Fall camping season is underway across the country, with cooler temperatures, thinner crowds and turning leaves drawing visitors to national parks and mountain regions from Maine to Colorado.
Several destinations stand out for beginners and experienced campers alike this year.
Acadia National Park, Maine
Acadia combines New England foliage with Atlantic coastline views. Campers can hike wooded trails, drive the scenic Park Loop Road, explore the carriage roads and take in the park’s pink granite mountains before an overnight stay.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
The park’s maples, oaks, beeches and dogwoods produce heavy fall color. Beginners can base themselves at established campgrounds and spend days on Newfound Gap Road or Cades Cove Loop Road, where wildlife sightings and valley views are common.
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Shenandoah offers rolling auburn hills and long valley views. Skyline Drive passes 75 overlooks, and hikers can reach waterfalls and forested stretches of the Appalachian Trail, where deer and black bears are sometimes spotted.
Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Golden aspens, alpine lakes and snow-capped peaks make Rocky Mountain National Park a dramatic fall stop. Trail Ridge Road and Bear Lake Road offer strong views, and visitors can catch the elk rut and hike in Glacier Gorge.
Adirondacks and Catskills, New York
For a quieter trip, the Adirondacks and Catskills offer lakes, cabins and country roads. The Hunter Mountain Scenic Skyride and the vintage Catskill Mountain Railroad both provide open-air views of the changing leaves.
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
Known as the
