2021’s Best States To Visit This Fall
Sweater season is back, and if you’re planning a getaway that involves cooler weather, colorful leaves, and all things flavored pumpkin spice, you need to know the best states to visit this fall.
LawnStarter ranked the 50 states based on 15 fall factors, including the number of national and state parks, corn mazes, and wineries, as well as the projected number of weeks each state will produce fall foliage for your postcard-perfect snaps.
Check out the top five fall destinations (and the ones to skip this year) below, followed by some highlights and lowlights from our report.
2021’s Best States to Visit This Fall
1. Vermont
2. New Hampshire
3. Maine
4. California
5.Wyoming
2021’s Worst States to Visit This Fall
46. Alabama
47. Hawaii
48. Delaware
49. Mississippi
50. Louisiana
Highlights and Lowlights
Northeastern Domination
Fall foliage is New England’s specialty. No wonder the region monopolizes the top of the ranking! Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine claim the top three spots, respectively, while Connecticut rustles its way to 10th place.
Each of these states promises a projected 10 to 11 weeks of colorful leaves — not to mention the abundance of trails and big yards to maximize your leaf-peeping pleasure.
These four states also towered above the rest in the Entertainment category. Vermont is tops, followed by New Hampshire at No. 2, Maine at No. 4, and Connecticut in 11th place. So when you throw in all the apple orchards, corn mazes, and pumpkin patches — while balancing a glass of vino in your other hand — you get the perfect autumn getaway.
Western Contention
The West promises its own falltastic escape. California leads the region at No. 4, followed by Wyoming, Alaska, Oregon, Montana, and Washington state.
Unlike the Northeast, these states don’t just bring colorful leaves but all of nature, including some of the continent’s most impressive natural wonders. Check out Wyoming’s Yellowstone, Montana’s Glacier National Park, and Alaska’s Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, where fall foliage starts showing in late August.
The West helps you see it all, too, boasting the highest number of scenic drives in the U.S. Take a ride through the Golden States’s 31-mile Avenue of the Giants, for example, and marvel at some of the oldest Redwoods flanking the road.
Just make sure to check for closures as it is wildfire season in the West.
Up and Autumn in the South
The South called, and they said it’s not a good time to visit — at least not the three bottom states located along the Gulf Coast: Alabama (No. 46), Mississippi (No. 49), and Louisiana (dead last). All three states were in the path of Hurricane Ida, one of the most powerful storms in mainland U.S. history, this past August.
These states are still great travel destinations, though — just not while they’re busy rebuilding in the wake of Ida. They’re not out of the woods yet, either. Hurricane season is still in full swing.
Check the full ranking and analysis here.
