Autumn in New England

Autumn of 2009 in Massachusetts

The autumn in New England marks the transition from summer to winter in New England, United States. The autumn color of trees in New England has been said to be some of the most brilliant color in the United States. Travelers from many areas of the USA and even Europe flock to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and parts of Massachusetts to see the colors each fall. Hiking has become popular among the tourists, and several areas offer guided tours.

The combination of the natural rugged landscape with the rural and small town villages has made several areas in New England very iconic in terms of fall color photography. The numerous barns, church buildings, farmhouses and villages) combined with the bright oranges, reds, and yellows makes for iconic foliage photographs.

Natural change

Across most of New England, by mid September the days are still warm, but the nights have become cool, and this is the process that begins the colorful change in trees that occur each fall. Trees sense the lowering of the solar angle and reduced hours of daylight, this starts the process of the chlorophyll breaking down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible. This change is most acute in sugar maple trees. This change in color starts in far Northern New England in northern Maine and the higher elevations of Vermont and New Hampshire in mid September, reaching central New England areas of southern Vermont, southern New Hampshire, and Massachusetts by early October. By mid October the color peak reaches northern Rhode Island and northern Connecticut. Across southern Rhode Island and southern Connecticut the number of sugar maple trees declines as the climate changes to a more temperate zone and oaks become more dominate, thus there is less bright colors..

The beautiful leaf colors are probably the most attractive and exciting natural autumn changes. Approximately 70 percent of the trees in New England change their colors during autumn, which is much more than the worldwide average of 15%. The beautiful views in New England attracts millions of tourists during this season from all around the country and even all over the world. As a result, they contribute a large amount of money to the economy in these areas .

The activity of travelling and watching foliage views is often called "leaf peeping". When planning leaf peeping trips, time is critical. As temperature often change rapidly in autumn, the peak time of foliage with the best view is usually as short as one week. Although a great number of studies about predicting foliage peak have been done by meteorologists and researchers, it is still hard to know the precise peak time a few weeks in advance. Many factors, for example temperature and precipitation and other climate changes, affect the autumn phenology, especially leaf color.

Popular Leaf-Peeping Sites

Lake Winnipesaukee

There are many famous travel destinations for leaf-peeping.

In Maine, Acadia National Park has beautiful foliage colors, and many outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and boating are available in autumn.

The White Mountains in New Hampshire has the highest point in New England: the summit of Mount Washington, and it can be achieved through either Auto Road or historic Cog Railway.

Lake Winnipesaukee has a beautiful lake view together with the foliage.

In Vermont, Battle Monument and Mount Equinox are very popular for their scenic views during the autumn.

As Rhode Island is famous for its wine production, thus, autumn--the harvest season--is a great time to visit the state.

Mohawk Trail in Massachusetts is America's first officially designated scenic road offering beautiful view for hikers and bikers.

Adams, located in western Massachusetts, has the highest spot in the state. At the top of Mount Greylock, the Annual Greylock Ramble is held and visitors can have a bird's-eye view of the foliage colors of the mountain. The month-long scenic fall foliage train rides in North Adams, and the Fall Foliage and Mid-Century Architecture Tour in Williamtown are also available during the autumn.

Fall colors can also be found all along the coastline in New England, and many beautiful small towns from North Maine to South Connecticut are popular in autumn.

Popular cultural Events

Autumn in New England has also become a popular theme in American popular culture, with many fictional stories being set in autumntime New England.There are various cultural events and popular activities in many places in New England.

Annually, about a quarter million people travel to Salem, a small city north of Boston, for its famous Haunted Happenings festival in October to celebrating Halloween. The festival lasts for a month and is famous for its different kinds of events, including parades, street fairs, live music, and film nights. Salem is famous for its witch trials in 1692 and 1693, and the Witch Museum is a popular place for visitors. There are also many practicing wiccans in Salem. At the end of October, Salem becomes a party town, as hundreds of people celebrate Halloween in costume and many special events are hold.

Salem Witch Museum on Halloween

Lincoln, a small but famous town in the middle of the White Mountains, New Hampshire, is also an attractive place to visit in autumn. In early October, it hosts White Mountain Oktoberfest with many activities including mountaintop yoga class, beer lessons, live music and games. The foliage scene is a must-see in the White Mountains, and Lincoln offers a zip-line tour in which tourist can have a panoramic view of the mountain from the sky.

Danville, Vermont, also attracts thousands of visitors in autumn for famous Great Vermont Corn Maze, which is the largest corn maze in New England. This famous corn maze is as large as 24 acres with three miles of trails. It usually takes more than 2 hours to exit the maze. Besides the large maze, there is also a small one located in the middle of the big one.

Autumn is the season of pumpkin, and in Damariscotta, Maine, a pumpkin festival is hold every year and attracts thousands of visitors. The festival includes many pumpkin events including pumpkin parades, a pumpkin-pie eating contest, a giant pumpkin weigh-off, and a carved pumpkin display.

External links

Media related to Autumn in New England at Wikimedia Commons