The other day I was leafing through the American Automobile Association magazine and stumbled across a short article about the popularity of bike tours for exploring autumn foliage in New England.

We all know that the best way to experience the sights and smells of autumn is from a bike saddle, but I was surprised that a car magazine would admit it.

The fall foliage season is just beginning in the Northeast and higher elevations in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. The peak of the season is a few weeks away, so there's time to start thinking about an autumn bike ride.

Where to start

A good place to check the progress of the color changes is the fall foliage map at The Weather Channel. The Foliage Network also gets reports from the field, as does the National Forest Fall Foliage Hotspots website.

Once you find where the leaves are changing colors, you can head on over to TrailLink.com, the free and searchable database supported by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

You can search by trail name, or more importantly, by state. For instance, there are about a dozen off-road bike trails listed for Vermont. Choose the trail, then discover details about the bike path, including the trailhead. A free registration is necessary to see the maps. 

Bike routes

As for specific bike routes, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has recommended five bicycle trails in past years that are sure to offer a good fall show:

Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail, Vermont, 26 miles;

Paul Bunyan Trail, Minnesota, 110 miles;

North Central State Trail, Michigan, 62 miles;

Hudson Valley Rail Trail, New York, 2 miles;

Virginia Creeper Trail, Virginia, 34 miles.

Bicycling.com features a slide show of its Top 10 Foliage Rides. The list comprises:

Squaw Pass, Denver, Colorado, road;

John Scott Loop, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, road;

Hills in the Mist, West Chester, Pennsylvania, road;

Boulder's Backroads, Boulder, Colorado, hardpacked road;

Otisco Lake, Syracuse, New York, road;

Mason Neck, Alexandria, Virginia, road;

Highland Scenic Highway, Slatyford, West Virginia, road;

Michigan Fruit Belt, South Bend, Michigan, road;

Lewis Peak, Ogden, Utah, mountain bike;

Levis-Trow Mounds, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, mountain bike.

A few years ago the Seattle P-I listed 4 outstanding areas of Washington state for enjoying the changing seasons from a bicycle saddle: Mount St. Helens/Juniper Ridge; John Wayne Pioneer Trail along the I-90 corridor; the Lily/Lizard Lake Loop Trail near Bellingham, and the areas around Winthrop on the east flank of the Northern Cascades.

The Travels with Terry at the Oregonian suggests 10 locales in the state that should offer good fall foliage, including the Columbia Gorge, Mount Hood, and the Willamette Valley.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources lists 23 bicycle trails around the state that promise fall color this year. Although a few are less than three or four miles long, some are longer and include the 70-mile Little Miami Scenic Trail in southwest Ohio, the 17-mile Adena-Hockhocking Trail along the Hocking River in hilly southeastern Ohio, and the 20-mile Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail between Cleveland and Akron.

That AAA article suggests a 15-mile Revolutionary War-themed ride starting on the Minuteman Bikeway in Concord and heading over to the Battle Road Trail.

There's also a 36-mile loop in New Hampshire's White Mountain region. The recommended route, Loop 203, is in the center-right of the highly detailed White Mountains Region Bicycle Map. [Look in sections I-5 and J-5.]

Events:

The 17th annual Kitsap Color Classic rolls out Oct. 4 on Washington's Kitsap Peninsula in the Puget Sound. Options of 14 to 64 miles. Sponsored by Cascase Bicycle Club.

McQuade 20th annual Fall Foliage Bike Tour features four routes along the Hudson River Valley, starting in Brotherhood Winery, Washingtonville, NY. Oct. 4.

The Shenandoah Fall Foliage Bike Festival runs from Oct. 16-18 and features bike rides ranging from 10 to 100 miles along rolling country roads around Staunton, Virginia. Online registration.

The BikeMo Fall Foliage Extravaganza rolls out Oct. 17 from Holt's Summit, Missouri. Sponsored by the Missouri Bicycle Federation, this bicycling event features four rides -- 17 to 100 miles -- based from the town about 5 miles north of Jefferson City.

Tour de Leaves features metric and half-metric centures, as well as shorter fun rides, around Tryon, North Carolina. Oct. 17.

The Fredericksburg Fall Foliage Frolic gives bicyclists a taste of Texas Hill Country color on Nov. 7. There are four supported bike rides of 10 to 50 miles on Saturday; maps will be available on Sunday for unsupported rides.

More leaf info

New England hoping revenue rise as leaves fall, Sept. 18, 2009