Best fall (statistics, suburbs, rating)

[DubbleT]

Well, it's not the upper Midwest or New England, but if those are too far away you might try the mountains of TN/VA/NC. Some pics from our TN forum thread.
//www.city-data.com/forum/32023153-post538.html and
//www.city-data.com/forum/31815858-post528.html

[Podo944]

Originally Posted by michigan83

I guess I'm not quite sure what people mean by a "long" fall. If you're talking about how long the "fall weather" lasts, I really enjoy being outdoors from September through November. By November the highs are in the 50s and 40s, but you're generally not seeing regular snowfall yet. If you're talking about the colorful leaves, it starts to turn in the very last days of September. If you get a really windy and rainy bout of weather in mid October (which seems to happen a lot) the trees will be bare from that point on, except in protected areas and urban areas. I would describe the colors themselves as somewhat short-lived.

Hi, I don't live in a four seasons area, but I have read how the "color" part of autumn can often be short, and I did also read it will depend on if rain and wind strip the trees of their leaves.

For myself, I'm thinking of a "long fall" as the total "season" between the oppressive heat of summer and the "hibernating long cold SNOWY winter. With or without a long leaf peeping period.

[michigan83]

Originally Posted by Podo944

Hi, I don't live in a four seasons area, but I have read how the "color" part of autumn can often be short, and I did also read it will depend on if rain and wind strip the trees of their leaves.

For myself, I'm thinking of a "long fall" as the total "season" between the oppressive heat of summer and the "hibernating long cold SNOWY winter. With or without a long leaf peeping period.

Well, if that is your definition of a long fall, then I think the falls in Michigan are long. Temps are normally very pleasant (in my opinion) from late August until early to mid November, with highs slowly decreasing from the upper 70s to the 50s. We also do have a lot of oak trees in my area that hang on to their leaves into November, which extends the color season just a tad (even though the oaks aren't nearly as spectacular.)

But the truth is that this general weather pattern exists from the Upper Midwest to Maine and everywhere in between. It certainly is not unique to Michigan.

[southernnaturelover]

The Smoky Mountains are really nice in the fall. Other parts of the Appalachians should be nice too, like WV, eastern KY.

[cheese plate]

Some shots from the county I grew up in (Door County, WI)...

Winding canopy roads near the tip of the peninsula:


Ephraim, my hometown and one of the many harbor towns along Lake Michigan/Green Bay:


Cave Point:


Lighthouses:


Bluffs, colors, and endless horizons:

[Pine to Vine]

I'll give a shout out to Maine. We've been going there every fall for nearly 15 years, so there has to be a reason (aside from all the lobster )













(my pix)

[michigan83]

Originally Posted by Pine to Vine

I'll give a shout out to Maine. We've been going there every fall for nearly 15 years, so there has to be a reason (aside from all the lobster )


(my pix)

Maine is beautiful in the fall! Great pics! It's funny... The very last picture you posted of the Maine coast reminds me a LOT of this pic I took near Marquette, MI along Lake Superior:

[Pine to Vine]

^^^ Wow - pretty uncanny, huh? Michigan really looks beautiful in the pix you posted. And the pix cheese plate posted of WI look pretty nice as well. The upper mid-west is throwing down some tough competition in the pix category.

[cheese plate]

Originally Posted by michigan83

Maine is beautiful in the fall! Great pics! It's funny... The very last picture you posted of the Maine coast reminds me a LOT of this pic I took near Marquette, MI along Lake Superior:

I thought the same thing - Southern Lake Superior coast in general (MN north shore, WI Apostle Islands, Upper Michigan). That photo is from Sugarloaf near Marquette, MI - a great hike and a great 360 view. Out right on the other side of that island is one of the best Lake Superior beaches. I've gone swimming there a couple times - the shallow harbor seems to allow temperatures to hit unusually comfortable numbers for Lake Superior.

Maine is one of 3 states I still need to hit, and it's one I know I'll like a lot. I love northwoods!

[FrankInPhilly]

Regardless of where you want to go, here's a good resource for when to go: http://www.foliagenetwork.com/

For fans of the Northeast, this is a summary of the Foliage Network's report for 2010: http://philly.codecraftersinc.com/foliage2010.htm