Maine Fall Foliage at This Beautiful Park Ranked Best in the Nation

It won't be long before leaf-peeping season is here, and it turns out the best spot to enjoy nature at that magical time of year is right here in Maine.

Really, that's no surprise.

Fall arrives soon, and it is a great time to get outdoors, take in some fresh air and enjoy the amazing and colorful foliage here in Maine. Our state parks, mountains, farms and the coast are the ideal setting.

Generally, northern Maine is at or near peak conditions the last week of September into the first week of October.

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Central and western mountains of Maine are at or near peak the first couple of weeks in October. Coastal and southern Maine generally reach peak or near-peak conditions in mid-to-late October.

A website called Green Matters has ranked the best places to see fall foliage in the United States, and Bar Harbor's Acadia National Park topped the list.

Acadia Park is located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor. The park preserves about half of Mount Desert Island, part of the Isle au Haut, the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula, and portions of 16 smaller outlying islands. The park welcomes several million visitors each year.

The park contains Cadillac Mountain, which is the tallest mountain on the U.S. Atlantic Coast. It covers 49,075 acres or 76 square miles.

There are a ton of activities from spring through autumn, including car and bus touring along the park's paved loop road, along with hiking, bicycling and horseback riding on carriage roads. You can also enjoy rock climbing, kayaking and canoeing on lakes and ponds, swimming at Sand Beach and Echo Lake, and sea kayaking and guided boat tours on the ocean.

Winter activities at Acadia include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing.

Here is where other popular spots fell on the list:

1. Acadia National Park, Maine
2. Tunnel Of Trees, Michigan
3. North Cascades National Park, Washington
4. Jackson, Wyoming
5. Stowe, Vermont
6. June Lake, California
7. Upstate New York

Don't miss the chance to see fall foliage here in Maine. There is nothing quite like exploring on a crisp, cool day, and not just at Acadia.

Here are the best spots in the state to do it:

• Southern Maine - Mid-Coast and South Coastal Maine, including Rockland, Camden, Portland, Kennebunkport and Kittery
• Eastern & Downeast Maine- Includes Houlton, Millinocket, Calais, Machias, Bar Harbor and Penobscot Bay
• Central Maine - Central and Southwestern Maine, including Bangor, August, and Fryeburg
• Western Maine - Western Mid-Maine, including Greenville, Rangeley, and Bethel
• Northern Maine - Fort Kent, Caribou and Presque Isle