LIGONIER, Pa. (Aug. 13, 2024) – A year after one of the region’s state parks was recognized as the best fall foliage destination in the United States, the entire Laurel Highlands region has a chance to claim that honor.
A panel of experts and USA Today’s 10Best editors announced Monday that the Laurel Highlands has been recognized as a nominee for the Best Destination for Fall Foliage in the Readers’ Choice Awards.
Individuals have a chance to support the Laurel Highlands – one of 20 locations selected for the 2024 award – by voting daily through Sept. 9 at https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-destination-for-fall-foliage-2024/laurel-highlands-pennsylvania/.
“It is an honor to be selected by USA Today for our spectacular fall foliage,” said Ann Nemanic, executive director for GO Laurel Highlands, the official destination marketing organization for Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties. “Over 3,000 square miles of the Laurel Highlands transform into rolling hills and meadows of abundant color. Options to capture the perfect photo are numerous. Leaf peepers can hike to the highest elevation in Pennsylvania at Mount Davis or meander pathways to expansive vistas in our state parks. Fall festivals settle in for weekend getaways with sugar maples as their backdrop. Our scenic by-ways will provide an easy path to our incredible tourism assets and help build the perfect fall excursion to Pennsylvania’s beautiful Laurel Highlands.”
In announcing the Laurel Highlands’ nomination, USA Today noted that in addition to its beauty, the region’s many activities make it a great place to visit.
“Autumn colors peak in this region of the Allegheny Mountains around mid-October, making for a stunning show,” according to the USA Today article. “The plethora of hiking and biking trails, including a portion of the Great Allegheny Passage, mean it's easy to explore the highlands during the height of the season. Several fall festivals add to the welcoming vibes in this region each October.”
USA Today readers voted Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands region as a top-10 destination for fall foliage in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The 2023 contest changed the parameters, focusing on smaller geographic areas, and readers selected Westmoreland County’s Keystone State Park as the nation’s Best Destination for Fall Foliage.
Pennsylvania has a longer and more varied fall foliage season than any other state in the nation -- or anywhere in the world – according to the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The Laurel Highlands is an ideal destination for an autumn getaway, with nearly 200,000 acres of unspoiled state forests, parks, and gamelands. A diverse population of trees – some with their own signature fall color – line the region’s mountain ridges and river valleys to provide a dramatic landscape.
Paired with fall’s natural beauty, the Laurel Highlands’ charming small towns, covered bridges, and iconic attractions such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and the Flight 93 National Memorial are also must-see stops on a leaf-peeping getaway.
There’s an extra reason to visit the Laurel Highlands this fall, as Seven Springs Mountain Resort’s Autumnfest is a USA Today 10Best nominee for Best Fall Festival. That contest also runs through Sept. 9, with winners being announced on Sept. 18.
The Laurel Highlands region is a favorite of USA Today readers, with the three-county area being named one of the top five Best Summer Travel Destinations in 2024. Ohiopyle was named the Best Small Town in the Northeast, and Seven Springs Mountain Resort’s Foggy Goggle claimed the top spot as the Best Apres-Ski Bar in North America.
Other 2024 honorees in the Laurel Highlands include:
- The Great Allegheny Passage (Recreation Trail)
- Greensburg’s SummerSounds (Outdoor Concert Series)
- Ohiopyle’s Wilderness Voyageurs (Bike Tour)
- Mill Run’s Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park (RV Campground)
- Greensburg’s El Diablo Brewing (New Brewery)
- Mount Pleasant’s Evergreen Drive-In (Drive-In Theater)
- Nemacolin has been honored for
- Destination resort
- Hotel bar
- Hotel pool
- Hotel restaurant
- Resort spa.
Other 2024 nominees for the Best Destination for Fall Foliage include Arkansas’ Hot Springs; California’s San Bernardino County; California/Nevada’s Lake Tahoe; Colorado’s Breckenridge; Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains; Maine’s Bar Harbor; Massachusetts’ The Berkshires; New Hampshire’s White Mountains; New York’s Adirondacks, Finger Lakes and Shawangunk Mountains; Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; Ohio’s Hocking Hills; Vermont’s Stowe; Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley; Washington’s Mount Rainier; West Virginia’s Mountaineer Country and New River Gorge; and Wyoming/Montana/Idaho’s Yellowstone National Park.
About Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands
A magnificent mountainous region, the Laurel Highlands is an outdoors lover’s paradise that spans 3,000 square miles in southwestern Pennsylvania. Located just an hour east of Pittsburgh, the beautiful four-season destination offers spectacular natural scenery, outstanding skiing, hiking, biking and golfing opportunities, historic sites and attractions, family activities and world-class resorts. Notable destinations within the region include four architectural masterpieces by Frank Lloyd Wright – Fallingwater®, Kentuck Knob, Mäntylä and Duncan House – as well as Nemacolin, Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Flight 93 National Memorial, Idlewild and Soak Zone, whitewater rafting in Ohiopyle State Park and much more.
Located within 200 miles of the major metropolitan areas of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Washington D.C., Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands can be easily accessed from exits 67, 75, 91 and 110 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Visitors to the Laurel Highlands can find information online at GoLaurelHighlands.com. Established in 1958, GO Laurel Highlands, formerly known as Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, is the official destination marketing organization for Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties in southwestern Pennsylvania.
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