Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
Grab your pumpkin spice latte — autumn is here. But which states are the most festive for fall?
With leaves beginning to change their hues in many parts of the U.S., LawnStarter ranked 2023’s Best States To Visit This Fall.
We compared the 48 contiguous U.S. states based on four categories. We looked at the length of projected fall foliage, scenic drives, fall festivals, and pumpkin patches, among 22 total metrics.
Explore our ranking below. To learn how we ranked the states, see our methodology at the end.
1. California
- Overall Score: 63.86
- Fall Scenery Rank: 3
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 1
- Entertainment Rank: 2
- Safety Rank: 31
2. New York
- Overall Score: 56.77
- Fall Scenery Rank: 1
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 4
- Entertainment Rank: 4
- Safety Rank: 33
3. Washington
- Overall Score: 55.14
- Fall Scenery Rank: 4
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 2
- Entertainment Rank: 8
- Safety Rank: 13
4. Michigan
- Overall Score: 51.13
- Fall Scenery Rank: 7
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 7
- Entertainment Rank: 5
- Safety Rank: 12
5. Pennsylvania
- Overall Score: 47.87
- Fall Scenery Rank: 8
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 10
- Entertainment Rank: 3
- Safety Rank: 29
6. Vermont
- Overall Score: 47.10
- Fall Scenery Rank: 13
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 24
- Entertainment Rank: 1
- Safety Rank: 28
7. Oregon
- Overall Score: 46.94
- Fall Scenery Rank: 24
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 9
- Entertainment Rank: 6
- Safety Rank: 18
8. Colorado
- Overall Score: 46.24
- Fall Scenery Rank: 22
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 6
- Entertainment Rank: 14
- Safety Rank: 14
9. Minnesota
- Overall Score: 44.88
- Fall Scenery Rank: 8
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 22
- Entertainment Rank: 17
- Safety Rank: 7
10. Maine
- Overall Score: 44.47
- Fall Scenery Rank: 6
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 8
- Entertainment Rank: 12
- Safety Rank: 37
11. Wisconsin
- Overall Score: 44.24
- Fall Scenery Rank: 25
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 21
- Entertainment Rank: 11
- Safety Rank: 5
12. Ohio
- Overall Score: 42.85
- Fall Scenery Rank: 21
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 29
- Entertainment Rank: 9
- Safety Rank: 17
13. Connecticut
- Overall Score: 42.39
- Fall Scenery Rank: 18
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 5
- Entertainment Rank: 10
- Safety Rank: 41
14. Illinois
- Overall Score: 41.64
- Fall Scenery Rank: 29
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 34
- Entertainment Rank: 19
- Safety Rank: 1
15. Tennessee
- Overall Score: 41.40
- Fall Scenery Rank: 27
- Outdoor Recreation Rank: 17
- Entertainment Rank: 20
- Safety Rank: 9
Methodology
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 four categories: Fall Scenery, Outdoor Recreation, Entertainment, and Safety. The factors are listed below.
For each of the 50 states, we then gathered data on each factor from the sources listed below the table. We eliminated two states — Hawaii and Alaska — lacking sufficient data in a single category, resulting in a final sample size of 48 states.
Finally, 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).
- Projected Number of Weeks With Fall Foliage
- Projected Number of Days of Peak Fall Foliage
- Number of Scenic Drives
- Number of National Parks
- Number of State Parks
- Total Acreage of State and National Parks
- Portion of State Covered by National and State Parks
- Total Acreage of Forest Land
- Portion of State Covered by Forest Land
- Number of Forest Trails
- Number of Hiking Trails
- Camping-Friendliness
- Number of Outdoor Attractions
- Number of Fall Festivals
- Apple Orchards per 100,000 Residents
- Corn Mazes per 100,000 Residents
- Pumpkin Patches per 100,000 Residents
- Wineries per 100,000 Residents
- Cideries per 100,000 Residents
- Hayrides per 100,000 Residents
- Wildfire Risk
- Hurricane Risk
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