The Well Worn Shoes

Wanderlust Welcome

  • Home
  • Start Here
    • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Disclaimer
    • Affiliate Disclaimer
  • National Parks
    • Acadia
    • Yellowstone
    • Great Smoky Mountains
    • Grand Canyon
    • Utah National Parks
    • Badlands
  • Dog Friendly
  • Road Trips
    • One Day In Guides
    • Road Trip Itineraries
  • Destinations
    • United States
      • New England
      • Southwest
      • South
      • Mountain West
      • Midwest & Great Lakes
      • Mid-Atlantic
    • Canada
  • Gear
  • Shop
  • The Ultimate New England Fall Road Trip: A Six-State Foliage Loop (2026)

    I lived in New England for 7 years, which means I experienced 7 autumns. Seven rounds of watching the whole region turn absolutely feral with color for about three weeks and then go quiet for the ...

    Read More

    The Ultimate New England Fall Road Trip: A Six-State Foliage Loop (2026)
  • The Girls Trip Guide to Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park

    An honest, all-seasons guide from someone who lived there for six months I need to set expectations right up front, because I'd rather you hear this from me than find out at 9:30 on a Saturday ...

    Read More

    The Girls Trip Guide to Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park
  • Acadia National Park October Guide: Fall Colors, Weather & What to Pack

    What To Expect In Bar Harbor and Acadia in October - The Real Deal From Someone Who Survived It Okay, friends, let me tell you about October in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. When I say ...

    Read More

    Acadia National Park October Guide: Fall Colors, Weather & What to Pack
  • The Bar Harbor Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know Before You Visit

    (2026 Guide From Someone Who Lived There For 6 Months) Bar Harbor, Maine, is one of those places that grabs you by the collar and doesn't let go. I've been visiting Bar Harbor and Acadia National ...

    Read More

    The Bar Harbor Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know Before You Visit

National Parks

SHOP

Dog Friendly

Digital Nomad

September 7, 2021

10 Fun Fall Festivals In Pennsylvania

The different trees in PA make it one of the best places to view foliage on the east coast (outside of New England).  But how do you choose from the massive list of festivals happening in September and October?…

August 31, 2021

The Best Dog Friendly Fall Hikes in New Hampshire

Heading to New England this fall? Is there anything better than fall in New England? Nope! The crisp air, the crunchy leaves, and all those gorgeous reds, oranges, and yellows. There is absolutely nothing better than being in the mountains in the fall…

August 24, 2021

10 Best Things to Do at Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park might be one of the coolest, strangest, most underrated places in the entire country. The name says it all, for hundreds of years the Oglala Lakota called this harsh, otherworldly landscape mako sica, “bad land,” and the French fur trappers who came through agreed, dubbing it les mauvaises terres à traverser, “bad lands to traverse.” Standing out there, you get it instantly: no water, no shade, nothing but jagged spires for miles.

August 17, 2021

Things to Do in Salem, MA in October: An Honest Guide to the Witch City in Fall (2026)

An honest guide to Salem, Massachusetts in October 2026 from someone who lived down the road for seven years; what to do, what’s changed, and how to avoid the worst crowds.

August 12, 2021

Wizarding World: Secrets, Sips, Eats, Magic

Wizarding World at Universal Studios and Island of Adventure in Orlando, Florida is nothing short of magical. Since you are entering the world of wizards you can imagine that there are tons of secrets within Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. I’m not giving them all away but these are some of the secrets…

August 10, 2021

One Day In Sleepy Hollow, New York

Planning a Sleepy Hollow day trip? This 2026 guide covers the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, Irving’s Legend, the Headless Horseman bridge, dog-friendly options, and how to get there from NYC without a car, plus what’s new and what’s closed this season.

  • ← Previous
  • 1
  • …
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • …
  • 17
  • Next →
Hi! I'm Vanessa, a 30 something, sunset chasing traveler. I'm here to inspire you to travel wherever, whenever, and with whoever you can. My Huskies, Loki and Freya are usually along for the ride. I have a soul that likes to wander, a desire to experience the unknown, and a curiousity to discover things off the beaten path. I hope you'll stick around for awhile!

Join the List

Let's be friends! I know e-mails can suck but mine won't and I promise cute pup photos too!

Connect

Recent Posts

  • The Ultimate New England Fall Road Trip: A Six-State Foliage Loop (2026)
  • The Girls Trip Guide to Bar Harbor & Acadia National Park
  • Acadia National Park October Guide: Fall Colors, Weather & What to Pack
  • The Bar Harbor Cheat Sheet: Everything You Need To Know Before You Visit
  • The Complete Guide to the Best Bars in Bar Harbor, Maine

Categories

  • Destinations
  • History
  • National Park Love

Reader Favorites

Epic Sunrise and Sunset Grand Canyon South Rim

Epic Sunrise and Sunset Spots On The Grand Canyons South Rim

14 Fun Things To Do In Deadwood, SD

Seal Harbor sunset on Mount Desert Island Maine - panoramic golden and pink sunset over a sheltered lobster boat harbor at low tide, with exposed pink granite ledges, seaweed-covered rocks, and a spruce forest shoreline, capturing one of the most peaceful and picturesque hidden sunset spots on Mount Desert Island near Acadia National Park

The Ultimate Coastal Maine Packing List

On the Blog

  • Destinations
  • History
  • National Park Love

Join the List

The Well Worn Shoes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Connect

It’s the most hauntingly beautiful thing in the Ro It’s the most hauntingly beautiful thing in the Rockies and it’s happening right now.

Everyone goes to Moraine Park for rut, and it’s great, and there are 300 cars. This was the top of Trail Ridge Road, above treeline, one bull, his harem, and us.

For about a month every fall, the bulls barely eat or sleep and lose up to a fifth of their body weight holding their cows together and warning off every other bull in earshot. The sound carries for miles.

If you go: Trail Ridge Road closes for the season in mid-to-late October, so the rut window up top is short. 

In Yellowstone, head to Mammoth Village to see the elk (I’m hoping to get back this fall) 

And in Grand Teton, just keeps your eyes open 👁️

🚫 Stay a 75 feet minimum. This is the one month they’re looking for a fight.

✨Save this for your trip to the Rockies from mid-September to early October ✨
105 miles of overlooks on Skyline Drive…gorgeous i 105 miles of overlooks on Skyline Drive…gorgeous in fall! 🍁🍂🍁

I made a joke in a post during National Park week that Shenandoah was really just a great scenic drive. While I WAS joking, I would see the same thing year after year. Every October it’s the same: pull in, take the photo, pull out, repeat. 

What you’re driving past is over 500 miles of trail, and your dog is allowed on all but about 20 of them. After Acadia, it’s got some of the best dog-trail access on the East Coast.

The catch: the two trails you’ve heard of, Dark Hollow Falls and Stony Man, are on the short no-dogs list. So skip them. 

Rose River gets you a waterfall in under four miles, Hawksbill gets you the highest point in the park in 1.5, and both take the dog.

I lived an hour from this park for 5 years, and I’m telling you, while it’s totally ok if you only drive the Skyline Drive, you’re missing out in some of the true beauty of Shenandoah if you don’t take a short hike. 

Peak on the Drive usually runs mid-to-late October, north end first. Go on a weekday. Bring the dog 👌🏻

🍁🍂 Save this for your fall Shenandoah trip 🍂🍁
Last summer, someone visiting for a few days would Last summer, someone visiting for a few days would find out we were on the island for the season and ask the same thing: if I only have time for one trail, which one?

6 months. Same answer every time. And it’s probably not the one you would think. Here’s the thing, Acadia’s most popular trails are phenomenal, and I kind of understand why every single list you see has the same 5 hikes, BUT, personally I don’t like waiting in a line to hike. 

So my answer: 

⛴️⚓️ Ship Harbor - It’s on the quiet side past Southwest Harbor, a 1.3-mile (so perfect for every age and fitness level) figure-eight that starts in spruce forest and opens onto pink granite, tide pools, and the actual Atlantic. No scramble, no reservation, no iron rungs. Flat enough that everyone in your group can do it. Dogs on leash are welcome. Go at low tide if you can swing it, because the tide pools are 👌🏻

✨ Save this for your Acadia trip ✨
Hi, I’m Vanessa. I turned 40 this year (Millennial Hi, I’m Vanessa. I turned 40 this year (Millennial 90’s kid here), I have 3 dogs, and I live in a 40-foot travel trailer named Betty with a man I met in the woods in 2022.

We’ve been full-time on the road since 2023, Idaho is technically home base at the moment, and I’ve been to 22 of the 63 national parks with 41 to go.

What you get here: honest park guides, dog-friendly trails that are actually dog friendly. No hidden gems that turn out to be closed on Tuesdays. No telling you to quit your job.

Mostly I just want you to have a better trip than the one you’d have without me.

Glad you’re here 💚

Tell me where you’re headed next, I probably have opinions 😉
Most people plan Acadia and Bar Harbor in the fall Most people plan Acadia and Bar Harbor in the fall off a blog post written by someone who visited once in July. I know I did on my first trip to the park in fall. 

BUT last year, I stayed on Mount Desert Island for 6 months and watched the whole season happen. The guide is what I’d hand a friend: when the leaves actually turn, (or are predicted to, what’s open and what’s closed after peak foliage, the trails and drives worth doing in October and the ones to skip, where to take the dogs once summer rules lift! 

Not on the blog. Not anywhere else. Acadia & Bar Harbor In Fall the 16 page guide written by someone who has both visited in fall and lived there in fall 🍁🧡🍁

Comment FALL and I’ll send you the link.
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2026 The Well Worn Shoes · Theme by 17th Avenue