Making memories in the fall: leaf peeping and Halloween
By Eileen Ogintz
Tribune Content Agency
Who has collected the biggest leaves? The most sticks? The most different colored leaves as mementos of the fall?
Just remember, if you are out enjoying the fall foliage (or trying to), keep in mind young kids, you may not get very far from the trailhead. Just lean into it, suggests the Appalachian Mountain Club’s James Wrigley, himself the dad of three, including a 4-year-old. AMC has also updated its Fall Foliage Tracker, which is a great way to track the season and foliage changes with your kids.
“Keeping kids motivated at this stage of the game is key,” suggested Wrigley, whose young son kept sitting down on the short trail. “In the fall we’ll play games like finding mushrooms of every color of the rainbow or collecting the largest leaves.”
“If you’re looking at a longer hike, at a certain point bribery is going to play a role,” he added. “Many of my adult friends remember hiking as the only time they were consistently given candy, and I know my children will be sharing that experience with their friends later in life.”
For my kids, it was always M&Ms. I guess it worked to keep them going. As adults, two of the three are enthusiastic hikers and backpackers.
With the littlest hikers, don’t attempt anything too difficult as the point is for the kiddos to simply enjoy being outside. For kids 7 to 10, Wrigley suggested, “Hiking with other kids is a game changer, my 8-year-old will still give me a lot of grief if it’s just the two of us but as soon as her friend or peer is there, she is off to the races.”
Besides treats, healthy snacks, and water, you want to make sure everyone has rain jackets, an extra layer, and a whistle. (Teach them to “hug a tree” if they get separated from you on the trail and blow their whistle. Even if the kids have cellphones, they may not work.) Don’t forget your first- aid kit. I learned that lesson the hard way in Joshua Tree National Park when one of my daughters fell into some cactus. Ouch!
You’ve also got to be ready to pull the plug like we had to on one memorable trip that was supposed to be hiking hut to hut in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. The pouring rain left everyone wet, cold and miserable. We decamped to a cozy bed and breakfast.
The Appalachian Mountain Club, incidentally, offers lodging destinations across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, complete with the chance to join an outdoor hike or other activities.
Fall, of course, is a great time to get the kids outdoors. While peak foliage was earlier this fall in the West, because of the drought, there are plenty of opportunities elsewhere out there well into November with plenty to see and do beyond the leaves.
Through the Sonesta Guide to America– an innovative interactive guide celebrating America’s 250th anniversary – vacation planners can now weave cultural landmarks, historical sites and authentic regional experiences into their fall trips and getaways.
Cruisers can sail along Acadia National Park’s colorful coast or explore Quebec, Shore Excursions Group, the world’s leading independent shore excursion provider.
Discover the famous Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia or enjoy a sail on a schooner in Bar Harbor, Maine, without the hassle of a multi-state drive. (Check www.cruisecritic.com for the best deals.)
Kampgrounds of America (KOA) reports that shoulder-season travel is on the rise, with campers turning to fall getaways for better value, fewer crowds, and prime leaf peeping weather. KOA offers more than 500 campgrounds across North America with a variety of accommodations close to prime foliage destination complete with themed activities.
Peak leaf season varies by region, and popular destinations will have predictions online. The Old Farmer’s Almanac has an interactive Fall Foliage Timeline. You can find a Peak Fall Foliage Map for New England here, for example.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina offers the chance to enjoy the foliage through mid-October while the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park can offer spectacular colors even later. Lower elevations in the Pacific Northwest hold their colors into late October in places like the Columbia River Gorge.
Priceline lists the top U.S. destinations for fall color this year in October based on hotel search data from U.S. travelers. New York’s Adirondacks, about a five-hour drive from New York City, is in first place. Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge, famous for the 620-foot Multnomah Falls and the town of Hood River, took second place. Aspen, Colorado, with more than two million shimmering trees, making the hikes through the Maroon Bells even more spectacular, came in third, while Bucks County, Pennsylvania, just an hour from Philadelphia, and Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, just three hours from Boston, also made the top five.
It’s important to remember there is plenty more to do than just checking out the leaves. biking or getting an adrenaline rush on a zipline like Bretton Woods Canopy Tour through the White Mountains. There are nine ziplines, two sky bridges, and rappels. Visit a farmer’s market or pick apples or pumpkins. Indulge in a spa treatment at a resort like Topnotch Resort in Stowe, Vermont, where the Stowe-liage Foliage Package includes a $100 nightly resort credit to use at the Topnotch Spa, the Tennis Center, or on dining. Channel Dolly Parton’s positivity at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, a gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park where the Harvest Festival lasts until the end of October and you can ride NightFlight Exhibition, the new indoor coaster. In Virginia, besides the leaves, visit the Historic Triangle– Jamestown, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Join the Halloween fun at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
Just don’t forget those whistles – and treats.
(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The fourth edition of The Kid’s Guide to New York City and the third edition of The Kid’s Guide to Washington D.C. are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen©2026 Eileen Ogintz. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.