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California certainly has pockets of colorful fall foliage, especially in the Eastern Sierra where the reds, russets and golden hues delight leaf-peeping travelers each autumn. But there’s little doubt that compared with our neighbors in other parts of the country, swaths of our state are a tad fall foliage challenged.
Still, there are some vicarious thrills to be had, courtesy of USA Today’s 10Best tallies which asked readers to weigh in on the nation’s most extravagant displays of fall color.
The top vote-getter was Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where the leaves along the Lake Roland shoreline turn coppery and the trees of Copper Country State Forest turn crimson. New Mexico was as far west as the list went, with honors going to the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, which begins and ends in Taos.
Here’s the top 10. You’ll find details on each destination, plus other top 10 lists — and opportunities to vote on other topics, including best ski resort, ski town and apres-ski scene — at www.10best.com.
- Upper Peninsula, Michigan
- Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
- Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania
- Door County Wisconsin
- North Conway and the White Mountains, New Hampshire
- Fayetteville and the Ozark Mountain region, Arkansas
- The Berkshires, Massachusetts
- The Catskills, New York
- Black Hills and Badlands, South Dakota
- Taos, New Mexico