From red-leaf hunting in Japan to Scotland’s “big tree country”, here are four destinations to experience the season’s vibrant show.
Travelling to view the changing leaves at their peak has been an American tradition since at least the 19th Century, when Henry David Thoreau and Emily Dickinson wrote rapturously on the beauty of the season. More than a century later, millions cruise the interstates and parkways flecked with foliage, seeking cabin stays, camping weekends, apple-picking outings and hikes. They crisscross Texas, explore New York’s Catskills and Adirondack mountains by bike and by boat; hike North Carolina’s Blue Ridge and Rockies, and, whether welcomed or not, clog Vermont with cars. And they don’t know what they’re missing.
Spectacular changing leaves can be seen in forests around the world, from the fiery maple leaves of Japan to the golden colours that spread across Scotland’s rolling highlands. Each country offers travellers unique ways to view the foliage and celebrate the season as a whole.
Here are four places around the world where autumn comes alive in full colour.
AlamyQuebec, Canada
The same sugar maples that light up New England blaze over the border into Quebec. Both coasts of the country boast spectacular colour changes, but the province of Quebec is one of the best locations to view them, whether you’re looking for a city escape or to immerse yourself in nature. “Quebec offers a spectacular – and less crowded – alternative for US travellers to New England’s traditional foliage routes,” said Josie Lapke, a representative from Bonjour Quebec, the province’s official tourism site. “With vivid reds, oranges and golds stretching from the Laurentians to the Eastern Townships.”
The Parc d’environnement naturel de Sutton, for example, offers birds-eye views of the yellows and reds of Mount Sutton, whether by a slow, scenic chairlift ride or via zipline for the more adventurous. For a more urban adventure, the Jacques-Cartier National Park located just outside of Quebec City offers the best of both worlds.
