USA Todays Readers Choice – Best Destination for Fall Foliage

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Voted Best Destination For Fall Foliage By USA Today Readers

(IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (Oct. 12, 2018) — USA TODAY announced its 10 Best Destinations for Fall Foliage just in time for the country’s hardwood forests to be drenched in hues of red, gold and orange. Receiving the most public votes was Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.).

“Over the next few weeks, come see why the U.P. is the number one fall color destination in the U.S.A,” said Tom Nemacheck, executive director of the Upper Peninsula Travel and Recreation Association. “Our 384 miles of forests from Drummond Island to Ironwood will take your breath away.”

Early in September, USA TODAY’s 10Best local experts and editors posted online their 20 favorite destinations for fall color. They invited readers to vote for the top choice. Individuals could vote for their pick once each day for 28 days until noon, Oct. 2.

The Upper Peninsula quickly jumped to the lead and surpassed the other top 10 vote-getters: Lake of the Ozarks, Pocono Mountains, Door County, North Conway & the White Mountains, Fayetteville and the Ozark Mountain Region, The Berkshires, The Catskills, Black Hills and Badlands and Taos. Other contenders included Aspen, Colorado; Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park in Maine; Glacier National Park in Montana and the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

Nemacheck said the U.P. is a natural destination for leaf peepers. Autumn’s warm days and cool nights transform the deciduous trees into a technicolor landscape. The U.P. boasts that 85% of its 16,538 square miles are forested. Here travelers can catch the fall colors reflected in 4,300 inland lakes, 12,000 miles of streams and 1,700 miles of shoreline on three Great Lakes. All but two of Michigan’s more than 200 waterfalls are in the U.P. as well. In addition to seeing the foliage, clear nights in October and November are also peak months in the U.P. to catch the swirling colors of the Northern Lights.

The U.P. offers visitors 10 ideas for fall color tours, regional fall color reports and places to stay at UPtravel.com. For additional information about fall events and attractions, visit Facebook.com/uptravel or call 800-562-7134.

A panoramic view of the very picturesque Tahquamenon Falls and Tahquamenon River during Autumn, Upper Peninsula, Michigan, USA

Autumn trees in full color with rocky cliff edge at Lake of the Clouds Michigan. Taken at sunrise.

Lower Tahquamenon Falls

Cut River Bridge