PNW Outshines New England When it Comes to Leaf Peeping

Summer's still going strong, but hotel bookings tell a different story — travelers are already planning their fall foliage trips. Priceline crunched hotel search data to find the destinations generating the most buzz for autumn 2026, and the list stretches coast to coast. The Adirondacks in New York took the top spot, followed closely by the Columbia River Gorge, right here on the Washington-Oregon border.

That's not a small showing. The Gorge beat out Aspen, Colorado, and Stowe, Vermont — a town practically built on its fall foliage reputation.

Columbia Gorge via Canva

The Rest of the Top Ten

Rounding out the list: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, both classic New England stops. Michigan's Tunnel of Trees made the cut too, a stretch of road so shaded by canopy in October that drivers slow down without meaning to. North Lake Tahoe and the Berkshires in Massachusetts followed, with French Lick, Indiana closing out the ranking — proof that gorgeous fall color isn't reserved for the states everyone already expects.

Why Washington Belongs on This List

For those of us in the Wenatchee Valley, the Gorge's second-place finish isn't exactly shocking, but it's satisfying to see it in writing. Eighty miles of river canyon, waterfalls dropping off basalt cliffs, forests that shift from green to gold practically overnight — it's the kind of drive that doesn't need a plane ticket or a rental car reservation.

Peak color typically hits in mid-to-late October, which gives plenty of time to plan a weekend trip west. Pair it with a stop through the Hood River Fruit Loop for cider and fresh apples, and you've got a fall outing that rivals anything New England can offer — minus the cross-country flight.