10Best: American forests perfect for a fall visit

As travelers head to the woods this autumn, they'll discover that forests offer more than fall colors. "When you're standing in the forest, there's a sense of perspective and peace and connection," says Sam Hodder, CEO of the Save the Redwoods League, a 96-year-old environmental association. "There are moments of awakening in these special places." He shares some favorite forests with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.

White Mountain National Forest
New Hampshire
Hodder started his conservation career building hiking trails in this New England reserve, and saw firsthand how visitors from urban areas were inspired by the landscape. "The fall is beautiful here," he says. "The birch, maple and beech look like a bowl of fruit loops with all the colors." 603-536-6100; fs.usda.gov/whitemountain

Superior National Forest
Minnesota
This northern reserve area not only offers incredible canoeing and recreational opportunities in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, but also vast forests. "It bridges into the wild landscapes of Canada," Hodder says, a transition between pine hardwoods and boreal forests. There's also a chance to see moose, wolves and lynx. 218-626-4300; fs.usda.gov/superior

Redwood national and state parks
California
A grouping of state and national parks just south of the Oregon border are home to the tallest trees in the world, reaching more than 350 feet. The forests span stunning coast line, steep canyons and deep rivers, Hodder says. And when they came under a threat more than a century ago, they helped start the conservation movement. "Nearly half the old growth redwood forest on the planet is in this complex of parks." 707-465-7335; nps.gov/redw

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Tennessee and North Carolina
The nation's most popular national park contains rare old-growth hardwood forests. Home to elk and rare creatures like giant hellbender salamanders, "the Central Appalachians also have the highest biodiversity of any temperate forest," Hodder says. It's even recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 865-436-1200; nps.gov/grsm

North Cascades National Park
Washington
With a wide range of elevation and rainfall, the Cascade Mountains have stands of both wet hemlock in the west, and dry pine and Douglas fir forests in the rain shadow of the mountains to the east. The forests also have huge ecological diversity, serving as home to 200 bird species and 75 mammals, like wolverines and pikas. 360-854-7200; nps.gov/noca

Big Cypress National Preserve
Florida
The unique subtropical forests of southern Florida include cypress swamps and hardwood hammocks with trees like gumbo limbo and West Indian mahogany. "There are cool otherworldly plant communities. It's a web of water, forest, marsh and prairie that stretches for miles," Hodder says. The public can also access the area through sites like Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Picayune Strand State Forest and Everglades National Park. 239-695-2000; nps.gov/bicy

Grand Canyon National Park
Arizona and Utah
Forget the canyon for a moment. This huge, 1.2 million-acre national park also contains the Powell Plateau, an isolated area that may be the last old growth ponderosa pine forest in existence. Because of its remote location, there's no logging or fire suppression. "The forest is laced with lupine meadows, which make for a really spectacular visit," Hodder says. 928-638-7888; nps.gov/grca

Tongass National Forest
Alaska
The nation's largest national forest is also the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, although there has been controversy about protecting some of the old-growth areas. "Like everything in Alaska, it's huge – 17 million acres," Hodder says. The park, which includes islands, fjords, glaciers and mountains, has huge stands of Sitka spruce, western hemlock, western red cedar and Alaskan (yellow) cedar. 907-747-6671; fs.usda.gov/tongass

Baxter State Park
Maine
The vast North Maine Woods, a hardwood forest of maples, birch and beech trees and spruce-fir, cover more than 3.5 million acres of public and private land in this corner of New England. "This is the landscape that inspired Henry David Thoreau on his trip to wilderness in the 1800s," Hodder says. Although it's one of the most roadless areas in the country, there's easy public access in spots like Baxter State Park, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. 207-723-5140; baxterstateparkauthority.com

Calaveras Big Trees State Park
California
Although not as tall as redwoods, sequoia trees are bigger around and can live for up to 3,000 years. Reserves like Calaveras "are where the true giants are still found," Hodder says. "These are the forests that inspired (early conservationist) John Muir." 209-795-2334; parks.ca.gov/?page_id=551