Pennsylvania — whose name means "Penn's Woods" — is one of the great forest states, and each autumn its rolling Appalachian hills explode into one of the most spectacular fall-color displays in the country. Sugar maples blaze scarlet and orange, oaks turn deep red and bronze, and golden yellow poplars and beeches light up the valleys. Beyond the color, Pennsylvania's trees are full of surprises for kids: sassafras leaves that smell like root beer and come in three shapes, sugar maples tapped for syrup, and towering eastern white pines, the state tree. Learning to read the leaves turns any Pennsylvania walk into a discovery.
This guide maps the best spots to find Pennsylvania's most fascinating leaves and trees with kids. Give your young explorer a mission before you go with Nature Explorer Club's Leaves of Pennsylvania Activity Book to track every leaf your family discovers.
Best Spots for Leaf and Tree Spotting in Pennsylvania
We mapped the best tree-spotting locations in Pennsylvania so you can plan your adventure before you go.
- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Kempton — A ridge-top sanctuary whose Appalachian hardwood forest blazes with color each fall, with overlooks for sweeping foliage views.
- Ricketts Glen State Park, Benton — A spectacular park of 22 waterfalls surrounded by old-growth forest of hemlock, oak, and maple — stunning in autumn.
- Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square — A world-famous garden with a magnificent collection of trees and brilliant fall color along its trails.
- Powder Mill Nature Reserve, Rector — A Laurel Highlands reserve with rich hardwood forest and family nature trails.
- Wissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia — A wooded gorge within the city, with towering tulip poplars, oaks, and hemlocks along the creek.
- Boyce Mayview Park, Pittsburgh — A large suburban park with forest and meadow trails showcasing western Pennsylvania's hardwoods.
- Valley Forge National Historical Park — Beyond its Revolutionary War history, the park's rolling woodlands and big trees put on a fine fall display.
- Morris Arboretum, Philadelphia — A 92-acre arboretum with labeled trees from around the world — a perfect family spot to learn and compare leaves.
- Bald Eagle State Park, Howard — A central Pennsylvania park whose lake is ringed by forested ridges that glow with fall color.
- Raccoon Creek State Park, Hookstown — A large western Pennsylvania park of rich hardwood forest with excellent autumn color and a famous wildflower reserve.
 |
Make the Adventure Real The Leaves of Pennsylvania Activity Book turns your trip into a hands-on mission for ages 7–12 — with a species tracker, fun facts, drawing pages, games, and puzzles. Shop the Book Get the Full PA Set |
Family Tips for Leaf and Tree Spotting in Pennsylvania
- Plan a fall-foliage trip in October. Pennsylvania's Appalachian forests are among the best in the country for fall color — Ricketts Glen, Hawk Mountain, and the Laurel Highlands are spectacular, usually peaking in mid-October.
- Crush a sassafras leaf and smell it. It smells just like root beer — and a single sassafras tree can have three different leaf shapes (oval, mitten, and three-lobed), a fun hunt for kids.
- Find a sugar maple and learn about syrup. Sugar maples are tapped each late winter for the sap that becomes maple syrup, and their leaves turn brilliant scarlet and orange in fall.
- Collect and compare leaf shapes. Gather a five-lobed maple, a pointy red oak, a rounded white oak, and a star-shaped sweetgum — pressing them is a perfect fall keepsake.
Frequently Asked Questions: Leaves of Pennsylvania with Kids
What is the state tree of Pennsylvania?
The eastern hemlock is Pennsylvania's state tree — a graceful evergreen conifer with short, flat needles and small cones, found in cool, shady forests and along streams. It can live for hundreds of years and provides important shelter for wildlife in the state's woodlands.
Where can families see fall color in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is famous for fall foliage. Ricketts Glen State Park, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, and the Laurel Highlands (including Ohiopyle) are spectacular, as are the Pocono Mountains. Peak color is usually mid-October, with the timing moving from north to south across the state.
Which Pennsylvania tree smells like root beer?
The sassafras tree's leaves smell like root beer when crushed — in fact, sassafras was once used to flavor root beer. It's also remarkable because a single tree can grow three different leaf shapes: oval, two-lobed (like a mitten), and three-lobed. The leaves turn brilliant orange, yellow, and red in fall.
Why does Pennsylvania have such good fall color?
Pennsylvania's forests are full of trees that turn brilliant colors — sugar maples (scarlet and orange), oaks (red and bronze), and yellow poplars and beeches (gold). Combined with the state's hilly Appalachian terrain and crisp autumn nights, this creates sweeping, colorful foliage displays each October.
What's an easy way for kids to start identifying trees?
Start with leaf shape — is it a simple single leaf (like maple or oak), a compound leaf made of many leaflets (like black walnut or honey locust), or a needle (like white pine or hemlock)? Then look at bark and any nuts or cones. Distinctive Pennsylvania trees like the root-beer-scented sassafras, the syrup-making sugar maple, and the five-needled eastern white pine make great first species to learn.
Turn Your Pennsylvania Adventure Into a Real Leaf Exploration
Give your kids a mission before you go. Our Leaves of Pennsylvania Activity Book is a nature journal for ages 7 to 12 — with a leaf tracker, fun facts about each species, leaf category guides, drawing pages, games, and puzzles.
Or get all four Pennsylvania nature books together — the Pennsylvania Nature Explorer Series bundles the Birds, Butterflies, Leaves, and Wildflowers of Pennsylvania activity books.
Also exploring Pennsylvania's nature? Read our family guides to Birds of Pennsylvania with Kids, Butterflies of Pennsylvania with Kids, and Wildflowers of Pennsylvania with Kids.
0 comments