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Peak time for foliage: Mid- to late October
Minnesota
Train line: Borealis
One of Amtrak’s newest lines is also among its best fall journeys. Launched in 2024, the Borealis train runs between Chicago and St. Paul-Minneapolis through historic small towns, Mississippi River bluff landscapes, and verdant farmlands of the Upper Midwest. Trees are plentiful along the route, with oaks, maples, birches, and more awash in a palette of oranges, yellows, and reds.
Foliage-seekers can alight in the town of Winona, Minnesota, located on an island in the Mississippi—where visitors hike, kayak, or fish amid craggy river bluffs carpeted with ever-changing treetops. Key sites include the 3,000-acre Great River Bluffs State Park, whose hiking trails offer broad vistas over the colorful canopies and across the Mississippi and Black rivers; Sugar Loaf Bluff, a distinctive rock formation with hikes and advanced rock climbing; and Lake Park, with easy, paved trails encircling Lake Winona. Enjoy the foliage from the serenity of the river with a guided boat tour.
Be sure to stay at a hotel with scenic views, too, like the boutique Hotel 44 Degrees North, located in the heart of downtown with rooms that overlook the river bluffs and forests.
Peak time for foliage: October 5 to 20
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Montreal
Train line: Adirondack
Restarting operations just in time for fall trips across the Canadian border is Amtrak’s full Adirondack line, which stretches from New York City to Montreal. The route was shuttered for six weeks over the summer in order to complete track modifications. It reopened to the public in early September. That’s good news for autumnal fanatics, as this foliage-rich route—lined with maples, oaks, birches, and more—becomes postcard-perfect each October. Expect multicolored arboreal panoramas to fill the giant picture windows as you weave through the Hudson River Valley, past Lake Champlain, and along the hills of the Adirondacks. Notable stops along the way include Hudson and Saratoga Springs in New York, but we recommend riding the entire 10-hour route to Montreal to absorb the full force of the fall ambience.
Once in Montreal, there are plenty of options to continue the leaf-appreciation tour. Mount Royal, the famous mountain peak overlooking the city, will be a riot of color. Less than an hour outside the metro area are dazzling nature reserves chock full of morphing trees, like the Morgan Arboretum and Parc-Nature du Cap-Saint-Jacques.
Peak time for foliage: Early to mid-October
