Americans call it “leaf peeping,” while the Japanese call it “momijigari.” Whatever the culture, there’s a term for witnessing the changing colors of leaves, a universal act that spurs awe and wonder and makes one reflect on the passage of time. Fall foliage is worth booking a trip around, but you need not limit yourself to the standard hike or road trip. While we’ll always have these classic leaf-peeping excursions, there’s excitement in reinventing a ritual.
Once you start to experience the first chills of the season, consider getting a little whimsical: Mush your way through the Alaskan forest, float away on a hot air balloon in the Finger Lakes, or zipline past the Rockies. You could rent a run-of-the-mill cabin somewhere in the Hudson Valley, or you could go big with a tree house, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows. Ditch that standard New England inn and opt instead for a houseboat in coastal Maine, perfect for riverside scenery. The possibilities are endless, and the experiences on this list will ensure you see the changing colors of fall from all kinds of perspectives. Below, seven alternative ideas for leaf peeping across the US.
Hop on a gondola
While mountain resorts are best known for skiing in the winter, many keep off-season tourists happy with scenic sky rides. Take the Gondola SkyRide at Stowe Mountain Resort, for instance, which carries visitors up to Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s highest peak. Running until mid-October, the ride is an excellent way to bask in New England’s autumnal glory and drops passengers off right at the resort’s Cliff House Restaurant for a scenic meal. Similarly, the Gondola at Telluride Mountain Village in southwest Colorado allows visitors to take in golden aspens from 10,800 feet above and can be used to access various hiking trails. Over at Lutsen Mountains in Minnesota, leaf peepers can take the Summit Express to get some of the best views in the state, including sightings of the Sawtooth Mountains and Lake Superior.
Check availability for the Gondola SkyRide
Check availability for the Telluride Gondola
Check availability for the Summit Express
Embark on a scenic train ride Nothing says
Embark on a scenic train ride
Nothing says cozy fall trip quite like an old-fashioned choo choo train, and luckily, the country is teeming with locomotives for every kind of traveler. Wine lovers will enjoy the Napa Valley Wine Train, especially between September and November, when harvest season is in full swing, and the vineyards and trees turn shades of gold, orange, and red (temperatures at this time also hover in the 80s—glorious). Prefer something a bit more outdoorsy? Amtrak’s Pacific Northwest Fall Foliage train takes passengers on sightseeing tours of Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park, which boast vibrant maples (and thinner crowds) from mid-September through October, while the Blue Ridge Railway offers dedicated fall foliage tours for those who’d like to experience the beauty of the Toccoa River. For something even more adventurous, Rail Explorers offers an unconventional approach to the train track with pedal-powered bikes you can use to ride the rails, with scenic locations in New York’s Catskills and West Virginia’s Elk River region.
Check availability for the Napa Valley Wine Train
Check availability for the Pacific Northwest Fall Foliage Train
Check availability for the Blue Ridge Railway
Check availability for the Rail Explorers
Mush your way through the forest
In Fairbanks, Alaska, the leaves start changing as early as mid-to-late August, and you don’t have to wait until the snow falls to have an authentic dog sledding experience. On Last Frontier’s unique mushing ride, you’ll have a four-legged team guiding you through the Alaskan forest on UTVs, “learning all about dog mushing, racing, and Alaskan off-grid living along the way,” the website says. The host, Chase, is a former Yukon Quest racer, and he’ll introduce you to his team of dogs, who will be very excited to run after their long summer hiatus. (Because Last Frontier is a co-op, different mushers run their own dogs and make sure their animals are well taken care of).
Check availability for the Mushing Cart Ride
Glide past the trees on a cruise
Glide past the trees on a cruise
The foliage surrounding the banks of New York’s Hudson River is so striking, it makes sense why it’s served as the subject for a history of landscape paintings. Circle Line offers two cruises for Hudson Valley leaf peeping—an eight-hour journey up to Bear Mountain State Park past the Palisades, or a shorter four-hour run toward Hook Mountain—each with beer, pretzels, and all kinds of other Oktoberfest fare. Adventurers looking for more of a day trip will enjoy the dock at Bear Mountain State Park, where they’ll have about three hours on land to hike, while those opting for the shorter trip will still get to sail past the George Washington and Mario Cuomo Bridges, looking out for hawks, ospreys, and bald eagles along the way. Each departing from Midtown Manhattan, these cruises offer ideal day trips for New Yorkers itching to explore nature beyond Central Park.
Check availability for the Bear Mountain Cruise
Check availability for the Hudson River Cruise
Zipline through the mountains
Adrenaline seekers, this one’s for you—see the trees in a flash on a zipline tour through the mountains. From mid-September to late October, Idaho Springs, Colorado, becomes flush with golden aspens, and you can spend half a day taking in the beautiful scenery from six different aerial lines along the treetops with Arkansas Valley Adventures. Or, if you’d rather get your views from down south, Saluda, North Carolina, is a sight to behold from mid-October through early November, and this Gorge Zipline Canopy Tour will suspend adventurers above the Green River Gorge for unforgettable views of changing maples and alders.
Check availability for the Idaho Springs Zipline
Check availability for The Gorge Zipline
Book a unique, foliage-friendly stay
Sometimes, autumnal scenery can be so arresting, you can’t help but spend hours soaking in the views. There’s no shortage of fall-foliage-friendly Airbnbs and vacation rentals across the country, so make the most of your autumnal getaway with an unforgettable stay. Commerce director Madison Flager is a big fan of this tree house in Phoenicia, New York, with its soaring windows and proximity to cult-classic Phoenicia Diner. If you’d rather hole up in coastal Maine, White Barn Inn in Kennebunkport (a consistent Reader’s Choice winner) offers a collection of houseboat stays plopped on the Kennebunk River, where you can enjoy your morning coffee from a private rooftop deck, gazing at the golden landscape.
Check availability for the Treehouse in Phoenicia, New
Check availability for the Treehouse in Phoenicia, New York
Check availability for the White Barn Inn & Spa
Get a true bird’s-eye view
There are gondolas, and then there are more extreme ways to soar above the trees. If you fancy floating away on a hot air balloon, head to New York’s Finger Lakes region for a ride above Letchworth State Park, known as the “Grand Canyon of the East,” for a one-hour journey with Liberty Balloon Company. You’ll see vibrant trees framing a 600-foot gorge and three different waterfalls, all from the comfort of your balloon. Or, go big with a private helicopter tour of the Hudson Valley with Wings Air Helicopters, departing from Midtown Manhattan. In just one hour, you’ll soar over the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse, Bear Mountain, Lyndhurst Mansion, and Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate, all while enjoying the patches of color.
Check availability for the Liberty Balloon Ride
Check availability for the Private Helicopter Charter
Source: www.cntraveler.com
