Lake Champlain Fall Foliage in Vermont 2025

The Lake Champlain Region is a beautiful area all year round. But in the fall, it can blow your mind—the yellow, red, and orange colors change the trees into a wonderful spectacle. In this article, we’ve put together the best trails and spots all over this area to help you immerse yourself in the beauty of the fall season.

The best tome to see fall colors on Lake Champlain

The best time for fall foliage near Lake Champlain is from early September to mid-October. It is predicted that all the leaves will have changed colors by the last week of October.

Champlain Area Trails’

Champlain Area Trails offers 56 family-friendly trails that connect visitors to the vibrant autumn colors of the Adirondack forests, farms, fields, and wetlands. Beginning with the Noblewood Trail, hikers can enjoy a scenic hike and beach walk with captivating coastlines and views of distant mountains. The Belfry Mountain Trail leads to the peak, where climbing the fire tower provides additional vistas. The Cheney Mountain Trail, Coon Mountain, and Coot Hill/Big Hollow Trail each offer stunning summit views, with vistas stretching north and south along the 125-mile-long lake. For a slightly more challenging hike, Poke-O-Moonshine is recommended. Sand Bar State Park and Niquette Bay State Park also showcase spectacular fall displays and should not be missed.

Bike Trails

Visitors can explore one or more of the 14 Adirondack Coast Bikeways-themed loops, ranging from 13 to 36 miles in length. These loops offer a chance to experience exceptional landscapes that might otherwise go unnoticed. Riders can glide through farm country on the Rolling Reber Ramble and Joe’s Random Scoot, follow rivers and streams on the Women’s Suffrage Way and Water’s Edge Trail, ride in the shadow of mountains on the Stony Lonesome and Coon Mountain Circuit, or traverse historic paths on the Fort to Fort and Iron to Iron routes.

Walking Tours

The historic neighborhoods of the Lake Champlain Region's small towns feature bright leaves that accent classic American architecture, forming picturesque historic districts. Most towns offer walking tours that blend places of interest with scenic viewpoints. The Keeseville Walking Tour is ideal for bridge enthusiasts, providing elevated vantage points for photography without getting wet. This town, built around the Ausable River's water power, showcases buildings reflecting the commercial aspirations of its past. The Westport Walking Tour includes Ballard Park, a lakeshore spot with an outdoor amphitheater. This area, once a playground for the Gilded Age yachting elite, is dotted with mansions and lookout points from that era.

Water Views

Most of the Lake Champlain Region borders the lake, offering stunning craggy shorelines and protected forest areas. To fully appreciate the panoramic on-the-water views of the colorful trees, visitors should try paddling or boating. Kayaking along the shoreline provides opportunities for breathtaking photographs from unique vantage points. A small watercraft allows for finding the perfect angle and distance, revealing new perspectives. Kayaking can also serve as a meditation aid, providing a sense of tranquility by being suspended between the "two blues" of sky and water, which is both literally and symbolically centering.

Scenic Drives

Additionally, pay attention to Route 9N throughout the Lake Champlain Region, which offers stunning views of fall foliage along the coast. In the north, the "Grand Canyon of the East," known as Ausable Chasm, is an impressive natural gorge carved out of sandstone cliffs by the Ausable River. This stunning location features plenty of waterfall action, offering breathtaking views and natural beauty.