For those who still haven’t decided where to go, this list is sure to inspire you with the best places based on various interests and other factors with something for everyone from outdoor adventurers and nature lovers to solo travelers, couples, families, and retirees.

The Best Places to Travel in 2023:

• Best for Outdoor Adventure: Iceland
• Best for Nature Lovers: Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
• Best for Arts & Culture: Barcelona, Spain
• Best for Eco-Friendly Escape: Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Best for Wellness: Sumba Island, Indonesia
• Best for Relaxation: Kauai, Hawaii
• Best for Foodies: Istria, Croatia
• Best for Beach Bums: Seychelles
• Best for Mountain Lovers: Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
• Best for Small Town Retreat: Trinity, Newfoundland, Canada
• Best for Families: Homer, Alaska
• Best for Couples: Milos Island, Greece
• Best for Solo Travelers: Edinburgh, Scotland
• Best for Budget-Friendly: Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Best for Luxury: Maldives
• Best for Remote Getaway: Longyearbyen, Svalbard Archipelago, Norway
• Best for Big City Thrills: Mexico City, Mexico
• Best for Large Groups: Napa Valley, California
• Best for LGBTQ+: Melbourne, Australia
• Best for Retirees: Alsace, France

Whether you prefer to stay closer to home or looking for an epic adventure thousands of miles away, there’s the perfect place for you and your loved one on this list.

Here are some of the best glamping spots in New York to inspire you.

There are lots of ski resorts in Maine that offer big adventure, family-friendly fun, and a welcoming community of like-minded people who love to play in the snow. As we’re gearing up for the winter travel season, here are some ski resorts in Maine to experience for yourself.

These trains allow you to see pristine wilderness, untouched and unseen by most highways and hiking trails. Unique experiences like a Carolina moonshine tasting and a sprint through the Nantahala Gorge aboard the Great Smoky Mountains Express are some of the incredible adventures in store, while the Tweetsie Railroad is a window to the past featuring steam locomotives steeped in Carolina history. From mountains to sea, these are the most scenic train rides in North Carolina.

To embrace Canada’s outdoorsy vibe and get back to nature, here’s a list of amazing cabin rentals in Alberta, Canada.

But we fall for fall leaf by leaf, and the fall foliage spectacle improvisationally changes its cue every year. Arrive too early, and you only catch the opening foliage act; too late, and you miss the main peak color event.

To help you achieve your amber aspirations, maple marvels, and rustic reveries, I analyzed a trove of tree data provided by the USA National Phenology Network and the many participants contributing to its “Nature’s Notebook” program.

I crunched the numbers on 60,518 annual tree life cycle observations — or phenophase records, for you botany buffs — covering 305 deciduous tree species. That’s a decade’s worth of data, spanning 2,561 observational sites across the U.S., all to serve you the most accurate, tailored-to-your-needs foliage forecast for 2023! I also designated a few states as “Leaf Leaders” for providing some of the best places to see fall colors in the U.S.

Read on or select a jump link to discover when the leaves in your neck of the woods will put on their grandest show of the year.

• Explore the Map: Peak Foliage by Region
• View the Table: State-by-State Peak Foliage
• U.S. Foliage Timelines by Region
• Understand Our Methodology

Credit: Trips to Discover

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Methodology

Independent: My data analysis research is conducted with independence and impartiality to ensure the integrity of the findings. My research is editorially independent, but Trips to Discover may earn a commission for any purchases made through links on this page.

Raw Data Source: USA National Phenology Network. 2023. Plant and Animal Phenology Data. Data type: Individual Phenometrics. 1/1/2012-12/31/2022 for Region: 71.538800°, -66.934570° (UR); 24.396308°, 172.558333° (LL) USA-NPN, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Data set accessed 9/5/23 at http://doi.org/10.5066/F78S4N1V

Collection: I crafted a tailored dataset using the USA-NPN, featuring 60,518 tree status phenophase observations gathered from a span of a decade. These observations come from 2,561 unique sites across the United States and cover 305 species of deciduous trees. My collection focused on two key phenophase classes: “colored leaves” and “falling leaves.”

Cleaning: I narrowed the range of tree status observations to focus specifically on core U.S. fall foliage from August 1 through November 30 of each year. I refined the original dataset to include only sites within the contiguous U.S. I generated a unique Key ID for each observation by combining the site ID, latitude, longitude, state, common tree name, individual ID, and observation year information. I used this Key ID to merge the “colored leaves” and “falling leaves” phenophase observations into pairs.

Analysis: After an initial examination of over 30,000 paired records, I found that “peak fall foliage” generally falls between the first date leaves start to drop (the initial “falling leaves” date) and the date the last leaf changes color (the final “colored leaves” date). This intersection of phenophases yields the most leaves in vibrant hues still clinging to the trees, also known as peak foliage. I calculated the average date range for peak foliage across the 2,561 observation sites, spanning ten years of data. I then aggregated these site-level averages at the state level. I grouped states into eight regions, determined by geographical proximity and comparable peak foliage dates, with the aid of GPT-4 technology. The “Leaf Leader” states were designated based on my subjective evaluation.

Dates: I then derived four critical metrics for each of the eight regions:

1. Foliage Start: Average of states’ “falling leaves” start dates in a region.
2. Peak Start: The earliest peak foliage midpoint in a regional group.
3. Peak End: The last peak foliage midpoint in a regional group.
4. Foliage End: Average of states’ last “colored leaves” record date in a region.

Replicability: All raw data is publicly available. For questions, email noah@tripstodiscover.com. [Google Sheets link] contains the cleaned data and calculations minus proprietary info and raw data. Please credit if sharing.

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