Fall Leaves Tours: Mid-Atlantic States

The Shenandoah Valley in North Eastern Virginia is considered one of the most scenic of the fall leaves tours Mid-Atlantic States. The Skyline Drive leading south into the Shenandoah National Forest is slow with its 35-mile-per-hour speed limit but is worth the effort for leaf peepers starting in early September and lasting into late October.

At these altitudes it often snows in October. The park buildings close in winter but the road is kept open weather permitting. Just across the state line West Virginia's New River/Greenbrier Valley area offers the wilderness and white water rafting that can add to the adrenaline level of a leaf tour in this region.

The Shenandoah National Park contains miles of hiking including 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail. The lodge and cabins are booked two or three months in advance but camping is often still available. Reservations are made through the National Park Service Reservation Center website. Camping ends on October 28th for the season.

The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway leads from Shenandoah into the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. The two drives can be taken south in one continuous sight seeing vacation. It might be nice to travel a loop down through the flatter land along the coast after the arduous mountain driving and relax by the ocean on the beaches of the Mid-Atlantic coast.

The coasts of South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington District of Columbia, Delaware and Maryland all have off season rates and thinned out crowds in the fall. The weather in places like Myrtle Beach is still very warm in fall but by the last half of October hotel rates have dropped by nearly half. Contrast this to the leaf tour areas which are more expensive and crowded during the brief peek foliage.