Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year, but it can be tricky timing trips to see the leaves while they’re at their most perfect.
Fortunately, smokymountains.com has come up with an ingenious way to help you dodge that uncertainty. Their Fall Foliage Map uses a highly complex algorithm (that we’re not even going to pretend to understand) to predict with impressive accuracy what stage of change the leaves are at in any given region at any given time.
A date slider and color code reveals how far along the leaves in any area in the US are predicted to be, from green to yellow to red. If you have an area in mind that you want to visit, simply use the date slider to figure out the best time to book your car rental or flights and accommodation.
Speaking to Travel + Leisure, the map’s creator, David Angotti, said: “In 2013, potential visitors to the Smoky Mountain region began asking us questions about when the leaves would be most brilliant. From these questions, we built the first version of the fall leaf map and have consistently improved it each year.
“What started as a fun side-project quickly became the most respected nationwide fall leaf map and one of the best fall resources in the country. Now, tens of millions of people use our map each year to plan vacations, weddings, and photography trips.”
