Follow the Fall Colours…
Spacious Skies Campgrounds has Created a 13-Stop Fall Colour Trail from Maine to Tennessee
A Special Feature from our friends at Spacious Skies Campgrounds
Items in blue type are hot-linked to open the appropriate website in a new browser window for your convenience.
BERNARDSVILLE, N.J., Sept, 2, 2022 – Fast-growing Spacious Skies Campgrounds has created a new way for travellers to celebrate the East’s famous fall foliage with a campground-to-campground route called the Fall Color Trail. The trail showcases where to stay and when to move on to follow the months-long progression of fall colour from Maine to Tennessee.
Beginning with Spacious Skies Balsam Woods in north central Maine in early September, fall foliage enthusiasts can spend more than two months enjoying the colourful splendour of the East’s lush hardwood forests of maple, birch, oak, ash, hickory, beech and other trees as they turn a multitude of shades of red, purple, orange and yellow. Spacious Skies Balsam Woods was recently named one of the best campgrounds in the country for an “epic nature-based getaway.” The fall colour trail ends at north central Tennessee’s Spacious Skies Belle Ridge, where the rich reds, oranges and yellows of the region’s dogwood, oak, maple and birch trees typically last until late October.
Travellers who visit two or more campgrounds between Sept. 15 and Nov. 15 receive a 13 percent discount on their RV site or accommodations rentals. Campers should mention the promo code FALL13 call (862) 777-0319 to make reservations.
“RV travellers, campers and glampers with time and flexibility can experience the longest autumn of their lives as they follow the slow transition from fall to winter in some of the prettiest places in the East,” said Ali Rasmussen, CEO and creative director of Spacious Skies Campgrounds.
Rasmussen noted that each of the 13 campgrounds along the Spacious Skies fall colour trail offers a different experience and distinctive vibe that celebrates its geography and nearby attractions. For example, at Spacious Skies Minute Man, located just 33 miles from the heart of Boston, travellers can couple an urban diversion such as the famous Freedom Trail and Boston Harbour Cruises with traditional harvest-season adventures at nearby rural attractions like Carlson Orchards Apple Picking and Taproom. Guests at Spacious Skies Shenandoah Valley, on the other hand, can view fall foliage along Shenandoah Valley National Park’s Skyline Drive and enjoy a broad range of outdoor adventures like hiking, fishing and biking.
“Even if travellers can’t take two months to follow the Spacious Skies Campgrounds fall colour trail, there are many multi-stop options for leaf-peepers,” Rasmussen noted. “Some of the richest, deepest colour can be found in the southeast as the fall colour has started to wane elsewhere. At deeply forested places like Spacious Skies Belle Ridge in north central Tennessee and Spacious Skies Hidden Creek in western North Carolina, fall colour can sometimes last until Halloween and beyond.”
Many of the campgrounds offer alternative accommodations for travellers who don’t own RVs, including cabins, yurts, tent sites and in select locations, retro trailers. The popular yurts at Spacious Skies Shenandoah Valley have been called some of the best yurts in the state. Spacious Skies has also partnered with RV Share so would-be campers and glampers can rent RVs in each location or rent RVs that they can drive from place to place.
Here is how Spacious Skies Campgrounds travellers can follow the fall this year. (Drive times may vary depending on time of day and traffic conditions).
1. Start out at Spacious Skies Balsam Woods in Abbot, Maine. This campground is the company’s northernmost property and most likely location to see early colour.
Trees to see: Maples, birches and oaks.
Colours: Yellow, red, brown and purple.
Fall foliage timing: early September through early October.
Campground closes Oct. 31; reopens early May.
Where to next: Spacious Skies Walnut Grove.
Drive time: 3 hours – 162 miles
2. Head south and closer to the coast to Spacious Skies Walnut Grove in Alfred, Maine, where the colours arrive a little later.
Trees to see: Maples, birches and oaks.
Colours: Yellow, red, brown and purple.
Fall foliage timing: mid-September through mid-October.
Open year-round.
Where to next: Spacious Skies French Pond
Drive time: 1 hour 36 minutes – 75 miles
3. Make your way to Spacious Skies French Pond in Henniker, N.H., nestled in a forest where you will have a good sampling of the area’s fall colours.
Trees to see: Maples, birches and oaks.
Colours: Yellow, red, brown and purple.
Fall foliage timing: Late-September through mid-October.
Open year round.
Where to next: Spacious Skies Seven Maples
Drive time: 31 minutes – 22 miles
4. Take an easy 22-mile drive to Spacious Skies Seven Maples in Hancock, N.H., for some classic New England charm and several quaint towns nearby. The campground is known for its epic water park – named one of the best campground water parks in the country.
Trees to see: Maple, birch and oak.
Colours: Yellow, red, brown and purple.
Fall foliage timing: Late-September through mid-October.
Campground closes Oct. 31; reopens early May.
Where to next: Spacious Skies Minute Man
Drive time: 1 hour 14 minutes – 44 miles
5. After you pack up, cross the state line on your 46-mile drive to Spacious Skies Minute Man in Littleton, Mass., where the rural feel belies the fact that big-city Boston is just 33 miles away.
Trees to see: Maples, ash, birches and oaks.
Colours: Yellow, red, brown and purple.
Fall foliage timing: Late-September through mid-October.
Campground closes Oct. 31; reopens early May.
Where to next: Spacious Skies Adirondack Peaks
Drive time: 4 hours 9 minutes – 202 miles
6. After a couple of short drives, go just over 200 miles to Spacious Skies Adirondack Peaks in North Hudson, N.Y., where the region’s famed lakes, mountains and trees are on full display.
Trees to see: Gums, oaks, hickories, maples and elms.
Colours: Yellow, red and orange.
Fall foliage timing: Mid-September through mid-October.
Campground closes Oct. 31; reopens early May.
Where to next: Spacious Skies Woodland Hills
Drive time: 2 hours 7 minutes – 133 miles
7. The drive to Spacious Skies Woodland Hills in Austerlitz, N.Y. is sure to be memorable with river valleys, forests and state parks dotting the area.
Trees to see: Oaks, hickories, maples and beeches.
Colours: Yellow, red and orange.
Fall foliage timing: Mid-September through mid-October.
Campground closes Oct. 31; reopens early May.
Where to next: Spacious Skies Country Oaks.
Drive time: 4 hours 59 minutes – 259 miles
8. It’s time to bid a fond farewell to the New England portion of your fall foliage grand tour and head south to Spacious Skies Country Oaks in Dorothy, N.J., close to the shore.
Trees to see: Oaks.
Colours: Reddish brown.
Fall foliage timing: Mid- to late-October.
Campground closes Oct. 31; reopens mid April.
Where to next: Spacious Skies Shenandoah Valley
Drive time: 4 hours 52 minutes – 243 miles
9. Say goodbye to the Southern Jersey Pinelands and drive inland and south to Spacious Skies Shenandoah Valley in Luray, Va.
Trees to see: Oaks, chestnut, maples, ashes, birches and basswoods.
Colours: Red, orange and yellow.
Fall foliage timing: Early- to late-October.
Campground closes Nov. 15; reopens mid March.
Where to next: Spacious Skies Sandy Run
Drive time: 5 hours 29 minutes – 331 miles
10. Next, cross another state border and head to Spacious Skies Sandy Run in Fayetteville, N.C.
Trees to see: Oaks, chestnuts, maples, ashes, birches and basswoods.
Colours: Red, orange and yellow.
Fall foliage timing: Early- to late-October.
Open year-round.
Where to next: Spacious Skies Peach Haven
Drive time: 3 hours 29 minutes – 191 miles
11. Head south to Spacious Skies Peach Haven, the most recent addition to the Spacious Skies collection of campgrounds.
Trees to see: hickory, beech, maple, dogwood, sweet gum, oak.
Colours: Red, orange, yellow, purple.
Fall foliage timing: Early- to late-October.
Open year-round.
Where to next: Spacious Skies Hidden Creek
Drive time: 1 hour 12 minutes – 56 miles
12. Drive northwest to the mountainous regions of North Carolina and Spacious Skies Hidden Creek in Marion, N.C., just outside of Asheville, where fall foliage season lasts longer than most places.
Trees to see: Oaks, maples, birches, poplars.
Colours: Red, orange and yellow.
Fall foliage timing: Early-October to mid-November.
Open year-round.
Where to next: Spacious Skies Belle Ridge
Drive time: 3 hours 40 minutes – 240 miles
13. End your fall foliage extravaganza Spacious Skies Belle Ridge in Monterey, Tenn., where more than 500 acres of woods, trails, waterfalls and more await.
Trees to see: Oaks, maples, dogwoods, poplars.
Colours: Red, orange and yellow.
Fall foliage timing: Mid-October to mid-November.
Open year-round.
Where to next: Wherever you want. What’s holding you back?
About the Author:
Ali Rasmussen,
CEO & Creative Director,
Spacious Skies Campgrounds
Ali oversees and manages the strategic vision for Spacious Skies Campgrounds, including brand position, property operations, site-level design, customer experience, talent recruitment and retainment, as well as ensuring the acquisition strategy continues to meet the evolving program. Prior to co-founding Spacious Skies, Ali spent her early career in music marketing, PR, and artist management for both large acts as well as new talent. Following business school, Ali conceptualized and implemented differentiated culture and arts-based resident offerings and occupancy drivers for Wood Partners’ West Coast luxury apartments portfolio. Ali holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuquoa School of Business and a B.Mus. in Vocal Performance from New York University.
Join the Team
Spacious Skies Campgrounds is actively seeking headquarters and campground staff with a shared passion for the outdoors and an interest in working for a dynamic, fast-growing company. More information about employment opportunities can be found online.
About Spacious Skies Campgrounds
Spacious Skies Campgrounds is a fast-growing owner and operator of RV campgrounds with 1,200 RV, tent, cabin and glamping sites across 12 locations from Maine to North Carolina. The company’s mission is to offer a fun, relaxing and authentic campground experience in destinations with abundant outdoor recreation and attractions. Spacious Skies Campgrounds is executing an aggressive growth strategy while at the same time improving amenities at all properties to provide guests consistent and reliable accommodations, service and access to the great outdoors. For more information, please visit www.spaciousskiescampgrounds.com.
