Where to see peak fall foliage across the U.S.

Four autumns ago, college senior Evan Fisher found himself with a problem. Like many people who love the changing colors of the season, he was frustrated with how difficult it was to predict when fall foliage would be at its best. Websites that promised such information were never as accurate they claimed, so the atmospheric science student decided to take matters into his own hands.

About a year later, Explore Fall was born.

Fisher’s site features an interactive map that uses weather data and community reports to make color predictions he said are within three days, 80% of the time. That means “we have confidence that, on average, the map is accurate within plus or minus three days,” Fisher said.

To dial the map in, Fisher said Explore Fall is launching an app this year that will allow users to log foliage reports that will update the map accordingly “because at the end of the day … we’re never going to beat the accuracy of someone who’s standing on the ground in Vermont and looking at the tree,” he said.

To use the map to plan an autumnal adventure, just input a destination anywhere across the Lower 48 plus Alaska, and you’ll get a quick “expected peak color estimate” date, or you can tap through for a deeper-dive forecast that includes trip timing advice and suggestions for where to leaf peep in the area.

The first true fall colors should begin to emerge around Oct. 9, with peak color near Nov. 7 and past-peak conditions beginning around Nov. 12. Nearby color timing is fairly uniform, so the local forecast should translate well across the area, the website says.

Now that you know how to time a trip, the only question remaining is where to go? So we asked travel experts to share their favorite destinations to celebrate fall. Here are their picks.

North Fork

Farm stands. Oyster shacks. Vineyards. The North Fork of Long Island is a strong contender for those seeking the “coastal grandmother” version of a fall trip. Just don’t expect to have the place to yourself. Fall weekends can bring “significant pumpkin traffic,” Angie Orth, host of the podcast “Traveling with AAA,” said in an email.

If you can, visit during the early November, Orth said, when you’ll still find some fall color but visitor numbers drop dramatically. If you do go during peak times, start your days on the eastern end of the peninsula and work west to stay ahead of crowds. Orth says hiking at Downs Farm Preserve or Orient Beach State Park can also be calmer on the crowd front.

Expected peak color: Late October through early November.

Don’t miss: Wine tasting at smaller outfits like Paumanok Vineyards, Suhru & Lieb Vineyards or One Woman Wines & Vineyards, Orth said.

North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains

Since Lauren Doyle moved to North Carolina in 2013, she’s been amazed at how few visitors the state’s Blue Ridge Mountains get compared with other scenic parts of the country. It often feels like you’ve stumbled on a well-kept secret, as “we don’t really see a ton of travelers,” said Doyle, president of the boutique travel agency the Travel Mechanic.

If you’re flying in, pick up a rental car in Greensboro or Charlotte, then pick a small town like Boone, Blowing Rock or Banner Elk as your home base for hiking, brewery hopping and farm visits.

“I like to call it ‘the triangle of the mountains’ because it’s very easy to go between those three places,” Doyle said.

Her advice for accommodations: look for charming bed-and-breakfasts like the Mast Farm Inn just outside of Boone, or book a vacation rental through companies like Eagles Nest or Blue Ridge Mountain Rentals.

Expected peak color: Mid-to-late October.

Don’t miss: Top-notch barbecue as well as farm-to-table dining at places like the seasonally open Artisanal Restaurant.

Northern New Mexico

It’s the desert color palette that sets northern New Mexico apart as a fall favorite for Caroline Labbé, owner of Labbé Travel.

“There’s the terra-cotta and the yellows and, in Taos, you also have the evergreens,” Labbé said. “It’s a little more unique than what you might see back east.”

For the full effect, Labbé tells travelers to split their time between Santa Fe for the dining scene and gallery hopping and Taos for more dramatic landscapes and hiking in the glow of golden aspen trees.

Expected peak color: Mid-October, around Oct. 14.

Don’t miss: For a luxurious boutique spa retreat, Labbé recommends the Inn of the Five Graces where guests are promised “a beautifully curated, design-rich stay that feels deeply connected to Santa Fe’s artistic and cultural identity,” she said.

Ontonagon, Michigan

If you’re not lucky enough to call vibrant Michigan home when fall hits, where would a local send you? Tieka Knight, a travel blogger who lives in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, says her neck of the woods will do.

Start your trip in Marquette then head west to Ontonagon County, an area of the “U.P.” that “still feels wonderfully wild and untouched,” Knight said in an email.

In Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Knight says forests, waterfalls, Lake Superior and winding roads steal the show. But don’t worry too much about planning activities in advance. “Just driving around and stopping whenever something looks beautiful is half the experience,” she said.

There’s one exception: dining. Knight cautioned that dining options in Ontonagon are fairly limited, and most places close by 8 p.m. So you’ll want to consider dinner plans even if you’re winging the rest of your day.

Expected peak color: Mid-October, around Oct. 20.

Don’t miss: Stubb’s Museum Bar in Ontonagon village. Knight calls this taxidermy-decorated dive bar that serves pizza “an Upper Peninsula treasure.”

Teton County, Montana

Glacier National Park and Yellowstone are not the only parts of Montana with breathtaking nature. Maggie Carr, co-owner of the wilderness guiding company Dropstone Outfitting, sells visitors on spending time along the Rocky Mountain Front, where you can escape into vast expanses of great outdoors, like the over 1.5 million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. “Usually the last couple weeks of September are the best color-wise,” she said.

Carr says Great Falls — Montana’s third-largest city — is a good jumping off point to grab a rental car and go. Her highlight activities in the area include horseback riding, hiking or fishing with a backdrop of fall foliage. If you’d like to camp, Carr likes Cave Mountain or Mortimer Gulch, two campgrounds full of deciduous trees, or you can look for a hotel or motel in towns like Augusta or her native Choteau.

Expected peak color: Early October.

Don’t miss: A stop at Curly Willow Floral & Gifts in Choteau. “It’s a funky combination of a flower shop, a gift shop and a liquor store,” Carr said.