Fall Foliage Map.

If I had to choose a favorite season, fall would inevitably win out.

Growing up in New England, I have such fond memories of spending weekends in late September and October driving along winding country roads in northern Westchester, Connecticut, and even Vermont, oohing and aahing at the brightly hued red and golden leaves before stopping at a local roadside farm for some apple cider and a fresh cinnamon sugar donut.

Even though I’m now based in the mid-Atlantic, leaf peeping and donut eating remain a treasured past-time every autumn. But predicting where to go and when for the best foliage can be tricky; we went up to Vermont in mid-October a few years ago and were dismayed to find the trees mostly bare with only a few dark orange and red colored fronds. Don’t let that happen to you!

Before you make any leaf peeping travel plans, check out this interactive map by SmokyMountains.com.

Image via SmokyMountains.com.

Slide the circle underneath the map over to your travel date to see what the foliage will be like where you’re going. Utilizing an algorithm that analyzes multiple data points including user-generated inputs, the map helpfully predicts the state of foliage across the U.S. from early September through late November, including whether there is “no change,” “minimal,” “patchy,” “partial,” “near peak,” “peak,” and “past peak.” If you’re a science nerd, you’ll probably appreciate the website’s detailed explanation of how and why leaves change color, and what happens when leaves fall on the ground.

P.S. Once you decide where you’re going and when, search local county sites to research nearby farms and orchards for pumpkin festivals, agricultural fairs, and the best cider and donuts around.