Fall is a great time to load up and explore the changing world around you. But how do you choose the  right place and timing for a color ride?  One resource: your local TV news and newspaper/media. Watch your local TV news each morning and  evening, and they’re likely to give you a color map of the changing season and peak color areas. Of course, this is assuming you live in an area where the leaves change color. 

If you’re living where the color change of the season doesn’t include leaves turning crimson, sunrise- yellow and sunset-orange, you really need to experience something new. That’s not to say you ought to  pack up the moving van, but you at least need to explore a color tour. Back to finding the right time and place for your color ride. Of course heading to the search engine is a  place to start, but since you’re here, let’s look at few great resources. 

According to Fodor’s Travel  the place you may want to start is Aspen, Colorado. It would make sense that the Rocky Mountains  would be a dream-backdrop for a color ride.  Other great destinations range from the Catskills of New York to the Green Mountain Byway of  Vermont, and from the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina & Tennessee to the Lake of the Ozarks  in Missouri.

Any of these areas will have wonderful color and beautiful roads to explore.  According to “Vacations By Rail,” you’re  likely to find some amazing sights by railroad across the U.S. Following these rails on your motorcycle is  a great way to spend a fall vacation.  Discover New England boasts a 700-mile, one-week foliage tour. If you have the time and the  stamina, this trip starting in Boston offers amazing views across New England for the autumn color-ride  bikers. 

Finally, when you’re talking about color tours, one of the top destinations seems to be Michigan. In the official State of Michigan site  you’ll find a great map that lays out the perfect time of year – in a typical  year – to see some great fall color. In Michigan, the color begins to paint the skyline in mid-September in  the Upper Peninsula, creeping down the state through mid-October.  There’s no shortage of trip ideas for your fall riding pleasure. It’s up to you to prepare with maps and the right gear.