We're planning a trip to the northeast this fall but we don't want to share it with all the leafpeepers. What's the best time to avoid the crowds?

I lived in Northern Pennsylvania near Rt 15 N heading into New York State. It is gorgeous in the fall around September and October. There is no real time it is so busy (in comparison to NYC in rush hour).

Here is a Website with Fall Foliage data around the U.S., I hope that helps.

For New England (ME, VT, NH, RI, MA, CT) rule of thumb for "peak" leaf-peeping season is:

ME, VT, NH last week of September through the second week of October. For MA, southern NH, CT and RI is the Columbus Day long weekend. These do change depending on the weather though (for example large wind/rain storms will cause the peak to be a little earlier).

Keep in mind that those "leaf-peepers" make their reservations months ahead so plan accordingly in terms of hotel accommodations.

If you plan to be in MA during the month of October and you have any interest - I'd definitely recommend a visit to Salem - lots going on for the entire month and Halloween in Salem is pretty fun.

Should you mention what type of things you'd like to do, I'd be happy to make some suggestions (I live in MA).