In living colors

From the Alleghenies in Pennsylvania to the beatific lakes of Vermont, find the fall foliage outing that’s right for you

When the leaves change on the East Coast, it is the stuff of beauty — and popularity. Whole industries are created to cater to city slickers trying to view the fall foliage. If you want to see some leaves, the prime foliage states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania) have researched fall driving tours,  which are posted to their Web sites. Also check out www.foliagenetwork.com to see when leaves will be at their colorful peak.

The site collects data from “foliage spotters” (volunteers who report on the leaves in their area) to let you know when to go. Once you decide  to hit the road, there are a variety of options and deals for any kind of peeper — from adventurous to relaxed.

­­­trips/tours/deals

Where to go to get your various leaf-peeping on

Adventure peep
For the 45th Annual Bedford Fall Foliage Festival, The Omni Bedford Springs Resort (omnibedford­
springs.com) in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Mountains has bike rentals on the weekends of Oct. 3 and Oct. 10. In Massachusetts, leave your car and enjoy a three-hour zip line tour through the Berkshires with Deerfield Valley Canopy Tours (www.deerfieldzipline.com). 

But the state’s Catamount Ski Area’s Aerial Adventure Park might be the most extreme way to peep — the park (catamountski.com) features eight different courses containing aerial obstacles such as zip lines and swinging bridges.  

Deal-finder peep
Many hotels and bed and breakfasts book up fast on weekends during the peak foliage. But if you peep midweek, there are many deals to be found. Dozens of inns, hotels, historic sites and museums are offering a variety of midweek specials during Vermont’s “Midweek Peek” promotion (www.VermontVacation.com/midweek).

Relaxing peep
Driving can be a pain when the whole world seems to have gone peeping. Book a ride on The
Essex, a steam train that pulls a restored railroad car through the forests of Connecticut. The 12-mile, round-trip ride lasts about an hour (essexsteamtrain.com). Or,  go nowhere at all — you can watch live video feeds of the changing leaves in Massachusetts at www.massvacation.com/scienceNature/fall-foliage.php.