10 Incredible Photos of Fall (and How to Get There to Take the Same Shot)

Travelers everywhere will spend some time this season chasing the changing color of the leaves. This natural and annual phenomenal is best witnessed in the largest expanses of deciduous woodland, where fiery reds and glowing yellow and greens light up the landscape.

So break out those lenses and filters for a bucket-list tour of peak autumn displays across the U.S. Here's a guide to get you to where the best photos can be taken this time of year.

1. Meigs Falls

Meigs Falls is one of the two waterfalls inside of the Great Smoky Mountains that you can view from the road. On your way to the trailhead, pull off and enjoy. You'll find this view between The Sinks and the WYE in Townsend on Little River Road. If you have time, pull into The Sinks area and access the Meigs Creek Trail to explore Upper Meigs Falls. You'll find the close to 20ft cascades at 1.7 miles from the trailhead.

2. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Most of the hiking in Alaska's massive Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is done off trail and requires a high-degree of self sufficiency. But with the greatest concentration of glaciers on the continent within its more than 13 million acres, it’s an expansive and colorful pallet to explore over a multi-day backpacking excursion. One ambitious option is to follow the Goat Trail, which is barely that. It requires a plane ride to the Skolai landing strip at 4,500 feet, then a climb up and over the 6,000-foot Chitistone Pass, and a descent through the Chitistone Gorge. Over 20 to 25 miles, hikers pass steep cliffs and waterfalls and cross tundra and streams. Aside from seeing stunning fall color, the Aurora Borealis often appears between midnight and 2 a.m. from September to April.

3. Rocky Mountain National Park

Within Colorado’s iconic Rocky Mountain National Park are lush forests and valleys not on the most traveled tour routes. Yes, you can day hike the popular eastern half of the park and photograph the same gorgeous craggy horizons that millions of other visitors take. In that area of the park you can venture into the less visited Wild Basin where secluded waterfalls and alpine lakes await those willing to hike six miles or more. And west from Thunder Lake lies Lake of Many Winds, the snow fields of Boulder Grand Pass, and several summits to bag, including Mount Alice (13,310 feet), Tanima Peak (12,420 feet), and Chiefs Head Peak (13,579).

4. Grand Canyon National Park

The beauty, both literally and logistically, of visiting Grand Canyon National Park in the fall is for the intense treeline color changes and more forgiving temperatures, and to avoid the crowds which reach their peak in the summer. All the same, head to the North Rim, which is less populated by tourists regardless of the time of year, and take the time to backpack the North Kaibab Trail. On the 28-mile round trip you’ll drink in a full spectrum of fir and aspen trees, ferns and wildflowers. That’s the payoff for taking on a very steep trail with lots of switchbacks. Plan to stay overnight at the Bright Angel Campground by securing a backcountry permit in advance from the park.

5. Maroon Bells

Among the most photographed mountains in North America are the Maroon Bells of the Rockies near Aspen, Colorado. Just a couple hundred yards from the bus dropoff are views that are especially breathtaking in the fall. The aspen-covered hillsides on either end of Maroon Lake take on a transcendent yellow glow. And when the snow starts to fall on the bells in late September, the contrast is especially gorgeous and photo worthy.

6. Pisgah National Forest/Tennent Mountain

The grassy bald of Tennent Mountain, at 6,040 feet, is reached via a rocky climb within the Pisgah National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. Yet the hike up the Art Loeb Trail is relatively easy given the great mountain vistas it delivers. The Shining Rock route is recommended as it begins at the Black Balsam Knob trailhead off the Blue Ridge Parkway with hikers following a ridgeline for five miles en route to the summits of both Black Balsam and Tennent Mountain.

7. Indiana Dunes

Indiana Dunes State Park is just 2,182 acres with three miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, but it is one of the last remaining natural areas between Chicago and Michigan City, Indiana. The 16 miles of trail here cross not only the sandy hills the park is named after but also on hard-packed woodland trails and boardwalks through marshy areas. In the former, camera-wielding hikers can capture the vibrant color changes in the scores of oak, maple, walnut, jack pine, cottonwood, and a dozen other varieties of trees.

8. Elowah Falls

Elowah Falls—an impressively large, 289-foot waterfall in the Western Gorge of Oregon—is an easy 3.5-mile round-trip hike starting at the entrance of the John B Yeon State Park. The trail cuts through dense, lush forest before reaching a bridge in front of the falls. Extend your hike to see Upper McCord Falls, another beautiful albeit smaller drop.

9. Shenandoah’s Dark Hollow Falls

The fall color on display at Virginia's Shenandoah National Park is tremendous, especially surrounding Dark Hollow Falls. The four-mile loop past the waterfall on the Dark Hollow Trail starts at Fisher’s Gap Overlook and descends to a forested riverfront. Dogwood trees turning golden surround two pools at the base of the falls.

10. Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park in the desert of south-central Utah is a hiker’s paradise. The 9.2-mile Rim Overlook Trail, one of 15 trails in the park, provides a grand overview of the Waterpocket Fold and the orchards of Fruita. The trail parallels the Fremont River for 2.3 miles before it begins to climb. Another 2.4 miles on, hikers reach the Navajo Knobs, a curious collection white sandstone spires. The two-mile Hickman Bridge Trail, the most popular hike in the park, leads to a 133-foot natural bridge and some astonishing petroglyphs. Photographers are advised to be prepared for deep blue skies contrasting vividly against the dark canyon walls.

Originally written by RootsRated for Craghoppers.

Featured image provided by Nicholas A. Tonelli