You are here

Reader Participation Day: Where Do You Go To See Fall Colors In The National Parks...And To Flee the Crowds?

Share

Fall is the time for forests to relax after casting off their leaves. Bob Mishak photo.

It's easy to name colorful parks come fall. Acadia National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Shenandoah National Park are just three. But where do you go to see spectacular fall colors...without the crowds?

That's a tough question. Perhaps too difficult to answer these days as more and more folks head into the parks to enjoy the leaves and cooler temperatures.

But we know there are secret places out there, or certain times of the week, when you can enjoy the fall foliage without several hundred of your friends.  Care to share your secret spots or strategies?

Comments

If the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park isn't quiet enough for you to see the golden glow of the fall aspen then stay out of the park and visit the adjacent Kaibab National Forest.


Well I would have said Sleeping Bear Dunes, with all the beech-maple forests there it can be stunning. BUT....I was there yesterday morning, on a Tuesday, and the crowds were intense. Looked like a summer weekend. So I guess that cat's out of the bag.


In SoCal, you don't get much foliage. The aspen grove in the San Bernardino NF, and Cooper Canyon in the Angeles NF are nice, but I don't think any of our national parks offer much in the way of autumn color.


We went to Grand
Canyon North Rim and Cedar Breaks National Monument this past
weekend. The colors were phenomenal and the crowds were scant.


Kolob Terrace at Zion. I generally prefer the high country to the canyon anyway, but the autumn colors really set it apart.


Mt. Rainier has some beautiful fall color in amongst the evergreens.  Vine maples in particular turn a wonderful flame red-orange.  And above the evergreens as well.  The alpine tundra at Sunrise and Paradise looks like a tapestry in early October.


Get on the trails.
Then you'll be in the colors with few people.
Danny


Great Basin.  I was there two weekends ago.  It was quiet, almost empty, and absolutely wonderful.  Plenty of open campsites, perfectly clean everywhere, with a staff of enthusiastic rangers and an obviously hard-working maintenance crew.  Absolutely delightful.

But the fall colors were just beginning to show up.  I guess they must be peaking right about now.  Bristlecone pines, some of the oldest living things on earth, don't have much color, but their age and beauty is awe inspiring. 

Yesterday and today rain, snow and wind have clobbered this part of the country.  Yet at Great Basin, Lehman Cave -- which is one of the most spectacular of all the NPS caves -- is reasonably dry and not very windy.  It's a Dark Sky park with a fine astronomy offering.  Just bundle up.


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.