Leaf peeping, fall color tourism, or simply fall tourism is the activity in which people travel to observe and photograph the fall foliage in autumn. The term comes from the United States, having been first mentioned in 1966. Although the activity is prominent in the United States, where it is considered one of the most popular autumn activities, it is also present in other cultures, such as in Japan, where it is known as momijigari and where it dates back to the Heian period.
In the United States, leaf peeping is popular in New England and New York, where it has significantly affected regional autumn tourist activities, which have in return boosted local economies. New England states have also competed in leaf peeping tourism by launching advertisements and offering low-cost lodging. Some state parks have also introduced viewfinders for red-green colorblind people to allow them to view fall foliage. Leaf peeping has been negatively affected by climate change and weather occurrences, such as wildfires and hurricanes.
The term leaf peeping is commonly referred to as an activity in which people travel to view and photograph the fall foliage during autumn, when leaves change colors. [1] The term originates from the United States. [2] [3] According to the Oxford English Dictionary , its first usage appeared in 1966 in the Bennington Banner newspaper. [4] [5] Leaf peeping is alternatively known as fall color tourism or simply fall tourism. [6] [7]
Ruskaretki is an activity in Finland in which people travel to see fall foliage; in Japan, a similar activity is known as momijigari (hunting autumn leaves). [1] [2] In South Korea, leaf peeping is known as dan pung ku gyeong and in China it is known as shangye. [2]
Fall foliage in Japan usually occurs from late October to early December. [8] Leaf peeping in Japan has been a tradition since the Heian period; [9] [10] Anna Selby of The Daily Telegraph wrote that leaf peeping "is a concept embedded deep within Japanese culture", citing Shinto and Zen as examples. [11] According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the activity had become widely popular in the 18th century. [12] Ginkgo, zelkova serrata, and chestnut trees are popular for leaf peeping in Japan. [11]
Selby wrote that leaf peeping is considered to be popular around the Kyoto area, [11] while the JNTO wrote that Miyajima Island is a "fan [favorite]" destination for leaf peeping. [12] Canadian blogger La Carmina has listed Tōfuku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, the Japanese Alps, and Daisetsuzan National Park as popular leaf peeping locations. [9] The National Geographic covered a story about leaf peeping in Kyoto in September 2023. [13]
Fall foliage in the United States occurs from September to early November, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac . [14] Prominent leaf peeping locations in the United States are in New England and New York. [15] [16] The Appalachian Mountains in New England particularly have temperate forests, while in the Western United States, aspen tree species are popular for leaf peeping. [2] [17]
The National Park Service claims that leaf peeping is one of the most popular autumn activities, [1] while in New England its popularity is mainly attributed to forests being in close proximity to locations with high population. [6] Considered a niche market, leaf peeping tourism has affected the economy of the United States, particularly the states in New England and New York, [18] with New England states receiving approximately US$ 8,000,000,000 annually in revenue from tourist activities. [6] The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development also reported that the state receives approximately US$ 600,000,000 from leaf peeping tourist activities, [19] an increase from US$ 332,000,000 in 2009. New England state governments have promoted leaf peeping tourism, [6] and have also competed by launching advertisements targeted at tourists and offering low-cost lodging in hotels and inns. [20] [21]
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation introduced viewfinders for red-green colorblind people at its state parks in 2024 to allow them to leaf peep the foliage. Ethan Howes, a red-green colorblind Natural Tunnel State Park ranger, created the plan after being inspired by viewfinders in Tennessee, [22] which were installed in 2017 at the Great Smoky Mountains. [23] The New York Times reported that similar viewfinders for leaf peeping were introduced at locations in Georgia, Florida, and Oregon. [22]
Climate change and weather occurrences, such as wildfires and floods, have negatively impacted leaf peeping activities due to leaves withering early and pests increasing in quantity. [15] [24] [25] Hurricanes have also had an impact on leaf peeping activities by harming trees. Patrick Whittle of Associated Press wrote that a potential decrease in leaf peeping tourism could, in return, leave an impact on the economy of New England states. [15] Hurricane Helene was cited as an example of a cause that negatively impacted leaf peeping activities. [26] Leaf peeping tourists in Vermont were criticized by locals due to trespassing on private property and jamming the traffic. [27]
Leaf peeping activities were popularized in other countries, including Ireland, such as around Lough Eske. [28] According to naturalist Ed Drewitt, the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire is a popular tourist spot for leaf peeping in the United Kingdom. He noted that during autumn, leaves become "burnt brown/orange" in the region. [3] Writing for British Vogue, Hayley Maitland listed Winkworth Arboretum, Cliveden, Stourhead, and Ashdown Forest as popular locations for leaf peeping in the London area. [29]
Journalist Devin Gordon of GQ criticized the term leaf peeping, saying that it sounds filthy and humiliating, "like I've never seen red or yellow before." [30] Writing for NPR , biologist David George Haskell considers the term peep inappropriate in regards to fall foliage due to its definition and peep shows. He proposed leaf wonder or autumnal awe as replacement terms. [2] Author and professor Heather Sellers considers the activity to be "goofy, overblown, and depressing". [31]
Autumn, also known as fall, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September or March. Autumn is the season when the duration of daylight becomes noticeably shorter and the temperature cools considerably. Day length decreases and night length increases as the season progresses until the winter solstice in December and June. One of its main features in temperate climates is the striking change in colour of the leaves of deciduous trees as they prepare to shed.
In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, after flowering; and to the shedding of ripe fruit. The antonym of deciduous in the botanical sense is evergreen.
Fraxinus americana, the white ash or American ash, is a fast-growing species of ash tree native to eastern and central North America.
Acer rubrum, the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant native tree in eastern North America. The red maple ranges from southeastern Manitoba around the Lake of the Woods on the border with Ontario and Minnesota, east to Newfoundland, south to Florida, and southwest to East Texas. Many of its features, especially its leaves, are quite variable in form. At maturity, it often attains a height around 30 m (100 ft). Its flowers, petioles, twigs, and seeds are all red to varying degrees. Among these features, however, it is best known for its brilliant deep scarlet foliage in autumn.
The spring peeper is a small chorus frog widespread throughout the eastern United States and Canada. It prefers permanent ponds due to its advantage in avoiding predation; however, it is very adaptable with respect to the habitat it can live in. In northern regions, the frog is able to endure below freezing temperatures due to the capacity of its liver to exude and flush the bloodstream with a glucose cryoprotectant which acts both as an anti-freeze in its blood, and allows organs like the heart to enter into a state of protected dormancy. The peeper earned its name from its chirping call, which marks the beginning of spring. Crucifer is derived from the Latin root meaning "cross-bearing", a reference to the cross-like pattern on the spring peeper's dorsal side.
A mountain resort is a place to holiday or vacation located in an elevated and typically at least relatively isolated area. The term resort implies integral hotel or inn accommodations, restaurants, and either or both sports facilities or scenic attractions like birdwatching. These can be part of a "destination resort" that provides accommodations and activities or a "resort town" that offers amenities near outdoor areas.
American sweetgum, also known as American storax, hazel pine, bilsted, redgum, satin-walnut, star-leaved gum, alligatorwood, gumball tree, or simply sweetgum, is a deciduous tree in the genus Liquidambar native to warm temperate areas of eastern North America and tropical montane regions of Mexico and Central America. Sweetgum is one of the main valuable forest trees in the southeastern United States, and is a popular ornamental tree in temperate climates. It is recognizable by the combination of its five-pointed star-shaped leaves and its hard, spiked fruits. It is currently classified in the plant family Altingiaceae, but was formerly considered a member of the Hamamelidaceae.
Itsukushima (厳島) is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the northwest of Hiroshima Bay. It is popularly known as Miyajima (宮島), which in Japanese means "Shrine Island". The island is one of Hayashi Gahō's Three Views of Japan specified in 1643. Itsukushima is part of the city of Hatsukaichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. The island was part of the former town of Miyajima before the 2005 merger with Hatsukaichi.
New Hampshire Route 112 is a 56.39-mile-long (90.75 km) east–west state highway in northern New Hampshire. The highway winds across the state, connecting Bath to Conway through the heart of the scenic and mountainous White Mountain National Forest.
Tilia americana is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Oklahoma, southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to Cherry County, Nebraska. It is the sole representative of its genus in the Western Hemisphere, assuming T. caroliniana is treated as a subspecies or local ecotype of T. americana. Common names include American basswood and American linden.
Acer is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae. There are approximately 132 species, most of which are native to Asia, with a number also appearing in Europe, northern Africa, and North America. Only one species, Acer laurinum, extends to the Southern Hemisphere. The type species of the genus is the sycamore maple Acer pseudoplatanus, one of the most common maple species in Europe. Most maples usually have easily identifiable palmate leaves and all share distinctive winged fruits. The closest relative of the maples is the small east Asian genus Dipteronia, followed by the more widespread genus Aesculus. Maple syrup is made from the sap of some maple species. It is one of the most common genera of trees in Asia. Many maple species are grown in gardens where they are valued for their autumn colour and often decorative foliage, some also for their attractive flowers, fruit, or bark.
Ulmus 'Frontier' is an American hybrid cultivar, a United States National Arboretum introduction derived from a crossing of the European Field Elm Ulmus minor with the Chinese Elm Ulmus parvifolia in 1971. Released in 1990, the tree is a rare example of the hybridization of spring- and autumn-flowering elms. Tested in the US National Elm Trial coordinated by Colorado State University, 'Frontier' averaged a survival rate of 74% after 10 years.
Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normally green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs by which they take on, during a few weeks in the autumn season, various shades of yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown. The phenomenon is commonly called autumn colours or autumn foliage in British English and fall colors, fall foliage, or simply foliage in American English.
The northern hardwood forest is a general type of North American forest ecosystem found over much of southeastern and south-central Canada, Ontario, and Quebec, extending south into the United States in northern New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, and west along the Great Lakes to Minnesota and western Ontario. Some ecologists consider it a transitional forest because it contains species common to both the oak-hickory forest community to the south and the Boreal forest community to the north. The trees and shrub species of the Northern Hardwood Forest are known for their brilliant fall colors, making the regions that contain this forest type popular fall foliage tourist destinations.
Momijigari (紅葉狩) or Maple Viewing is a Japanese folk law narrative, performed as theatre in both kabuki as a shosagoto and in Noh versions. It was also the first narrative ever filmed in Japan. The Noh play was written by Kanze Nobumitsu during the Muromachi period. Other titles for the play include Yogoshōgun and Koremochi.
Acer palmatum, commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Korean: danpungnamu, 단풍나무, Japanese: irohamomiji, イロハモミジ, or momiji,, is a species of woody plant native to Korea, Japan, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russia. Many different cultivars of this maple have been selected and they are grown worldwide for their large variety of attractive forms, leaf shapes, and spectacular colors.
Autumn in New England begins in late September and ends in late December. It marks the transition from summer to winter and is known for its vibrant colors and picturesque beauty. The autumn color of the trees and flora in New England has been reported to be some of the most brilliant natural color in the United States; as such, it is a popular tourist destination, attracting visitors from across North America and overseas. Travelers flock to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and parts of Massachusetts to see the colors each fall, a practice known as leaf peeping. Hiking during Autumn has become popular, and several areas offer guided tours.
New Mexico True is a tourism campaign by the New Mexico Tourism Department. This New Mexico program seeks to focus on being "authentic and true in its people, landscape and culture"; the goal being to dismiss misconceptions and misunderstandings of the state, and to create a more cohesive set of statewide tourist destinations, based on personal interests, from New Mexico's various locales. Though it is aimed at broader national and international tourism, it seeks to bring tourists from around neighboring states, Colorado, Arizona, and Texas. The campaign also seeks to educate local businesses and to encourage staycations within the state.
Pond Eddy is a hamlet in Sullivan County, New York, United States, located along the Delaware River, marking the border between New York and Pennsylvania. It is historically significant and also rich in natural beauty, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities. Located along the scenic Delaware River in Sullivan County, Pond Eddy offers a peaceful escape into nature, surrounded by forests and abundant wildlife.
Kōrankei is a gorge created by the Yodo River, a tributary of the Yahagi River. It is a part of Asuke Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. Kōrankei has over 4000 maple trees said to have been planted in 1634. It sits next to Aichi Kōgen Quasi-National Park, and is a popular tourist destination, famous for its autumn foliage and its Erythronium japonicum flowers.