Look at the calendar. It's time to troll the Web to pick up ideas for this year's driving, hiking, biking or boating trip to enjoy the annual explosion of fall foliage colors.
The New England states get most of the "leaf peeper" attention, but don't ignore the forests in the Upper Midwest and elsewhere.
Look for "Seasons" at Wisconsin's home on the Web––and then click on "Fall" to get to their leaf color report, hiking and biking suggestions and scenic road trips focusing on the leaves. They even suggest boat tours for admiring the colored forests. You could make one of those tours on a power boat, but if you look to the bottom of the page there are tips for leisurely autumn canoe treks among Lake Superior's Apostle Islands or on the Fox, St. Croix or Kickapoo rivers.
Michigan's travel Web site––has ideas for leaf-peeping road tours under the "Driving Tours" tab. There's a map on that page showing that parts of the Upper Peninsula should be hitting peak color in late September, and for late starters the shores of lakes Michigan and Huron should be ripe in late October.
For the deep woods of Minnesota––you'll need to type "fall" into the search window. It's early for this year's reports, so look for a link to a page from last year titled "Rainbow Routes: A Sampler of Fall Color Drives."
Or maybe you're looking for destinations within easy reach of the Washington area.
Check out the ideas in the Virginia Fall Foliage report––where the famous Blue Ridge Parkway is tailor-made for color-admiring road trips. For other ideas, try their "48-hour Getaways" and "37 Fall Walking tours." See the "Fall Foliage Report" for timing of the color changes.
Head a little farther west into the Appalachians in West Virginia––where for now you need to look for "What's New …" Click on "More" under that headline for their map of peak color times and suggested "Fall Driving Tours." You might especially like the Mountain Magic and Golden Gateway tours.
For something a little farther south and later in the season, head for the mountains of western North Carolina around Asheville––where peak color for various elevations is predicted through October. While you're there, you could take in the Autumn Harvest Fair at the Biltmore Estate.
You could also turn right when you drive out of Washington, or go due west out of New York, to Pennsylvania––which has been luring travelers with its fall Web site for several years. When they start up this year's version, you can take in the view of top spots on their live Web cams, along with getting updated color reports. Take a minute to look at their bird watching tips, along with hiking, biking and driving suggestions.
If your budget allows it, sit back and see the display from the deck of a cruise ship. For example, Cruise West––is advertising fall foliage cruises along the coast of Maine and up New York's Hudson River. You could also visit your local travel professional or go to Cruise Lines International Association––and use their "cruise finder" to pick out lines sailing to "New England/Canada" or "Northeast Coast." Call soon; some cruises are already booked up.
Need more ideas? The Foliage Network––should be cranking out color reports by the middle of September, and clicking on "Links" will take you to Web links for the individual reports of state tourism agencies, including New England and the other states of the Northeast.
