Fall Foliage in New England

Fall Folliage 001Anda Galffy is the editor, writer and photographer of Travel Notes & Beyond, a collection of stories and travel impressions that focuses on worldwide destinations, art, food and culture. She has a life-long passion for photography that started back in the days of black-and-white, analog photography. Wherever she is in the world, you’ll find her behind her camera trying to catch the essence of each place, the culture, and the people. So follow along and sample some great cities, quaint destinations, historic sites and plenty of scenic beauty.


I am delighted to bring you this guest post courtesy of Anda Galffy from Travel Notes & Beyond. We don’t experience the colours of fall foliage as seen in the Northern Hemisphere here in Australia, so when Anda offered to write a guest post I jumped at the chance for her to combine her passion for photography and translate her impression of the explosion of colours of Connecticut with us.

Once October has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, the bright fall colors explode in full force. New England’s fall foliage is legendary. Across the region, leaves turn from green to gold and scarlet, purple and orange. Picture this: brilliant foliage on the background of the blue sky on a sunny afternoon, or a colonial house on the lakeshore, surrounded by scarlet maple trees. Iconic postcards like this turned New England into the most renowned destination for leaf peeping. Visitors from all over the world crowd the roads of the region, hoping to catch a glimpse to this idyllic scenery.  Tourism brings close to 3 billion dollars/year during this season, so you can rightly say that money grows on trees in autumn in New England.

This past week I joined the millions of leaf peepers who came to ravel in the beautiful colors that nature has produced this season. My reason wasn’t exactly watching the fall foliage, but rather of a personal matter, which didn’t diminish the excitement when I realized I dropped in at the most spectacular time of the year. Ah, what a thrill!  It’s absolutely spectacular. The colors are incredibly bright: from red, to yellow, to fuchsia, or even burgundy, it is delightful to watch the hills and meadows beaming with color. Local fairs and festivals, apple picking, pumpkin patches, everything around seems to be a celebration of the beauty of this season.

But what makes the leaves turn scarlet and gold in mid-September in northern areas? The stretch of cool and sunny weather produces an abundance of bright red pigments. The variety and intensity of autumn colors is very much influenced by the weather, the brightest colors being produced when dry, sunny days are followed by cool, dry nights. Formerly green leaves turn to brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red. As for the intensity of the colors, that is determined by a combination of weather, altitude and soil, plus certain species of trees.

There is nothing more colorful and exhilarating than fall in New England. And if you think the Yankees are bragging for no reason, you should come see for yourself. And for your inspiration, I’ve picked some scenes that will hopefully delight your eyes.

What are you waiting for? Share this post or leave a comment below. If you like this post and want to read more like this why not subscribe to our Newsletter? We won’t spam you or share your personal details. If you’re not doing so already, please follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram or click the MixFlipboard or other social media buttons below to share this post with others who might enjoy reading it.

33 Responses

  1. George says:

    Beautiful colors and photos! Thanks for posting

  2. Teena K says:

    I’ve lived in New England my whole life and autumn is my favorite time of year. Country fairs and foliage – does it get any better than that?

    If you’re looking for gorgeous views and the best foliage in the East, come to North Conway, NH!

    The Kancamagus is about 3 miles south and is said to be the best foliage viewing in the country!

    Prime viewing time in the White Mountains is mid-October. Enjoy!

  3. Elisa Bevan says:

    You have given some really Amazing Post! Thank you for the ideas.

  4. Beautiful photos! I particularly enjoyed the close-ups of the individual leaves. It’s so cool that you didn’t come to New England specifically to see the fall foliage– I’m sure that made it even more special when you saw all the brightly-colored leaves!
    Jessica @ Green Global Travel recently posted…PHOTO GALLERY: Tibetan Culture In LadakhMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      They are great photos aren’t they Jessica. Fortunately Anda from Travel Notes and Beyond wrote this great post as a guest as we have not experienced this area.

  5. oh wow! What a lovely collection of photos. Our trees have turned in Germany as well, but the last few days have been too cold and gray to go exploring. Hopefully the weekend will be bring sun!

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks for your comment Dana, Anda has put together a lovely collection of photos for us all to enjoy.

  6. Amy says:

    Oh I love the colors. It’s a dream of mine to visit New England in the fall! I would love to just start in the South and make my way up the coast 🙂
    Amy recently posted…Three Months in Prague (By the Numbers)My Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks for the comment Amy, I hope your dream becomes reality.

  7. Muza-chan says:

    Beautiful photos… love the colors…
    Muza-chan recently posted…The Golden Crow CastleMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks for commenting Muzza, Anda did a great job.

  8. Camila says:

    Absolutely beautiful! I come from just across the border in Canada and autumn is my favourite season because of the colours – it just makes every where just so beautiful and vibrant!
    Camila recently posted…Winter Book ChallengeMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks for commenting Camila, as pretty as Autumn is I still think Spring is my favourite time of the year.

  9. Oh it looks beautiful! I want to go there next fall 🙂
    Steph @Every Steph recently posted…10 simple rules for the Responsible TouristMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks for your comment Steph, Anda has done a wonderful job enticing us all.

  10. Em says:

    Oh, the colors! Just want to rake a bunch up and jump in and roll around 🙂
    Em recently posted…Why we love home exchanges, Italian-styleMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks for your comment Em, that sure sounds like fun!

  11. Michelle says:

    I had the opportunity to spend October in New England a couple of years ago. The colors were amazing. We rarely get such beautiful fall foliage in south Carolina.
    Michelle recently posted…Swimming with fairies and the beauty of SkyeMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks for your comment Michelle, I’m sure if Anda’s beautiful photos are anything to go by it would have been breathtaking.

  12. New England has it so nice for the foliage. I’m in NY and it happens so quick, well we don’t even have many trees in the city so unless we go upstate or out of state we don’t see much of it at all. Before we know it, the trees are bare !
    Angelica @BKChickTravels recently posted…Beaching it Up at Palm Cove Beach in AustraliaMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks for commenting Angelica, the colours are so beautiful, I would hate to miss them.

  13. I’ve heard so much about New England in Autumn – I’d love to see these colours out there myself in person one day 🙂
    Shikha (whywasteannualleave) recently posted…Made to measure clothes, Hanging Lanterns & Unspoilt Beaches in Hoi An, VietnamMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Shikha, I hadn’t heard about New England until I read this post by Anda, but it is now somewhere I am keen to visit so I can become a leaf peeper. Thank you for your comment.

  14. The only time of year I’m a bit jealous I don’t live somewhere with more distinct seasons! Beautiful photos.
    alexa meisler recently posted…The 52 Supernatural Places on Hawai’i IslandMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      We are the same in Australia Alexa, we have Autumn but don’t the same trees to give us the full range of vibrant colours. Thank you for your comment.

  15. What beautiful pictures of the autumn foliage!! New England reminds me of Canada in fall – such vibrant colors!!
    Constance – Foreign Sanctuary recently posted…OMG…I’m Writing a Book: The Events That Started It AllMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thank you for your comment Constance, Anda has captured the essence of Autumn beautifully.

  16. Rebekah says:

    Oh I’m from maine and I miss fall In new England like crazy. Its so beautiful this time of year.
    Rebekah recently posted…Glacier National ParkMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks for commenting Rebekah, it sure looks pretty.

  17. Isabella says:

    This is so beautiful!
    Looking at this makes me miss my hometown! Unfortunately a “Golden Fall” is over in Poland and from yesterday it’s cold and gray…
    Thank you Anda & ShoeHole 😉 for showing this beautiful and inspiring place 🙂
    Isabella recently posted…A walk through the Medieval TallinnMy Profile

    • Lyn says:

      Thanks for your comment Isabella, I am very lucky that Anda offered a guest post about this truly beautiful time of year in New England.

  1. […] features a range of exotic and native species of plants making it a great time to visit in autumn (Fall). 30km’s south of Perth in the Darling Ranges, Araluen is an extraordinary garden in a […]

  2. […] features a range of exotic and native species of plants making it a great time to visit in autumn (Fall). 30km’s south of Perth in the Darling Ranges, Araluen is an extraordinary garden in a […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this:
Interested in travel?

Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

Send this to a friend