Staying Fit
The Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire takes you to the 6,288-foot summit of Mount Washington.
Mount Washington Cog Railway
Cooler weather brings autumn colors galore. And one of the most popular fall pastimes is to take a trip to view the changing leaves.
While New England grabs the most attention, you’ll find plenty of other festive foliage shows around the country.
Make the most of the short leaf-turning season by ditching your car to ride the rails — from Maine to Arkansas to Oregon — to see fall colors in hidden areas not easily accessible otherwise.
You’ll find fall foliage train tours and other special excursions in many states. We’ve assembled some of the best options for a day trip or weekend getaway. Check the Farmers’ Almanac for dates of peak foliage nationwide.
New England
The train ride is a three-hour round trip on a biodiesel locomotive.
Mount Washington Cog Railway
Train: Mount Washington Cog Railway, Mount Washington, New Hampshire
When: Through Oct. 15; trains go partway to the summit through Oct. 29
Known as one of New England’s best fall train rides, the route from Marshfield Base Station to Mount Washington’s 6,288-foot summit provides stunning views of the highest peak in the Northeast.
Tourists have been riding “The Cog” since 1869 to see fall colors and experience hair-rising climbs and descents on grades averaging 25 percent. The round trip takes three hours on a biodiesel locomotive (adults $86) or steam train ($99). Don’t forget to snap a photo at the famous Mount Washington Summit sign.
Train: Railroad Museum of New England’s Naugatuck Railroad, Thomaston, Connecticut
When: Oct. 6, 13, 20
The Naugatuck Railroad’s 20-mile, 80-minute Autumn Colors Limited train ride travels through some of the best fall foliage in northwestern Connecticut. The railway follows the Naugatuck River and crosses the 142-foot-high Thomaston Dam. Tickets start at $19 for adults and $18 for people age 65-plus.
Over two weekends, Oct. 14-15 and Oct. 21-22, there’s an 80-minute Pumpkin Patch Express, which stops at a pumpkin field. Tickets start at $22 for adults, $20 for those 65-plus.
Train: Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad, Unity, Maine
When: Sept. 16, 17, 27, 30 and Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 1-18
Fall may be the best time to visit Maine, when the birch, maple, oak and elm trees turn brilliant yellow, orange and red. The Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad offers three train tours to view those colors. Its one-hour Fall Foliage Train Ride costs $20 for adults. A 90-minute extended fall tour (adults $33), which is offered on only three dates, travels along Unity Pond and through woods and bogs. An up to 90-minute Pumpkin Express (adults $25) operates only Oct. 21-22.
Upper Midwest
Passengers seated in a Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad open-air car may see deer, eagles, loons and other wildlife in Minnesota.
Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad
Train: Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad, Duluth, Minnesota
When: Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 15
Fall colors abound on this nonprofit, volunteer-run railroad’s Duluth River Train, which resumed service this summer after closing in 2020 for the pandemic and cleanup of a nearby U.S. Steel Superfund site.
The 13-mile round-trip train ride travels through woods and over Mud Lake Causeway. Passengers seated in 100-year-old coaches or an open-air car may see deer, eagles, loons and other wildlife. Adult tickets cost $20, but it’s free for active military and veterans on Sundays.
Train: Black Hills Central Railroad’s 1880 Train, Hill City and Keystone, South Dakota
When: Through Oct. 15
Black Hills Central Railroad offers two rides on a refurbished vintage steam train to view the golden leaves of birch and aspen trees mixed with pine and spruce in western South Dakota. Passengers also can see mountains, rock formations and historic structures as the train travels through national forest land and along old mining routes.
The standard narrated trip (adults $39) between Hill City and Keystone takes 135 minutes. An Oktoberfest train ride ($69), with beer, food and entertainment, will run Sept. 30.
Train: Coopersville and Marne Railway, Coopersville, Michigan
When: Weekends, Sept. 30-Oct. 29
Take the slow route and bring the grandchildren on a vintage train to see the fall colors and pick a pumpkin in western Michigan. The 14-mile, 90-minute round-trip Coopersville and Marne Railway’s family-friendly Pumpkin Train passes creeks, fields and farms at about 10 mph.
The volunteer-run train features renovated coaches from the 1920s, including one converted for accessibility. The movie Biloxi Blues featured coaches No. 1 and 2, says Andrea Ott, a volunteer with Friends of the Coopersville and Marne Railway. Assigned seats cost $35 to $45 for adults. One person can pay $65 to ride in the locomotive jump seat.
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