15 Locations to Look for Great Fall Colors

Also… Bad weather “can” be good weather + 15 locations to look for great colors

A low-pressure front moves in and what it means to me!
Favorite fall foliage spots to look for
Some photos from October 1st around Franconia NH

Bad weather is good for Photographs, IF, maybe, kinda-sorta

OK, low pressure means rain and wind. Generally, this is not the kind of weather we want to see during foliage season. Rain and even light winds, mean, what was peak on the trees will become a colorful carpet in no time.

Scenic Vermont hills draped in their fall colors. Down below this modest hills (averaging 1,500 ft) you would find White River Ledges Natural Area. There are so many amazing little out of the way places. This view is quiet Extraordinary because you will find this at the Sharon Vermont Rest Area. Go to the left of the building past the parking lot and look past the highway to the hills across the way.

Most of us want sunny days and cool nights and no rain or uncomfortable weather. You also want all the leaves on the trees and plenty of locations to pick from, in fact, you want it all in every direction. In other words, you want it easy.

Life isn’t easy and if the fall colors were, then we’d get bored…
Jeff Foliage

tranquil Sunset over Salem Massachusetts

I say give me a partly cloudy day, give me interesting clouds, rain? Bring it on! Of course, if we get a torrential downpour and even I stay in the car. But give me a misting light rain and I’m out looking at the saturated fall colors. Misting rain improves the colors and if you time it right, if or when the sun comes out could mean a possible rainbow due to the misting rain.

So before you write off a rainy day, I want you to go outside and give that rainy day a chance.

Well, my friends, we don’t know what our next fall season will hold for us and if we’re lucky, we’ll have a little light rain and partly cloudy days. So you may have to work at it, to find your fall colors. But if you’ve read any of my past articles, RULE #1, always be looking for an activity to do (a fall festival is nice) and if you find fall colors along the way then you have a bonus round for the day.

Photography tip for wet weather

Photographers know one thing, if you get a misting rainy day, there are possibilities for creative pictures. Be prepared with a bag to cover your phone or camera. You don’t need a formal camera cover, just grab a plastic grocery bag and tear a hole to stick your lens out. This protects your electronics. To be honest most of your phones are water resistant so use the bag to keep water off the lens.

15 Locations to check out at different times of the season

The question is are you willing to drive the miles to get up there? I’ve had several days of driving 14-15 hours, and it’s not that I drove a thousand miles. I drove 379 miles yesterday and 14.5 hours from the time I hit the road till I got home. Why did such a short trip take so long? Because I got out of the car and went looking for the fall colors.

Here is a list of 15 locations to research and I’ve included dates when it “should” be good

Manchester VT. College town and home to Todd Lincoln (Hildene) (the son of Abraham Lincoln). Take a tour of the estate and walk the garden paths. The town is picturesque and worth seeing. Good colors around 7-15 October.
Route 125 between Middlebury VT and Hancock VT. Twisty winding road with steep walls of color. Good colors around 7-15 October.
Woodstock VT. A quaint village, Covered bridge, Billings farm, and museum, Pomfret just up the road, and a bunch more. The good dates are around 4-15 October.
Groton State Park Vermont and Seyon Pond. A quiet pond with surrounding hills that can be full of colors. Good dates range between 25 Sept to 7 Oct.
Milan Fire Tower. Good colors around 26 Sept-10 October.
Errol NH, Good colors around 27 Sept-10 October.
Dixville Notch, Good colors around 26 Sept -10 October.
Groton State Park Maine. 5 Oct – 12 Oct.
Coos Canyon Maine on Route 17. Good colors around 4-12 October.
Rangeley Lake can be as early as 27 Sept and the latest was 19 Oct but this color was very limited. Here is an article about Rangeley.
Coastal Maine gets the color later. Acadia and mid-coast should be good 15-25 October.
The Berkshires are good due to elevation from Late Sept to the 4-5th but lower elevation will be 4 -10 Oct
The Pioneer Valley (along Route 5 or I-91) should be good 15-25 October.
Salem Mass and places along the coast will be 25 Oct -5 November
Pomfret CT, 20 October into early November…