Ok, I may be jumping the gun just the tiniest bit, but I believe that Fall is the perfect time for a vacation! Smaller crowds and great weather are two fantastic reasons but there is also a third one- Fall Foliage! We can jump in a car and drive towards the nearest dazzling leaf show, of course, but why not take a train? You can lose the traffic and snuggle up by the window while being whisked past colorful mountains and forests! Rely on Amtrak to take us through some of the best fall foliage destinations in the country. Here are two of their best routes/destinations:
-The Vermonter travels from DC to St Alban’s, Vermont, passing through forests and towns. It’s a 13 hour journey that crosses nine states. Get off in Battleboro, VT, located in the foothills of the Green Mountains for a fabulous splash of color! Hiking trails abound as do the brightly colored maple, oak and birch trees. The peak time is early to mid-October
-The Cardinal will transport you through a feast of fall colors in the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. Charlottesville, Virginia, located in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains is the perfect stop! It’s a cute University town whose campus is an autumn riot of color! Rent a car and head for the Shenandoah National Park, an hours’ drive away. Mid to late October is the peak time here!
There are also trains that explore other locations, including Wisconsin and Maine. You can also cross the northern border and head into Montreal! Gorgeous scenery and trains just go together, folks!
We took the cardinal through the mountains in October a few years back. The colors were bright and it was nice viewing from the train. I would like to try another of these leaf – peeper train rides. Maine or Vermont should nice and maybe earlier in the month. I appreciate these posts on trains.