List reveals 5 US National Parks worth visiting with picture-perfect views of fall foliage and scenic hikes
THE TAKEAWAY
Despite a record-warm start to fall across much of the country, you can still catch beautiful fall foliage in some of our national parks.
Warmer-than-average temperatures can truncate or make leaf peeping season more uneven, but these are some of the best places to see what fall has to offer according to the National Park Service (NPS).
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North Carolina, Tennessee
Nestled in the southern Appalachians between North Carolina and Tennessee, America's most visited national park also hosts some of the most scenic vistas for amazing fall colors.
The park’s wide range of elevations extends the window for viewing vibrant fall foliage.
Leaves can begin to change at the highest elevations by mid-September, but lower mountain slopes typically begin to turn in October and some years can hold vibrant colors into early November, according to the NPS.
The Park Service recommends the Lakeview Drive and Goldmine Loop if you want to see great colors by car or on foot, respectively.
North Carolina, Virginia
Just north of the Great Smokies, the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the most renowned places for fall foliage across the country.
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While some closures remain due to lingering devastation from 2024's Hurricane Helene, the Parkway held a ceremonial ribbon cutting earlier in October, highlighting the completion of multiple reconstruction projects and welcomed tourists for the fall season.
Prior to Helene, the NPS said fall tourism generated $1.3 billion in economic revenue for the region.
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Western North Carolina was one of the region's most impacted by Helene, which slammed the state with landscape-altering flooding.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is 469 miles long and is the longest road planned as a single unit in the U.S., according to the NPS.
Texas
The Guadalupe Mountains National Park in West Texas is one of the best places to see late-season fall colors, with peak displays lasting into mid-November, according to the NPS.
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The park is an unusual home for maple trees, in a region that's characterized by a desert climate.
According to the Parks Service, the McKittrick Canyon Trail is the most popular hike for fall foliage, but suggests that a full hike up to McKittrick Ridge can yield the best fall views.
Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee
The Natchez Trace Parkway spans 444 miles from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee, and is a great way to take in late-season fall scenery inside a car or along a trail.
The Freedom Hills Overlook is a short, but steep 1,110-foot hike that offers breathtaking views outside Cherokee, Alabama, according to the NPS. Meanwhile, the Little Mountain Overlook in the Jeff Busby Campground allows people to take in the fall views by just pulling off the road.
Maine
Acadia National Park offers some of the most diverse fall scenery in the nation, with ecosystems ranging from coastal forests and rocky shorelines to lakes, mountains and wetlands.
Jordan Pond is one of the park's clearest lakes according to the NPS, and serves as a beautiful mirror for great photos of fall colors.
Echo Lake, which is a popular summer swimming destination, also offers beautiful fall scenes.
Fall foliage typically peaks in mid-October.
California
Yosemite National Park is mostly made up of evergreen trees and is not generally known for leaf peeping. However, bright yellow leaves can be found among big-leaf maple trees in the Yosemite Valley, according to the NPS.
The Park Service said the road near the Tuolumne Grove trailhead, which is better known for its giant sequoias, is also home to quaking aspen, which also turn bright yellow in the fall.
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