Best Places for Fall Foliage in Maine
You won’t find more dazzling fall color anywhere in the world than the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.
And given its great expanse, wide elevational range, and vast forests, the state of Maine is an epicenter for “leaf-peepers”: those who travel specifically to appreciate autumn’s multihued foliage, one of Mother Nature’s showstopper spectacles.
You can keep track of Maine’s 2017 fall-color bedazzlement—already underway, mind you—here at the state’s official Fall Foliage Website (you can even sign up for weekly foliage updates via email). Meanwhile, here’s a survey of some of the best places to go leaf-peeping in Vacationland, from the North Maine Woods to our very own stretch of seacoast here in the far southeast, where the best of the seasonal show is still to come!
One of the centerpieces of the Maine North Woods, Aroostook State Park—the oldest state park in Maine, incidentally—is an excellent place to track down some of the earliest-turning canopies in the region. The most intense fall color up here in Presque Isle tends to hit from late September to early October, and the latest reports suggest this year’s peak is nearly upon us up there.
Set in the rugged and richly timbered Mahoosuc Range, Grafton Notch State Park gives you far-reaching views of western Maine’s and adjoining New Hampshire’s fiery and golden hardwoods. Among the prime vantages are the lookout tower atop Old Speck Mountain and the “Eyebrow” on its slopes, plus the rocky ledge of Table Rock—all three hearty hikes.
Speaking of vantages, one of the most celebrated leaf-peeping prospects in Maine awaits atop Mt. Battie in Camden Hills State Park, where the viewshed includes sweeping fall-fired forests as well as the rolling waters and islands of the Gulf of Maine.
Ogunquit
You wouldn’t think we’d forget to include the Beautiful Place by the Sea on the list, now would you? Actually Ogunquit is in all honesty an excellent home base for soaking up the fall colors of the Southern Maine coast, which tend to reach their zenith in mid- to late October.
Mount Agamenticus to the west of town is a great destination for leaf-peeping forays from one of our Ogunquit.com hotels in town, or take a coastal drive north to Kennebunkport or south to York, basking in autumn scenery the whole way.
You’ve still got time to lock down your reservations at the Gorges Grant Hotel, the Juniper Hill Inn, or The Milestone for enjoying the peak of greater Ogunquit’s fall color later this month—so what are you waiting for?