Country Living Named This New Jersey Town One of The Best For Fall Foliage

RANJAN BOSE / Birchwood Lake in Mountain Lakes, NJ

Fall in New Jersey is spectacular, especially in the mountains. A North Jersey town has been named one of the best towns for fall foliage by Country Living – and no surprise, with the word mountain in the title – Mountain Lakes tops the list.

Mountain Lakes, located in Morris County, placed 25th out of the 55 top towns in the U.S. for fall foliage. The town’s rolling hills and gorgeous Birchwood Lake, which is lined with trees that turn bright orange and red for the season, are among the biggest draws. There are also other parks, woodlands and trails, including part of the Appalachian Trail.

According to its history, Mountain Lakes Residential Park was a new, planned community in the early 20th century. In 1910, Mountain Lakes was a rural woodland owned by a few families, but within a decade changed from the wilderness of Dutch and English properties to a planned suburban community. With the nearby Boonton Reservoir and Lackawanna Railroad, NYC residents began to vacation and move here. The houses are a beautiful mix of Craftsman architecture and Colonial Revival influence.

Planning a visit? Come for the Fall Fest at Birchwood Lake on October 13. There will be fall-themed games, crafts, face painting, a nature scavenger hunt, and of course, the sights along the lake.

Or, on any given day, you can see the town for yourself: the Mountain Lakes Historic Preservation Committee created a free audio walking tour, so all you have to do is download the audio files to your iPod, smartphone, or portable digital audio device. Popular areas of Mountain Lakes include the train station, Midvale Stores, Midvale boat dock, Luellen House, Lake Drive School, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Little Theater, Hapgood’s original sales office, the Mountain Lakes Club, Community Church and Briarcliff School.

The Top 10 Best Fall Towns in the U.S. For Foliage:

Pioneer Valley, MA
Montpelier, VT
Saranac Lake, NY
Gatlinburg, TN
Stowe, VT
Breckenridge, CO
Harpers Ferry, VA
Jefferson, NH
Wellsboro, PA
Munising, MI

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