Suggestions for fall foliage trip

[mnmmichelle]

Hi. I live in south Jersey and I am thinking about taking a fall foliage trip. I only want to do about three days. I was thinking along the lines of VA, WV, or NC. Can anyone suggest where I could go? Thanks

[HRife]

My favorite has always been the Smoky Mtns Natl. Park. I have been trying to catch the fall colors every year since 1988. This year I moved to a town just 18 minutes from the Park. Maybe I'll see you here.

[ReRafromVA]

I would STRONGLY recommend you the Blue Ridge Parkway... Check it out here: http://www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?FeatureID=183

You have plenty to do in the area, and coming from NJ, you could be there in 6 hours or so... I do the trip every weekend!

I am actually planning on taking a drive out there in the next couple of weeks...

Anyhow... If you decide to do it, hope you have tons of fun, and shoot 100s of photos.

Cheers,

[Larry Richardson]

My choice would definitely be Great Smoky Mountains National Park. One of the advantages in shooting there is the elevation factor. You will find different degrees of progression of color as you change elevation. Cades Cove is a must. If you decide to go to this part of the park plan to arrive at the entrance about an hour before sunrise. You will want to be one of the first cars through the cove. It a an 11 mile one-way road and really gets bogged down in the fall. "Bear jams" (people stopping in the middle of the road to get out to take pictures of bears) are frequent. In spite of an abundace of pull-offs, people tend to just stop where they please with little consideration for others. I live in Vermont and am used to great color, but am never disappointed when I hit the peak in GSMNP. Feel free to contact me if you decide to go there and I will give you some good tips on where to go.