Every year, we welcome visitors who come to Vermont just to watch the leaves change. They stop at the overlooks, pull off Route 100 when they spot a good view, and take the back roads through the mountains to see where the colors are at their best. We love exploring the Valley this way, and we’d never tell you to skip the classic leaf peeping spots. But if you’ve already done a few scenic drives, or just want to get out of the car, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy Vermont fall foliage.
Here are a few of our favorite fall color tours and unique ways to experience autumn near our Lodging in Vermont.
See the Fall Colors From the Water
Take a Fall Foliage Kayak Tour
There’s something pretty special about seeing Vermont’s fall colors reflected in the water. Instead of looking up at the mountains, you’re surrounded by them.
Clearwater Sports offers guided fall foliage kayak tours that let you experience the changing landscape from the water. It’s a view you simply can’t get from the road, with the colors reflected across the surface and the mountains rising around you.
If you’ve spent the morning hiking or driving around the Valley, getting out on the water is also a nice change of scenery. The tours are guided, so you don’t have to worry about figuring out where to go or keeping track of the route yourself.
See Vermont From Above
See Vermont From AboveTake a Scenic Glider Ride With Sugarbush Soaring
If you really want to see how much color Vermont has to offer, head to the skies.
From May through October, Sugarbush Soaring flies scenic glider rides from Warren Sugarbush Airport. Instead of winding your way through the mountains, you’ll be looking down on them. The patchwork of forests, fields, farms, and mountain ridgelines is especially beautiful in the fall, when the landscape turns into a mix of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens.
It’s a pretty incredible way to see the fall colors in Vermont, especially if you’ve already spent plenty of time exploring them from the ground. And because Sugarbush Soaring is right here in the Mad River Valley, you don’t have to turn it into an all-day excursion. You can be back on the ground with plenty of time left to explore Warren or Waitsfield.
See the Best Fall Colors Through a Camera Lens
Book a Private Fall Photography Tour
If you have ever tried to photograph Vermont foliage, you already know that finding a beautiful view is only half the battle. The light changes, the colors peak at different times, and some of the most beautiful scenes aren’t necessarily the ones you’ll find from the side of a busy highway.
That’s where VT Photo Tours comes in.
Their private fall photography workshops are customized around the scenery you’re hoping to see and photograph. The guide monitors foliage conditions and chooses locations based on what’s looking best during your visit, rather than taking everyone to the same handful of overlooks.
You don’t need to be a serious photographer to enjoy the tour, either. The workshops are open to everyone from experienced photographers to people using a camera phone. You’ll get individual instruction in the field, along with help choosing locations, composition, camera settings, and the best angles for the scenery around you.
And the foliage isn’t necessarily the only thing you’ll photograph. Depending on your interests and what’s happening around the Valley, you may photograph covered bridges, historic villages, barns, farms, lakes, ponds, wildlife, migrating birds, and other classic Vermont scenes.
The fall workshops run from September through November, with full- and select half-day options. They are completely private, so it’s just your group and your guide.
See the Fall Colors From Horseback
Ride Through the Mountains With Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm
For a slower way to take in the fall scenery, saddle up at Vermont Icelandic Horse Farm in Fayston. Their guided trail rides take you along the back roads of the Mad River Valley and, when conditions allow, through meadows and into the woods on the slopes of the Green Mountains.
The rides are open to all levels of experience, including beginners, and your guide will match you with a horse and adjust the pace to suit you. Along the way, you’ll learn about Icelandic horses, their history and unique gaits while taking in the countryside around you. In the fall, that means crisp mountain air, changing leaves, and plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife along the way.
Take a Scenic Drive Through the Valley
Follow the Covered Bridge Loop
Our covered bridge tour is one of our favorite self-guided drives through the Mad River Valley. And best of all, it’s free! The 39-mile loop takes you past eight historic covered bridges, winding through the countryside between Waitsfield, Northfield, and Warren.
In the fall, the bridges are surrounded by the colors Vermont is famous for with plenty of opportunities to stop, take photos, and explore along the way. Bring a camera, pick up a picnic, and don’t be afraid to take the long way between stops.
When Is the Best Time to See Fall Colors in Vermont?
In the Mad River Valley, fall color usually starts showing up in late September and builds toward peak foliage in early to mid-October, although the exact timing changes from year to year.
That’s one reason we like experiences such as the VT Photo Tours workshops, where the guide actually monitors the foliage and adjusts the day’s locations based on what’s looking best.
If you’re planning a trip specifically around peak color, it’s a good idea to keep your dates flexible when possible. And don’t assume that one weekend will look exactly like another. Early fall, peak foliage, and the weeks just after peak all have something different to offer.
Make Mad River Lodges Your Fall Home Base
If you’re looking for the best places to stay in Vermont for fall foliage, the Mad River Valley is hard to beat.
Spend one day on the water, another exploring the back roads, and another seeing the Valley from above. And if you just want to grab a cup of coffee and head out with no particular plan, that’s okay too. Sometimes the best fall color tour is the road you haven’t taken yet.
Book your stay at Mad River Lodges and make this the year you see Vermont fall foliage a little differently.