COLOR-PACKED PLACES TO VISIT NOW

1. MAROON BELLS -- COLORADO, UNITED STATES

If you want to see peak colors with a postcard-worthy view, head to the Maroon Bells, in Colorado. The beautiful aspen trees change from bright green to a beautiful, bold yellow in the fall. Two mountain peaks look like purple majesties as they rise up in the Maroon-Bells Snowmass Wilderness of White River National Forest.

Maroon Lake, which sits at the base of a basin that was sculpted by Ice-Age glaciers and later dammed by mountain landslide, reflects it all.

2. BLACKWATER FALLS -- WEST VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

Bold colors abound in Blackwater Falls State Park, West Virginia. The park is named for the Blackwater River, which runs with “black” water, colored by tannic acid from fallen hemlock and red spruce needles. Blackwater Falls, which plunge about 5 stories down into an 8-mile-long gorge, run with amber-tinted waters. Autumn adds its own vibrant colors to the scene.

3. SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS -- FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES

Enjoy beautiful color from atop a volcano! The lush greenery of aspen trees on the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks, in Flagstaff, Arizona, turns to solid gold in the autumn. They are the remnants of an ancient volcano and are the highest point in Arizona.

4. CAESARS HEAD STATE PARK -- SOUTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

Caesars Head State Park is blanketed with a diverse and colorful array of trees. Visit in autumn, and you’ll see a whole host of colors, from evergreen, to pale yellow, to russet, to deep shades of red in this Cove Hardwood Forest ecosystem.

The rock formation, one of the highest points in Greenville County, is a granitic gneiss outcrop at 3,208 ft (978 m) above sea level on the Blue Ridge Escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains and are part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness.

5. DOLLY SODS WILDERNESS -- WEST VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

Head to the top of Dolly Sods Wilderness to get the most out of the changing colors that stretch out across its 17,371 acres in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia.

The autumn leaves are incredibly vivid, due to warm days and sharply colder nights that occur at higher elevations in the wilderness. The impressive variety of trees also contributes to the many different shades you’ll see here.

6. BERING LAND BRIDGE NATIONAL PRESERVE -- ALASKA, UNITED STATES

For those adventurous enough to make the trek, the extraordinary colors in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska, are unbeatable. The Alaska Willows and the Dwarf Bush create a waist-deep blanket of rich oranges and reds. The entire undergrowth of native shrubs transforms into extraordinary hues of red, yellow, green, and brown in autumn. A white snow-topped mountain peak stands guard in the background.

7. MENDENHALL GLACIER -- JUNEAU, ALASKA

The magical blue of the Mendenhall Glacier is actually an optical illusion. The unique crystalline structure of the ice absorbs and reflects light, making it appear blue. As it moves the glacier also grinds up rock to a fine powder called rock flour that escapes with glacial melt water and creates the lake's murky color.

Climate change has caused the 12-mile long glacier to retreat 2 miles since 1958, so see it while you still can. It is now protected in Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area, in Tongass National Forest, Juneau, Alaska.

8. MORAINE LAKE -- ALBERTA, CANADA

For mind-bogglingly beautiful deep turquoise blue, head to Moraine Lake, in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. The lake is fed by glacial waters year-round. Light refracts off of the rock flour deposits in the lake, to create this stunning color.

9. SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE -- MÉXICO

To see beautiful color any time of the year, head to San Miguel de Allende, a dazzling historic city in Mexico. Its 17th and 18th century buildings are well-preserved, and bursting with bright colors. The tallest building in the city is the Parroquia de San Miguel Archangel, with a beautiful pink limestone façade, inspired by Gaudi's Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona. San Miguel de Allende was named a World Heritage of Humanity site in 2008.

10. PAMUKKALE -- TURKEY

For a beautiful color adventure of another kind, head to the hot springs and travertine terraces of Pamukkale, Turkey. Its stunning white terraces are made of carbonate minerals, left by the flowing turquoise waters of the hot springs. People have been relaxing here for thousands of years.

Pamukkale, which means “cotton castle,” in Turkish, is home to the ancient Greco-Roman and Byzantine city of Hierapolis, built on top of the white “castle.”

Pamukkale is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Read more about Beautiful Colors, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including Check Out Our Favorite 10 New Books That Showcase the Beauty of Color, 11 Super Colorful New Species Discovered Now, Super Luscious Orange & Purple Sweets & Savories Now and Color Shreds Now.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by John Fowler. Alpenglow. Maroon Bells, Maroon Lake, Colorado. Pre-dawn shot. Maroon Bells. Colorado, United States.
2. Image: Courtesy of ForestWander. Blackwater Falls State Park, West Virginia. United States.
3. Image: by John. Lockett Meadow. San Francisco Peaks. Flagstaff, Arizona. United States.
4. Image: by-ted. Fall colors at Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. Caesars Head State Park. South Carolina, United States.
5. Image: Courtesy of ForestWander. Autumn Colors, Dolly Sods. West Virginia, United States.
6. Image: by Katie Cullen. Courtesy of Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. Stunning Fall Colors at Serpentine Hot Springs. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve.  Alaska, United States.
7. Image: by Andrew E. Russell. Ice Caves. Mendenhall Glacier. Juneau, Alaska.
8. Image: by Gorgo. Valley of the Ten Peaks and Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Canada. Moraine Lake. Alberta, Canada.
9. Image: by Jiuguang Wang. San Miguel de Allende. Mexico.
10. Image: by Antoine Taveneaux. Pamukkale. Turkey.
11. Image: by Esther Lee. Sunset in Pamukkale, Turkey.
12. Image: by Esther Lee. Pamukkale, Turkey.
13. Image: by Esther Lee. Pamukkale, Turkey.
14. Image: by BN App - Download now!
15. Image: by Kimberly Vardeman. Moraine Lake. Moraine Lake. Alberta, Canada.