Is Alabama really one of the worst places to visit for fall foliage and festivities? A recent study says so, but folks in the state may beg to differ.
The LawnStarter site basically trashes Alabama as a fall destination, giving the state a bottom-of-the-barrel rating in its list of “2024′s Best States to Visit This Fall: Foliage and Festivities.” A total of 48 states were including in the rankings —Alaska and Hawaii were omitted due to “a lack of fall foliage data” — and Alabama came in at No. 44, landing in the bottom five.
Only Mississippi (No. 45), Oklahoma (No. 46), Delaware (No. 47) and Louisiana (No. 48) fared worse than Alabama in the study, which ranked states for qualities such as “the projected length of fall foliage and peak foliage, scenic drives and pumpkin patches,” according to a press release.
California was ranked at No. 1, followed by Washington (No. 2), Oregon (No. 3), Vermont (No. 4) and Michigan (No. 5).
“California scores at the top enjoying a unique advantage as the changing leaves slowly trickle down the state, with patches peaking between mid-October in NorCal and mid-November in SoCal, so folks can enjoy the colorful atmosphere for a longer period of time,” the LawnStarter site says. “The state is also full of parks, forests, trails, and scenic drives for admiring the hues.”
Several Southeastern state appear to be at a disadvantage in the rankings, but it should be noted that Tennessee came in at No. 12, North Carolina was No. 13 and Georgia was near the middle of the pack at No. 25. (See the full rankings here.)
So why did Alabama get major side-eye from LawnStarter? All we can do is point to the methodology for the study, as described on the company’s site:
“First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to rank the Best States to Visit This Fall. We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into 4 categories: Fall Scenery, Outdoor Recreation, Entertainment, and Safety. … We calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each state to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A state’s Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked ‘Best’ (No. 1) and the lowest ‘Worst’ (No. 48).
In the fall scenery category, LawnStarted considered the projected number of weeks with fall foliage, projected number of days of peak fall foliage and the number of scenic drives. The outdoor recreation category included numbers of national and state parks, total acreage of forest land, number of hiking trails and more.
RELATED: 10 scenic Alabama hiking trails to explore
In the entertainment category, the study emphasized numbers for outdoor attractions, fall festivals, apple orchards, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, hayrides and more. The safety category focused on wildfire and hurricane risk.
Autumn foliage in Alabama typically peaks in late October or early November, but can last well into November. (Joe Songer/jsonger@al.com) al.com
Alabama earned an overall total score of 24.13 out of 100 in the study, earning the state its spot in the bottom five. In a breakdown of the four main categories in the study, Alabama received a score of 43/100 for fall scenery, 31/100 for outdoor recreation, 38/100 for fall entertainment and 27/100 for safety.
But let’s not get too upset about the rankings right now. Alabama people can make their own decisions about the state’s fall foliage and entertainment (including 50+ fall fairs and festivals) simply by heading out the door.
Much of the state is typically at peak fall color right now, according to the Alabama Tourism Department’s website. “Fall colors will begin showing in the mountains of North Alabama in early October and then sweep across the region,” the site says. “Colors will be at their peak from late October to early November.”
The tourism department’s recommendations for a “Fall Color Trail” include Oak Mountain State Park, Bankhead National Forest, Joe Wheeler State Park, Monte Sano State Park, Little River Canyon, Cheaha State Park, Noccalula Falls and more. There’s also a North Alabama Fall Color Trail, courtesy of the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association.
Southern Living has weighed in on fall foliage in recent years, naming the “The Best Places In Every Southern State For Incredible Fall Color.” Two spots in Alabama earned kudos in the 2024 list: Lookout Mountain Scenic Parkway and Little River Canyon Nature Preserve.
Little River Canyon in Fort Payne was was touted by Southern Living for “a glorious autumn view of its 45-foot waterfalls. You’ll also find vibrant fall foliage as the preserve’s sassafras, flowering dogwood, hickory, dogwood, oak, and maple trees change colors.” Lookout Mountain Scenic Parkway, which runs from Gadsden to Chattanooga, received a thumb’s up as a “93-mile parkway (that) runs alongside waterfalls, canyons, small towns and villages, state and national parks, and some of the state’s most colorful trees.”
AL.com has kept its eyes on the fall foliage, of course, recommending visits to Little River Canyon, the covered bridges in Blount County, DeSoto State Park, Bankhead National Forest. Cheaha State Park, Oak Mountain State Park and more. Also, fall color in Alabama can last well into November, depending on where you live and what the weather’s like.
“The state’s northern area typically receives colder air temperatures first and onlookers can track the color change as it makes its way down the state,” says the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. “The most prominent colors of fall are yellow, orange, red and purple. When all shades are present at the same time, it creates a dazzling scene of beauty.”
RELATED: 6 Alabama small towns you should visit this fall
Autumn color from the drone on Simmons Mountain in Springville along Newton Road. (Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com).Joe Songer | jsonger@al.com
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Publish date : 2024-11-03 17:00:00
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