These Spectacular Leaf Peeping National Parks Show Their True Colors in Fall

25.09.2024 - 14:46 / matadornetwork.com / Sean Pavone

In fall, there’s no better place to enjoy leaf peeping than one of our 62 national parks. While some parks light up in winter and others bloom in full each spring, these 11 national parks are ideal for an autumn visit. The once-green trees and shrubs burst into a kaleidoscope of colors, ranging from fiery reds and oranges to golden yellows and deep purples. The colors are bright, the crowds are light, and if you make it to two you’re doing it right. These are the best national parks to visit in the fall.

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the United States’ most visited for a reason: mist-covered mountains, hiking trails flanked by waterfalls, and stunning vistas everywhere you look. Fall is an ideal time to visit, as the park’s sublime annual rendition of yellows, reds, and greens stretch from the park’s low point at Newfound Gap nearly to its 6,643-foot-high summit at Clingman’s Dome. If you’ve never taken a guided canopy tour, now is the time to do so, as you’ll soar above the colors to take in a view that few get to see from such an angle. One hazard does present itself: being so wowed by the spectrum of colors below you that you forget to monitor the approaching zip line station. Try your best to not forget to slow down.

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Death Valley National Park is the perfect destination for those out west getting a late start on their autumn road trip. The best time to visit is November, when the triple-digit temperatures are gone and the Oasis at Death Valley is open for the season. Death Valley runs on an opposite schedule to most national parks as its busy season is winter. By visiting before the holiday rush, you can hike Badwater Salt Flat or Golden Canyon without a snakeline of people. Book a spot at one of the park’s campgrounds in advance and plan to wake up early; there’s nothing like waking up to watch the sunrise above Badwater Basin.

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Zion National Park, a breathtaking landscape of sandstone cliffs and canyons, undergoes a remarkable transformation during autumn. As the temperatures cool and the days shorten, the park bursts into a kaleidoscope of colors. Make a B-line for the Virgin River. As the leaves of the cottonwood, ash, and maple trees begin to change color, they paint the riverbanks in hues of golden yellow, burnt orange, and deep crimson. You can also hike through the Narrows, a slot canyon best explored during the cooler months, or take a scenic drive along the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. The best time to witness the peak foliage here is from late October to early November.

Photo: Skyler Ewing/Shutterstock

Nowhere tops New England for fall foliage. Acadia National Park is the epitome of why, as birch,