A traveler who's been to 35 national parks shares her top 5 for fall leaf-peeping

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North Cascades National Park successful Washington

Blodgett said not capable group talk astir this 684,000-acre park, which is simply a three-hour scenic thrust from Seattle.

And yet, its larch-lined valleys and pristine glacial lakes make it a must-visit spot.

"I deliberation that's a very underrated nationalist park," Blodgett told Business Insider. "The logic is that galore of nan most beautiful places are heavy successful nan backcountry."

"Because of that, it's a really awesome spot for hikers, and it's still a beautiful parkland for anyone to sojourn because location are a ton of beautiful things that you don't needfully person to hike ace heavy to get to," she added.

What stands retired are nan towering larch trees, bursting successful shades of gold, arsenic you walk by nan Maple Pass Loop aliases Blue Lake. En route, there's besides nan Diablo Lake Overpass, which overlooks Diablo Lake pinch jagged peaks known arsenic nan American Alps arsenic a backdrop.

Peak autumn period: Leaves on nan byway starring to nan parkland statesman changing colour successful precocious September, pinch immoderate spots peaking by mid-October.

Tree types: There are yellowish Aspen, multi-colored Mountain Ash, aureate larches, and reddish oaks, to sanction a few.

Capitol Reef National Park successful Utah

This nationalist parkland is location to epic sights, including yellowish leaves group against nan backdrop of nan reddish stone canyons.

Blodgett said Capitol Reef is simply a celebrated road-trip extremity because it's 1 of "the large five," aliases nan five nationalist parks successful Utah: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion.

Despite its popularity, Blodgett said location are plentifulness of underrated things to spot and acquisition there, "and astir group conscionable benignant of scratch nan aboveground conscionable to tick it disconnected their list."

Instead, she highly recommends you "make judge you person capable clip to research a small spot much in-depth."

Byway 12 has immoderate awesome stops for a afloat position of nan autumn shades. If you for illustration to research by foot, you tin hike on nan Hickman Bridge aliases Capitol Gorge Wash, and if you're traveling pinch kids, consequence picking astatine nan orchards is awesome to adhd to your list.

Peak autumn period: Trees astatine an elevation of 8,000 to 10,000 feet reach highest autumn colors successful early October, slow spreading downwards by mid-October, pinch nan lowest elevations peaking extremity of October to early November.

Tree types: Aspen trees, Cottonwoods, and container elder trees, and immoderate consequence orchards tin beryllium seen passim nan park.

Crater Lake National Park successful Oregon

Picture this: 21 quadrate miles of pristine bluish h2o group against nan backdrop of Cascade cliffs and immoderate of nan cleanest aerial successful nan country. America's deepest reservoir is simply a show for each seasons, but particularly worthy of a sojourn successful nan fall.

Blodgett recommends spending astatine slightest 2 afloat days.

"There's 1 thrust passim nan park, Rim drive, that would decidedly return up a full time aliases much depending connected really overmuch clip you want to walk connected it, and past different time to research immoderate of nan different small advertisement hoc areas for illustration nan Rim colony and nan Pinnacles," she said.

She said it's different parkland that doesn't get arsenic overmuch attention, though it is well-trafficked passim nan year.

"It's unique," she said. "There's a ton of history down [the lake], and it's conscionable ace beautiful."

Blodgett believes galore group deliberation of nan parkland arsenic a summertime aliases fall recreation destination, but it is conscionable as, if not more, beautiful successful nan wintertime.

"They get truthful overmuch snowfall that it's mind-blowing to spot that overmuch snowfall successful 1 spot," she said. "I emotion that astir Crater Lake."

Peak autumn period: In Oregon, trees are bursting pinch colour successful mid-October, but leaves commencement to move aureate successful nan first fewer weeks of September.

Tree types: Expect to spot nan 3 maples autochthonal to Oregon — nan large leafage maple, nan vine maple, and nan Rocky Mountain maple — arsenic good arsenic dogwood, birch, and oak.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park successful North Dakota

Although getting to this occidental North Dakota parkland requires immoderate determination, it's worthy a travel successful nan fall, particularly if you besides emotion wildlife spotting.

"The free-roaming feral horses successful nan parkland are really unique, and a batch of group don't cognize that they're there. So that's benignant of fun," said Blodgett.

In summation to nan horses, visitors mightiness drawback a glimpse of bison, elks, white-tailed and mule deer, different mammals, amphibians, and reptiles.

The champion measurement to acquisition nan park's autumn colors is to thrust on nan 28-mile scenic thrust successful nan North Unit, aliases you could hike to nan apical pursuing nan Boicourt Overlook Trail successful nan South Unit.

Peak autumn period: Leaves alteration successful mid-September and are astir vibrant successful mid-October. Trees successful nan North Unit thin to toggle shape earlier than those successful nan South Unit.

Tree types: The parkland predominantly features cottonwoods.

Badlands National Park successful South Dakota

This isn't your emblematic autumn foliage experience, fixed that astir of nan badlands are chiefly location to grasslands. Still, nan towering reddish sandstone buttes much than dress up for wood views.

Blodgett told BI she thinks Badlands National Park is different "beautiful yet underrated park."

She recommends spending 2 days astatine nan parkland which will springiness you ample clip to spot immoderate wildlife and stargaze astatine night.

Peak autumn period: Grasslands statesman changing colour from greenish to aureate yellowish astatine nan extremity of summer, successful early September, and stay colorful until October.

Tree types: A ample portion of nan parkland is covered successful knee-high prairie writer but is besides location to complete 400 different works varieties.