The trees looked ablaze in their radiant colors. Bright morning sunlight amplified the vibrancy of the earthy tones. Dark green, bright yellow, dark orange, to blood-red seemed to color the foliage along the road to the Manistee National Forest.
We wanted to experience fall colors up close (and be outdoors as much as we could). So we headed to the northwest part of Michigan where the colors were at their peak. A hiking trail inside of the national forest overlooking a curvy river was the perfect choice. The sun was bright and the air was warm. It felt like summer weather came back in early October. The scenic trail and the breeze kept us cool and made our eight-mile hike easy. The colorful leaves seemed to filter and soften the sunlight that tried to sneak inside of the woods. They created a soft yellowish-green tone that illuminated the forest.
The sound of the leaves swaying and the river flowing became our soundtrack along the way. What a fine day!
Photos property of The Traveling Chili Pepper
More on Manistee River Trail: Fall Hike
A Story Book for Tori 
If only I could leave my freaking industrial city and live in a lovely place like this right now…. that’d be like paradise!
Nice colours!
[…] foggy winding river and colorful trees called our names. We couldn’t resist the urge to return to this hilly, curvy, and scenic trail and hike in the midst of falling leaves. It was early fall in Michigan after all, a beautiful […]