10 Fantastic Fall Foliage Destinations
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Myles Standish State Forest
Location: Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Why It’s Great: 15 miles of hiking trails and 13 miles of biking trails are available for year-round use making it an ideal 4 season destination. With a diverse variety of scenery including ponds, cranberry bogs, pine trees, and deciduous trees, your eyes will never get bored. Additionally, the trails are always peaceful and never overcrowded.
Myles Standish is one of the nicest places for year-round recreation in Massachusetts. While living here, this was my go-to park in every season. I’ve lived in a lot of different cities and states and this is still my favorite park.
Here you will find a variety of hiking and biking trails, varying both in difficulty and scenery. The park is home to one of the largest pine/scrub oak communities north of Long Island. You’ll also get to take in some lovely fall foliage especially near the ponds.
I recommend the Reservoir trail for a picture-perfect New England fall hike.
The main highlight of this park is that it is always so quiet and under crowded. It’s almost spooky hiking alone in a desolate forest with a haunted history – an abandoned mental institution is rumored to be hidden deep within the forest. I love ghost stories so this makes hiking or biking here in the fall all the more attractive to me.
I am not sure why more people do not use this gorgeous forest, especially locals who have such easy access to one of the state’s best recreational areas.
Overall, a hike or bike ride at this beautiful underrated park is a must-do on any trip to the Southeastern portion of the state. The beautiful fall weather & foliage that Massachusetts is so well-known for, creates the picture-perfect fall setting for any type of recreational activity.
The Veit Springs Trail
Location: Flagstaff, Arizona
Why It’s Great: It’s less crowded that the more popular Snowbowl hiking trails. Hidden pictographs accessible from a side trail. Gorgeous golden aspens mix with ponderosa pines for a striking effect.
Veit Springs is another beauty located in Flagstaff. This was another of my go-to hikes all year-round. I love the dense mix of ponderosa pine and aspen forest on this one. This city is located within the largest ponderosa pine forest in the country so the views are very different from Phoenix and Tucson. You can enjoy the pines year-round and beautiful golden aspens in autumn. The trail is underused so you feel like you get to take in the beauty of the season all to yourself.
While not as magnificent as the Inner Basin, it is also less crowded, much easier (just 1.5 miles with no hills), and less of a hassle to get to (no long waiting line like Inner Basin, as well as a nice paved road to get to the trailhead). Also, there are some interesting sights to see along the way including a few ancient red pictographs which can be viewed by taking an easy side trail. As a local, I frequented this one a lot due to the peaceful nature.
