Something happens as soon as the first chill stirs the autumn air. People instinctively reach for sweaters, the scent of cinnamon and cider wafts through the breeze like a narcotic, and everyone succumbs to the intractable pull of a yearly ritual: piling into their cars to go and watch the leaves turn color.

Don’t wait until the last minute, however, or you’ll find yourself up a tree — without a place to stay. As thousands of leaf peepers across the Northeast suddenly realize their time to spend a lazy weekend glimpsing the fall foliage is running out, a desperate, road-clogging migration begins.

Here’s how to savor the few short weeks of tranquility — and nature’s radiant colors — before the crowds arrive. READ MORE.