Beaver Creek, OH

With Ohio’s peak fall foliage sea­son nearly upon us, now is the per­fect time to plan an Ohio get­away that offers a new per­spec­tive on how to view the blaz­ing reds, yel­lows and oranges through­out the state. Whether you are inter­ested in exhil­a­rat­ing out­door activ­i­ties or are look­ing for a bird’s-eye view of the land­scape, Ohio has a num­ber of ways to enjoy the fall foliage sea­son. For addi­tional ideas and get­aways cre­ated to max­i­mize Ohio’s fall foliage and to view the lat­est fall color report, we encour­age trav­el­ers to check www.DiscoverOhio.com and click on the Autumn Adventures icon. Ohio’s fall sea­son truly is too much fun for just one day!

1. Ride the rails through it. Traveling through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad fea­tures vin­tage engines and coaches built in the 1940s and 1950s. Round-trip excur­sions take vis­i­tors to Peninsula, Hale Farm and Village, Quaker Square and Akron’s North side and offer some of the most stun­ning fall foliage sights in the state on a relax­ing train ride. While the park is located near Cleveland, Akron and Canton, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is worlds away. The 33,000 acres of diverse land­scape include sand­stone ledges, 70 water­falls (most notably the 60-foot-tall Brandywine Falls), rolling hills and river gorges that can be viewed from 186 miles of trails. Peak fall foliage views: Late September/early October.
2. Rise above it. For a truly breath­tak­ing view of Ohio’s fall foliage, con­sider get­ting a birds-eye view with a hot air bal­loon ride. There are numer­ous options geo­graph­i­cally to start off your adven­ture. Prices for hot air bal­loon rides range any­where from $320 — $500 for two peo­ple. After an exhil­a­rat­ing bal­loon ride, stay grounded at a local restau­rant and share sto­ries of this high-flying expe­ri­ence. Peak fall foliage views: Depending on geo­graphic region, late September through late October.
3. Segway into it. What bet­ter way to com­bine tech­nol­ogy with the out­doors than to embark on a jour­ney through Mother Nature’s ter­ri­tory on a guided Segway tour? Firefly Hollow Segway Tours in Little Hocking (SE Ohio) offers fan­tas­tic eco-friendly oppor­tu­ni­ties to nav­i­gate the out­door land­scape for any­one, even those with phys­i­cal lim­i­ta­tions. Along 3.5 miles of ter­rain, vis­i­tors travel deep into the woods, up and down hills, enjoy­ing the finest in fall foliage. Be sure to bring binoc­u­lars, as the tour edu­cates vis­i­tors on the area’s bird­ing pop­u­la­tion and pro­vides tips on how to spot birds. Peak fall foliage views: Late October.
4. Fly through it. Ohio offers two unbe­liev­able ziplin­ing adven­tures with two dif­fer­ent expe­ri­ences. In Oregonia (SW Ohio), Ozone Zipline Adventures takes thrill seek­ers above the Little Miami River Valley canopy on seven sky bridges span­ning two miles. Among the reds, oranges and yel­lows, see 500 million-year-old fos­sils and 2,000-year-old Native American earth­works in the val­ley on this edu­ca­tional ride. In Rockbridge (SE Ohio), the Hocking Hills Canopy Tours takes rid­ers on a faster zipline where views of the Hocking River and rock cliffs pro­vide a breath­tak­ing back­drop for the area’s nat­ural flora and fauna. Peak fall foliage views: Late October.
5. Float past it. No visit to Historic Roscoe Village is com­plete with­out a relax­ing float along a 1.5-mile stretch of canal aboard the horse-drawn Monticello III. A part of the Lake Park Recreational Complex, the 45-minute canal boat ride allows pas­sen­gers to expe­ri­ence a serene glide at 4 mph from which fall col­ors along the forested banks can be savored. The canal boat cap­tain pro­vides pas­sen­gers with a lit­tle insight into life on the canal dur­ing its 1800s hey­day. Don’t miss the village’s his­toric shops and restau­rants and sited includ­ing the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum or the nearby Raven’s Glenn Winery. Peak fall foliage views: Early to mid-October.
6. Trot past it. Take a horse-drawn buggy ride through the rolling hills of Ohio’s Amish Country at Schrock’s Family Farm near Berlin (NE Ohio). Located in the heart of the country’s largest Amish pop­u­la­tion, the farm pro­vides vis­i­tors with an under­stand­ing of local Amish cus­toms, tra­di­tions and lifestyle. Take the oppor­tu­nity to browse the region’s numer­ous cheese houses or shop for quilts and hard­wood fur­ni­ture. Peak fall foliage views: Late September/early October.
7. Get up close to it. Ohio has two back­pack­ing trails that offer hik­ers oppor­tu­ni­ties to get away from it all and expe­ri­ence nature’s fall foliage. The 23.5-mile Zaleski State Forest back­pack trail in Vinton County (SE Ohio) is great for begin­ners or those look­ing for a less stren­u­ous hik­ing and back­pack­ing expe­ri­ence in Ohio’s second-largest state for­est. Also called “The Little Smokies of Ohio,” Shawnee State Forest’s back­pack­ing trail in Scioto County (SE Ohio) offers 60 miles of rugged ter­rain ideal for more mod­er­ate and advanced hik­ers. Peak fall foliage views: Late October.
8. Paddle through it. Ohio’s 14 state scenic rivers offer unique views of bril­liant fall foliage and migrat­ing birds. Located in Hiram (NE Ohio), the Camp Hi Canoe Livery offers vis­i­tors a peace­ful canoe or kayak expe­ri­ence along the upper por­tion of the scenic Cuyahoga River. On the State Scenic Sandusky River, Ridgway Canoe Livery near Tiffin (NW Ohio) offers canoe or kayak­ing trips for spec­tac­u­lar fall foliage views. Peak fall foliage views: Late September/early October.
9. Road trip it. Ohio’s scenic byways are a fan­tas­tic way to enjoy Ohio’s fall col­ors, and each one offers a very dif­fer­ent expe­ri­ence. Consider a drive along the Covered Bridge Scenic Byway through Wayne National Forest (SE Ohio) in Ohio’s Appalachian region or cruise along the flat­lands of the Old Mill Stream Byway (NW Ohio) along the Blanchard River and Lake Erie. Peak fall foliage views: Depending on geo­graphic region, late September through late October.
10. Hoof it. Ohio state parks and forests offer more than 500 miles of bri­dle trails through all types of land­scapes and ter­rain in 24 parks. Whether you’re a begin­ner or advanced eques­trian, Ohio has eight state parks that are adja­cent to state forests and pro­vide more than 200 addi­tional miles of rid­ing trails. In par­tic­u­lar, Hueston Woods State Park in Butler and Preble Counties (SW Ohio) offers horse rentals and guides who take horse­back rid­ers along the park’s scenic trails. Peak fall foliage views: Depending on geo­graphic region, late September through late October.

For the most up-to-date infor­ma­tion on Ohio’s fall foliage, fol­low us on Twitter @DiscoverOhio or become a fan of the Ohio Tourism Division on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DiscoverOhio. To order a free copy of the 2009 Ohio Travel Planner or the 2009–2010 Fall/Winter Ohio Calendar of Events, click on the Free Publications icon at www.DiscoverOhio.com or call 1–800-BUCKEYE. The Ohio Travel Planner and Ohio Calendar of Events also are both view­able online. Trained travel coun­selors are avail­able to assist 1–800-BUCKEYE callers week­days from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and week­ends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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4. Fall Outings in Southern Illinois
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