Enjoy Vermont’s World-Famous “Leaf-Peeping” at the Mountaintop Inn & Resort!

Ah, fall in Vermont—maybe our single most magical season! If anything helps us bid farewell to a hard-earned summer, it’s the prospect of the yearly color extravaganza just around the corner.

Rooming here at the Mountaintop Inn & Resort, tucked up in the rich woods of the Green Mountains, you’re treated to one of the best autumn foliage shows on the continent—a spectacle that’s truly unforgettable!

When the maples (especially), aspens, cherries, beeches, and other native hardwoods start putting on their show, it makes for breathtaking scenery that leaves even seasoned leaf-peepers like ourselves speechless.

Leaf Peeping in the Green Mountain State

Vermont’s fall color show is so renowned that people from all over the world make the journey here to see it. Indeed, “leaf peeping,” as it’s often called, is a major pursuit for locals and visitors alike during prime season, which usually runs from mid-September through late October.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a better perch for ogling those smoldering forest reds, yellows, and oranges than the Mountaintop Inn & Resort. At our doorstep is the stunning Green Mountain National Forest: You can hike, ride, or paddle to your heart’s content with a front-row ticket to Vermont’s autumn glories!

What makes the foliage of our Green Mountain hardwoods turn these evocative hues? Well, the trees are starting to shut down most of their photosynthesis for the year, which means the main photosynthetic pigment—chlorophyll—declines. Chlorophyll is what makes leaves look green to our eyes; as it disappears, other pigments reveal their strikingly different shades.

Tips for Enjoying the Show

Make sure you get in touch with us early to make sure you can get a room at the Mountaintop for leaf-peeping season. You’ll be able to lace up those hiking boots or hop on a horse to appreciate the maples, birches, and other showstoppers via the extensive trail network lacing our 350 acres and beyond into the national forest.

You’ll not only be able to enjoy the color show on our grounds: We’ll also point you to scenic drives in the region that offer all the more opportunities to relish the transformed canopies of the Green Mountains.

Numerous websites, including Vermont’s official tourism portal, provide regularly updated reports on the status of the state’s fall-foliage display, the timing and extent of which depend a great deal on the weather. The nice thing about our property is our elevational range: As the fall color shifts down the slopes and different tree species abide by their different schedules, our leaf-peeping season is usually a nicely extended one.

Come stay with us up here at the Mountaintop Inn & Resort, where you can experience some of the world’s finest autumn foliage just a hop, skip, and a jump from your room! When you’re not gaping at crimson red maples or golden aspens, you’ll have the plentiful other attractions of our grounds—from tennis and yoga to fine dining and cocktails—to delight you.

We look forward to seeing you for the 2014 leaf-peeping season at the Mountaintop!