Travel during the Fall on the East Coast

Left Cape Cod mid Oct and leaves were turning beautifully altho not peak yet.
Now down to Va and it is pretty, maybe not peak either. It is all weather defendant, hopefully you will have the flexibility to move with 'peak'
Enjoy,
Nancy

We just spent a week in Bar Harbor, leaving the day after Columbus Day. The foliage was excellent in the coastal areas. The Northern and interior sections of Maine were just past peak, as is usual. The areas nearer the coast are the last to change. We took Rt 1 (the "coastal route") from Bar Harbor to Wells Maine where we spent 2 days and the foliage was excellent all down Rt 1. This is the third year we have done this Columbus Day trip and have never been dissapointed.

Tornadoes are very rare, not really something to worry about.

I'm not trying to cause you undo concern, but t-storms up here can be something to be reckoned with. This time of year they are less common but and fall tornadoes are rare, but there was one a week or so again in western MA The problem we have up here is we can't always see them coming because they are hidden in rain walls and such, therefore sometimes there is no warning. Some of the "cool thunderstorms" contain microbursts and straight-line winds, which do similar damage to tornadoes. These also come without warning. In short, most of the time you'll be OK in your rig but if the cg says take shelter inside the building then do so. More often than not it's not necessary but the weather here is extremely unpredictable and sometimes these things spring up out of seemingly nowhere.

Good to hear that I may be too concerned about this. I appreciate the feedback.

Colbie's family wrote:
Thanks for the info and suggestions. Here is another weather related and "newby" question; as someone who lives in CA, we mostly deal with earthquakes. So what do Rv'ers do when you hear about potential or actual tornadoes and some of these severe storms? Again thanks for any input.

Tornadoes are very rare, not really something to worry about.

Even severe storms are almost something to look forward to as "fun"... as my wife would say, "Cool! thunderstorm is coming!". Having said that... You will have plenty of warning if a Nor'easter (really bad thunderstorm, kinda like a weak 2 or 3 day hurricane) or an actual hurricane is coming. It is not real common for bad storms, but mostly it is "batten down the hatches", pull in your outside chairs, and sit it out while drinking hot chocolate.

A really bad storm may have campground managers / rangers telling people to come into campground buildings for shelter. For a hurricane, campgrounds that are on or within sight of the coast/shore may be evacuated. Again, this is not common at all!

I don't think you have to worry about it for a leaf peeping trip!

I live in Vermont and there's a lot of good advice already.

Weather at this time of year is quite variable and changeable. Monday morning it was 26 degrees at my house, with a hard frost. Tuesday morning it was 66 degrees, and Tuesday and Wednesday were lovely warm days. (No typo: that's a forty degree difference in one day.) Today it's a little cooler and rainy. Be prepared and flexible. The leaves around here are past their prettiest by a week or so, I think.

Tornadoes are more a concern in the "midwest" than along the eastern seaboard or in New England. Hills and mountains tend to prevent their formation and propagation. I do suggest making sure you have a map with counties listed if you're in an area where tornadoes are a reasonable possibility, as the radio reports often give their locations and tracks using counties rather than things that out-of-state visitors may be more likely to know about (such as cities or highways).

Thanks for the info and suggestions. Here is another weather related and "newby" question; as someone who lives in CA, we mostly deal with earthquakes. So what do Rv'ers do when you hear about potential or actual tornadoes and some of these severe storms? Again thanks for any input.

Most everyone around here heads for Maine. We always head for NORTH GEORGIA in the high country along the mtns...

CLOUDLAND CANYON STATE PARK near Trenton GA is one good example for outstanding fall foliage...



Roy Ken

If you can do it, start in Maine about the middle of August, then follow the color change southward. Take your time, enjoy the small unique wineries, and take lots of pictures!

Good advice except you'll have to plan on spending at least a couple of weeks there until the leaves really start to turn. Today it's going to be in the 70s with heavy rain. Last Saturday it was 45 and raining in the a.m. then 50ish and damp in the p.m. Sunday was bright sunshine and 60. Monday & Tuesday were partly sunny and 80. In other words, take your pick. Oh, and we had hard frosts both Saturday and Sunday a.m. Weather, like the leaves, is hard to predict. Many of the campgrounds do close Columbus Day weekend but one of the most overlooked and beautiful places for foliage is the Cape. Some of the campgrounds there stay open until the end of October and there's 1 or 2 that stay open year round.

We are in central New York - Adirondack region (Old Forge area) it is way past peak (we hit it the end of September) and it has been raining for the past 4 days! We were out in PA this past weekend, and leaves are just starting to change. I would start in the upper elevation areas and start working my way down.....

Most campgrounds around here close Columbus Day weekend - except maybe one or two private campgrounds, which may be open all year - but without hookups!