Orange You Glad It’s Fall

There’s a certain point every September when summer quietly packs its bags, the mornings get a little cooler, and someone inevitably mentions that they saw one red leaf on the way to work. Fall is coming. And according to the internet, we’re about to be surrounded by “fiery crimson reds,” “glowing golden yellows,” and a “breathtaking tapestry of autumn hues.” Easy there, computer. We’re starting to suspect that some of the programs or people writing about Vermont foliage have never actually seen a maple tree. Because fall around here is a lot harder to describe than simply opening the digital crayon box and picking red, orange, and yellow. Some trees change overnight. Others take their sweet time. The mountains can look completely different depending on the light, the weather, or which direction you’re driving. And sometimes the best color is one stubborn maple going absolutely bonkers in the middle of an otherwise green hillside. So rather than asking a computer to describe it, we have a better idea: come see it for yourself.

Fall in northern Vermont is a bucket-list experience for a reason, and here at Smuggs, we’ve got plenty of ways to get outside and fully immerse yourself in it. Our hours and activities are changing with the season, but there’s still a lot happening around the Resort and beyond.

One of the newest fall experiences available to Smuggs guests takes you just a few miles down the road to Stony Grove, a family-run apple orchard tucked away on Pratt Road. And getting there is half the fun. From Smuggs, head north a few miles before turning onto Pratt Road, where pavement gives way to dirt and the road bends between wooded stretches, old homes, and open fields. Trees reach overhead, sunlight sneaks through the canopy, and every so often the view opens across a hayfield toward ski trails waiting for their first coat of snow. You might pass a neighbor walking the dog, kids playing in a yard, or a few deer who have absolutely no intention of yielding the right of way. After about a mile and a half, you’ll arrive at Stony Grove, where rows of apple trees roll across the property. This fall, Smuggs guests can get beyond simply picking apples with a behind-the-scenes orchard tour covering the nitty-gritty of owning and maintaining an apple orchard. Then comes the important part: picking your own apples and turning them into your own apple pie. That’s about as Vermont as it gets without requiring you to stack a cord of wood first.

Another way to see the season is on one of our foliage e-bike tours. Traveling by bike slows everything down enough to actually take in the landscape, without slowing things down so much that the hills become the main event. You’re out in the cool air, moving through the color instead of watching it flash past a windshield. There’s another advantage, too: no getting stuck behind a fellow leaf peeper staring at one spectacular red maple while casually taking their half of the road out of the middle.

Our autumn activities have taken over, and the summer lineup and operating hours have shifted. That means now is an especially good time to check the latest Activity Guide and Hours of Operation before heading out. Because the leaves aren’t the only things changing around here. And while AI can probably tell you that Vermont is “ablaze with autumn splendor,” we’d recommend skipping the robot poetry, grabbing your favorite cozy hoodie or sweater, and seeing what the fuss is actually about.

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There’s a certain point every September when summer quietly packs its bags, the mornings get a little cooler, and someone inevitably mentions that they saw one red leaf on the way to work. Fall is coming. And according to the internet, we’re about to be surrounded by “fiery crimson reds,” “glowing golden yellows,” and a…