As part of my fall color tour around the United States, I've shared some gems from my home state of Michigan - the perfect fall colors weekend in Traverse City (and some pretty amazing wineries), the autumn greenbelt in Colorado, Fall activities in Minnesota, a fall weekend at Sleeping Bear Dunes, fall in northern Norway, along the fall foliage trail from Burlington to Cooperstown, and fall at Lake Michigan.

I couldn’t share a US fall color tour without including upstate New York – one of the most popular areas to see fall’s incredible, colorful beauty. The Adirondacks are famous for their colors – and justly so. In addition, there’s great community there, with plenty to see, experience, and do.

I went to an expert –  Jennifer Miner – to ascertain why she thinks the Adirondacks are one of the best places in the United States to see fall colors. She notes:

The Adirondacks in upstate New York are famously gorgeous year-round, with many terrific leaf-peeping areas in the fall. Lake Placid and Saranac Lake are perhaps the most famous, though I grew up vacationing at Lake George, and can attest to its autumnal beauty as well. The Adirondack region is large enough to offer many happy fall foliage seekers different places to go; six million acres means a lot of trees! Because it's a mountain range, the higher elevations in the Adirondacks means that the fall foliage season is unusually long. The mountain peaks' trees change color first, and the lake regions last. Check out scenic drives along Blue Ridge Road or the Olympic Byway; having gone to college in the foothills of the Adirondacks, I also recommend the Southern Adirondack trail.  
 

Hungry?

There are several restaurants worth mentioning in the Adirondacks: Milano North in Lake Placid (fancy, great wine list, but with that Adirondacks feel), Slickers in Old Forge (burger joint, good beer selection), and The Log Jam at Lake George (log-cabin cozy). If you’re more into gourmet travel, there are also culinary trails nearby – the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail (a visit to 14 independent dairies and farms) and the Canandaigua Wine and Culinary Trail (all within walking distance, in Canandaigua).

Looking for activities in between the fall color viewing and eating?

Visit the 31 acre Wild Center (the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks) or the Adirondack Museum, which shares the history of the people in this area. Another great way to learn about history is to visit Fort Ticonderoga, which has 2,000 acres overlooking Lake Champlain, and shares 18th century history of the area.

With so much to see, do, and eat in the Adirondacks, it’s definitely work a visit at any time of year – but particularly beautiful in the fall.

All photos used with permission, courtesy of Jennifer Miner.