy Canyon Sep 26
• North Lake Sep 25

The Upper Peninsula is the most underrated foliage region in the country, with Lake Superior for foreground and almost no crowds.

The western UP peaks around the start of October; the Detroit area lags by nearly a month.

• Brockway Mountain Drive Sep 27
• Lake of the Clouds Overlook Sep 28
• Miners Castle Overlook Oct 1

The Northwoods lake country gives you maple reflected in still water, which is the whole reason to be there at dawn.

Northern counties peak in the first week of October; Door County and the south run mid-to-late October.

• Brownstone Falls Sep 30
• Devil's Doorway, East Bluff Oct 7
• Eagle Tower, Peninsula State Park Oct 4

The White Mountains stack four weeks of color into a 6,000-foot elevation range, so something is always at peak somewhere.

Notches and high passes peak in late September; the Lakes Region and seacoast hold on into mid-October.

• Artists Bluff Oct 1
• Chocorua Lake Oct 8
• Kancamagus Highway at Kancamagus Pass Sep 30

Color sweeps from the North Woods to the coast over nearly a month, and Acadia lets you shoot it against the Atlantic.

Aroostook and the North Woods peak late September; Acadia and the midcoast run mid-to-late October.

• Cadillac Mountain Summit Oct 4
• Height of Land Sep 30
• Jordan Pond South Shore Oct 8

The Adirondacks are the largest protected forest in the lower 48, and the Catskills and Finger Lakes extend the season by weeks.

The Adirondacks peak in the last days of September; the Hudson Valley and Long Island run into late October.

• Ashokan Reservoir Promenade Oct 13
• Bald Mountain (Rondaxe) Fire Tower Oct 2
• Heart Lake at Adirondak Loj Oct 2

The densest sugar maple concentration in the country, which is why Vermont reds are the benchmark everything else is measured against.

The Northeast Kingdom turns roughly a week before the southern valleys; ridgelines lead the valley floors by 10–14 days.

• Jenne Farm Oct 6
• Lake Willoughby North Beach Oct 4
• Moss Glen Falls Oct 6

The Berkshires deliver classic New England color without New England crowds, and the Mohawk Trail is one of the great foliage drives.

The Berkshires lead Boston and the Cape by about two weeks.

• Enfield Lookout Oct 11
• Hairpin Turn Overlook Oct 7
• Mount Greylock Summit Oct 1

More forested acreage than any state in the Northeast, and the Pennsylvania Wilds stay genuinely empty during peak.

The northern tier peaks in early October; the southeast corner waits until the end of the month.

• Baughman Rock Overlook Oct 13
• Canyon Vista, Worlds End Oct 10
• Colton Point Overlook Oct 10

The most mountainous state east of the Rockies, and Dolly Sods gives you a high plateau that turns early and hard.

The Allegheny highlands peak in early October, a full three weeks before the Ohio River valley.

• Bear Rocks Preserve Oct 8
• Blackwater Falls Oct 12
• Glade Creek Grist Mill Oct 17

Skyline Drive runs 105 miles along a ridge with overlooks on both sides, which is as efficient as foliage shooting gets.

Skyline Drive ridgetops peak mid-October; the Piedmont and Tidewater follow two to three weeks later.

• Abbott Lake at Peaks of Otter Oct 18
• Hawksbill Summit Oct 9
• Hogback Overlook Oct 11

The highest peaks in the eastern US, so a single Blue Ridge Parkway drive can cross a month of phenology in an hour.

Above 5,000 ft peaks in early October; Asheville mid-to-late October; the foothills into early November.

• Cataloochee Valley Oct 22
• Cowee Mountains Overlook Oct 11
• Craggy Pinnacle Oct 10

The Smokies hold more tree species than all of northern Europe, which is why the color there is mottled rather than uniform.

Newfound Gap and the high ridges peak in mid-October; Cades Cove and the valleys wait until the very end of the month.

• Cades Cove Loop Road Oct 25
• Kuwohi (Clingmans Dome) Oct 8
• Look Rock Tower, Foothills Parkway Oct 22

The Ozarks and Ouachitas give the South a proper late-season peak, and the Buffalo River bluffs are the signature shot.

The Ozark highlands peak in late October; the Delta lowlands in early-to-mid November.

• Cedar Falls Overlook Oct 29
• Steel Creek and Roark Bluff Oct 26
• Whitaker Point (Hawksbill Crag) Oct 24