It’s not too late to plan a perfect fall escape, and a new study from Heepsy has identified the top ten fall travel spots across the United States. By analyzing metrics like Instagram hashtags, Google searches, visitor counts, and average temperatures, the study has pinpointed the nation’s most popular fall destinations.
Rocky Mountain National Park leads the list with a combined 12.8 million online searches and social media tags, and it welcomes over 4.3 million visitors each year. The park’s amazing mountain views and golden aspen groves make this location a dream in autumn.
Coming in second, Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada offers an equally compelling autumn experience. While it attracts a smaller annual visitor count of 250,000, it garners an impressive 8.7 million Google searches, highlighting its appeal among fall travelers seeking unique landscapes.
Also making the list is Napa Valley, California, which combines natural beauty with some of the country’s finest wine experiences. Napa Valley welcomes around 3.6 million visitors each fall and offers the warmest average seasonal temperature on the list, at 60.9°F, creating a perfect setting for vineyard tours under sunny skies.
The most popular fall destinations: The full list
Here’s the full list of the most popular fall destinations and their number of Google searches.
- Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado: 9.3 million searches
- Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada: 8.7 million searches
- Mount Rainier National Park, Washington: 6.7 million searches
- Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada: 3.8 million searches
- Napa Valley, California: 3.8 million searches
- Buffalo National River, Arkansas: 61,000 searches
- Columbia River Gorge, Oregon: 3.5 million searches
- Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia/North Carolina: 2.4 million searches
- Aspen, Colorado: 1.7 million searches
- Mammoth Lakes, California: 2.7 million searches
