Fall Foliage Tours & Trip Ideas

Fall is a time for reflection, romance and an appreciation of nature and all it's offerings. And so fall foliage tours are perfect for romantic getaways and quality rejuvenation in the outdoors.

Even within this frame of reference, you have many options. Let's take a look at the most popular fall foliage destinations, tours and trip ideas.

New England

The most popular fall foliage destination, without any doubt, is New England. When autumn comes a-calling and the trees are all decked up in golden splendor, leaf peepers make a beeline for the shores of New England.

All over Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, fall foliage tour groups and nature lovers can be found hiking, biking and even on train tours along the beautiful coast. Some even go in for the long haul, and embark on road-trips from Boston to New York - one of the most scenic drives in the nation, even without fall.

And these spots are also perfect for romantic getaways, with plenty of secluded Inns and Bed & Breakfasts to choose from.

Fall is a pretty busy time of the year for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg hotels, vacation rentals and mountain lodges.

The stunning and hauntingly beautiful Fall Colors of the Smokies have been immortalized in so many movies, books, travel articles and other promotional material that the the roads between Gatlinburg and Cades Cove are absolutely gridlocked during peak time - the last three weeks of October.

Even so, if you're set on experiencing the most visually vivid and memorable fall foliage trip of your lifetime, it's well worth the trouble to head for Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains.

The most popular fall foliage spots are Cades Cove, Newfound Gap Road, and Roaring Fork Motor Trail. If you hate crowds, then visit these spots early in the morning.

Here's a few relatively isolated drives and hikes located inside the half-million acres of the Park where you'll find more trees and less tourists, tour guides, leaf peepers and sundry service providers.

Fall foliage is a kinda big deal in Colorado. I mean, they named an entire town to honor their precious Aspen trees.

Aspen might be famed as a winter ski resort, but when the Aspens start shedding gold, the Rockies are get transformed into this picture-perfect wonderland which hides the harsh terrain and offers breath-taking visages.

The Maroon Bells peaks, southwest of Aspen, are the hottest fall foliage ticket in the Rocky Mountains in September.

Shuttle buses will take you back and forth from Aspen, or you can camp out on Maroon Creek Road and drive through to Maroon Lake - which captures the beauty of the fall colors against the bckdrop of the Maroon Bells much better than any zoom lens.

Central Park photo by Alaskan Dude. Gatlinburg photo by LAYeiser. Rocky Mountains photo by Elite PhotoArt.