According to a new study, one of the best places in the U.S. to see fall colors this September is a short drive from Bellingham.
Gunther Volkswagen of Coconut Creek, a Florida auto dealership, conducted an online survey of 3,000 respondents to find the best places in the country to view the foliage in early fall. Two places in Washington made the list, including one in the top ten.
North Cascades is among the best places for fall colors
North Cascades National Park, parts of which are in Whatcom County, received the seventh most votes. The study noted that the park’s “golden larches and vibrant maples” begin to change color in mid-September. North Cascades was the highest-ranked spot in the western U.S. and the only place on the West Coast to make the top 30.
This isn’t the only study to highlight the North Cascades’ colorful fall foliage. Travel website The Travel ranked the park among the best cheap national parks for leaf-watching, while Forbes published an article that also named it among the best destinations for foliage.
Other top spots for fall foliage
In the Gunther Volkswagen study, North Cascades fell one spot behind Georgia’s Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, while Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park took the top spot. Here’s the rest of the top ten:
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
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Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
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Catskill Mountains, New York
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Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, Virginia
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Mohawk Trail, Massachusetts
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Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, Georgia
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North Cascades National Park
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Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania
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Apalachicola National Forest, Florida
There was one other Washington location on the list: Mount Rainier was ranked 40th.
