U.S. vistas will dazzle
Fall foliage in the northeastern U.S. dazzles locals and draws millions of tourists, but many flock to the same tired vantage points.
Those willing to venture off the beaten path will be rewarded with stunning and comparatively uncrowded fall vistas — and some killer selfies.
Here’s The Associated Press’s guide to the best corners of New England and upstate New York for leaf-peeping.
CONNECTICUT
The Heublein Tower in Simsbury, Conn., sits at the top of Talcott Mountain State Park.
The 50-metre tower was built in 1914 by liquor magnate Gilbert Heublein as a summer home and offers spectacular views that on a clear day extend north to the Berkshires in Massachusetts and south to Long Island Sound.
Getting to the tower involves a relatively easy two-kilometre hike up a foliage-filled trail that winds up the mountain with plenty of overlooks of the Farmington River Valley.
There’s also a nearby pumpkin patch where visitors can enjoy hayrides and pumpkin picking.
MAINE
Nestled in tiny Turner in the foothills of Maine, Ricker Hill Orchards combines two of New England’s most beloved autumn activities: picking your own apples and admiring the turning leaves.
The ninth-generation orchard also offers fall staples such as cider and cider doughnuts along with its apples and views.
It’s about an hour’s drive north of Portland — a drive with its own superb views of the fall spectacle.
In the southern Adirondacks, the stony Sacandaga River and a series of forest-rimmed lakes reflect blazing orange and yellow leaves along an 80-kilometre stretch of Route 30 from Northville to Indian Lake, where the Great Adirondack Moose Festival is slated for Sept. 24-25.
There are long stretches of unbroken wilderness between the hamlets of Wells, Speculator and Indian Lake, with hiking trails leading to secluded ponds, waterfalls and small mountains with big views.
VERMONT
The top of Owls Head Mountain, reached by a short hiking trail in the Groton State Forest off state Route 232, offers consistently world-class foliage displays. With an elevation of just under 600 metres, the view from the rock face near the peak includes spectacular views of Lake Groton, Kettle Pond, Peacham Bog and an unbroken expanse of forest that in late September and early October glows red, orange and yellow.
While the more adventurous can make a 21/2-kilometre hike that’s rated as easy to moderate, it’s also possible to drive to a parking area near the top for a short walk that makes it an ideal outing with kids.