Accommodation In Ballito - Fall Foliage Scenic Drives in New England - Introduction

And all around the world, it happens all around North America. The shortening daylight hours trigger the deciduous trees to begin the process of shedding their leaves. Fall foliage in New England really begins in August.

But in New England it's special.

Why is fall foliage in New England so different and special?

And browns on the hills and mountain sides of New England, oranges, yellows, then you get the world famous stunning shades of reds, when these and a few other conditions are all mixed in the right proportions. And cool - but not freezing - nights, warm autumn days, it's a factor of many things but mostly an abundance of different types of deciduous trees.

These six scenic drives offer some of the best autumn views available from anywhere on the planet. Visitors flock to New England to see the fall foliage, between mid-September to late-October.

This is an introduction to a series of six articles that provide details and routes on each of these scenic drives.

FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE - MOHAWK TRAIL MASSACHUSETTS

And Shelburne Falls, charlemont, colrain, shelbourne, deerfield, touching picturesque towns like Williamstown, and winds through the hills and mountains of the Berkshires, this trail rolls out through the northwestern part of the state on route 2. The most popular fall foliage scenic drives in Massachusetts are along the famous Mohawk Trail.

Offers spectacular views of the surrounding area and Mohawk Trail, the highest point in Massachusetts, mount Greylock.

FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE - KANCAMAGUS HIGHWAY NEW HAMPSHIRE

And with views of the highest mountains in the Presidential Range, it has beautiful forests ablaze with autumn colors and plenty of photo opportunities with walks along gorges and streams. This drive is considered by many to be the top fall foliage New England scenic drive. New Hampshire has many scenic drives in the White Mountain National Forest but at the top of the list has to be the 34-mile Kancamagus Scenic Highway that runs along route 112 from Conway to White Mountains Visitor Center in Lincoln.

FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE - CENTRAL VERMONT AREA

And not surprisingly offers spectacular fall foliage color and scenery, this is deep in The Green Mountain National Forest area. Rutland and Ludlow, and the towns and highways of Woodstock, around Killington, but arguably Vermont's best loved fall foliage drive is in the Central Vermont area. In Vermont nature planted all the high peaks in the south - although the North Kingdom has great color as well.

FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE - LAKES AND LEAVES MAINE

And the surrounding mountains on this Maine Scenic Highway, you'll see unparalleled fall foliage views of the tree-lined banks of the Kennebec River. But the Lakes and Leaves drive that touches the shores of Moosehead Lake on Route 15 before heading south on route 201 is ever popular. It's difficult to single out one, with Maine's many driving loops to choose from. Parts of Maine are the first to display peak fall foliage color in New England.

FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE - RHODE ISLAND COAST

A pleasant seaside twist to a fall foliage drive. The drive finishes over the breathtaking Ocean Drive in historic Newport. And eventually over Newport Bridge on route 138, the 61-mile Rhode Island Coast Scenic Drive follows the coastline east from Westerly before turning north along Narragansett Bay. Fall vacationers in Rhode Island have open roads and coastal drives to satisfy their leaf peeping.

FALL FOLIAGE SCENIC DRIVE - CONNECTICUT ROUTE 169

With some of the most stunning scenic drives being on Route 169 in the glacial plains which are part of Quinebaug River bottomlands, not to be outdone during fall foliage the state of Connecticut has in its own little corner of popular autumn leaf spotting sites.