Traveling to the USA - Location, location, location

Hey All,

Im planning on traveling to the US from Ireland for the first two weeks of October with my Dad to do some shooting. We havnt booked flights yet and were trying to plan where to go. I see all this magnificent desert imagery and slot canyon shots in the forum so Id love to take some of that action in.

It seems a shame to go all that way across the pond in October and not shoot some fall colour too. In there lies the dilemma.

Can anyone suggest broadly two locations that are'nt a million miles apart where we could do a week in the desert and a week shooting fall colour and mountains.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Kind regards,

Peter Gordon
www.explorelight.com

I think that the three big areas to go are the intermountain west, the northern forests or the Northeast. My personal vote is that you can't miss Vermont's valley's, New Hampshires mountains, and Maine's coastlines in autumn, and you'd be hitting right around peak the first week of October.

A flight into Portland Maine, Burlington Vt, or Manchester, NH get you close to the action, with Boston being another, slightly farther option.

Spend a week, then hit the southwest...

For details on specific locations, I first yield to your decision...

http://www.foliage-vermont.com/
http://foliage.visitnh.gov/
http://www.state.me.us/doc/foliage/report/

Well, if you want desert and mountains in close proximity, Darren's recommendation is the way to go. Since you are looking at the first two weeks in October, I'd suggest doing the fall colors first. The second week could be a little late for SW Colorado.

Hi Peter,
Just to be clear, in the west we are talking about yellow fall color. The classic American multicolor scenes are from the east locations that Jim mentioned above. The variables in the east are 1)Timing of peak color, and 2)Quality of peak colors. Booking least expensive airfare to the NE and driving allows the best flexibility.
In the west you have a sure thing with the desert and mountains, and can travel to see yellow fall color as it descends from high altitudes. I will be spending a lot of the fall in the east, but for you I suggest the west. It's a sure thing. Whatever you plan, there's a great deal of information here and elsewhere on the web.
But be a little cautious about web sites that track fall color in the east. Some are not honest about the quality of the color. Vermont being the worst I've encountered. New York state forestry, on the other hand, is extremely accurate and detailed.
At the right time in a good year fall color in New England is incredible. But I probably would not spend a two week vacation chasing it.

If you haven't been here before, I'll mention one thing. The distances in "the West" can be vast. Few first time European travelers seem to comprehend just how vast that is. For example, I live in South Dakota and at the end of the month will travel from the southeast corner of my state to the northwest corner. That's a 400 mile one way trip and even driving 70 or 80 mph most of the way it will take me seven hours to go just that little distance. We tend to measure distance out here in units of time rather than length, as in "a 5 hour drive." That puts it into better perspective. Look at maps, and plan wisely. You could try www.mapquest.com and by plugging in town you can get an idea of drive time and distances. One thing I might suggest is if you've never seen the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone, I think you would be stunned by either.



Kent in SD

Fall colors here in Michigan will be at their peak during the first 2 weeks of October.

thanks for all the great advice. it was exactly what was needed. good food for thought,

Peter

Peter,

For fall colors and mountains, you might also consider highway 395 in California. From south of Biship to Bridgeport, there are lots of good opportunities. You would have access to Yosemite before it snows. The ghost town of Bodie is in the high desert nearby.

I'd also recommend New England. The colors can't be beat. Check out the Cutler coast in Maine and work your way down to Boston. So much to see in a condensed area, eat some lobster, hang out in Boston and the flight from Ireland is direct.