If a national park is too far a jaunt, try using some of the tools below for finding prime fall foliage in other places.

Just remember that sunny days and cool nights means nature is in rare form. A rainbow of metamorphosing trees awaits you!

Finding prime times for fall color

To be sure that you time your leaf peeping adventure appropriately:

Check out peak fall foliage viewing maps for places to go.

Call the Forest Service's fall colors hotline for updates.

If you aren't looking to travel far, visit recreation.gov for their state-by-state suggestions. The Forest Service's fall colors site also helps you find out about the best viewing places in forests near you.

National Parks with awesome fall color

To make this year extra special, explore one of these national parks for the most spectacular views of fall foliage:

• Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. You can participate in the Fall Foliage Bike Festival, hike a part of the Appalachian Trail, or spend an afternoon cruising down Skyline Drive. Colors are changing a bit earlier in Virginia this year so try to visit in early October. 

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee. Spanning two states, this park is at its most colorful between mid-October and early November. 

• Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia and North Carolina. Why settle for one or the other, when you can have both? This scenic drive stretches from Shenandoah to the Smokies and peak fall colors are expected mid-to-late October. 

• Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio. Ohio's best kept secret, Cuyahoga can be experienced via the scenic railroad. The last two weeks of October are the pinnacle of fall color. 

• Yosemite National Park, California. Unfortunately, Ansel Adams' iconic black-and-white photos just couldn't capture fall's classic colors. But you can with your own eyes from late October into November. 

• Great Teton National Park, Wyoming. Though the leaves began turning in the beginning of September, you have through mid-October to catch these stunning vistas. 

• Acadia National Park, Maine. Up north fall color reaches its prime in late September but can last through October. 

• Glacier National Park, Montana. Pack your bags, because this treasured park is at its most beautiful in early October. 

• Olympic National Park, Washington. Peak fall colors are expected here through October.