When hordes of photographers began flocking to a small rural community to capture its vibrant fall colors, local residents decided to fight back and won.
Upon entering the town of Pomfretin the eastern US state of Vermont, one is immediately struck by its bucolic beauty.
From the north, Howe Hill Road winds downhill in a series of gentle curves, each revealing green farm fields dotted with sheep or swathes of forest where red and orange autumn leaves cling to branches.
In one house, a tree laden with apples leans over a meticulously maintained stone wall, the top of which is littered with decaying fruit.
In early October, more than half of the cars driving through this city of 900 people had out-of-state license plates.
A vehicle, from Florida, stopped abruptly on a highway with a speed limit of 45 miles per hour (72 km), blocking one of two lanes.
The reason? Taking a photograph of a farm silo with a backdrop of autumn leaves.
With a mere handful of businesses (a general store, an arts center with a gallery and theater, and a few farms where you can pick apples or pumpkins), Pomfret is generally a quiet place.
But in fall, when “leaf peepers” from around the world descend on the region’s hills and small towns to witness the kaleidoscopic foliage, all that changes.
Until recently, the number of “leaf peepers” visiting Pomfret was more of a trickle than a stream.
But since the images of the farm Sleepy Hollowa 115-acre (46-hectare) private property located down a rustic road, started going viral on social media a few years ago, with locals saying things have gotten out of control.
A quick look at Instagram reveals thousands of images of the farm’s winding dirt road bordered by majestic maples illuminated in autumnal reds and oranges leading towards an elegant 18th century building on a road called Cloudland Road. It’s no wonder, then, that this farm is known as one of “the most photographed places in the state.”
“It is a beautiful place. It’s a shame they ruined it for everyone,” said Deborah Goodwin, exhibitions coordinator at the Artistree Community Arts Center in Pomfret. “(For) the last two years the problem has been out of control. Tour buses just unload… people there“.
Goodwin points out that social media influencers climbed a fence with clear “No Trespassing” signs, set up changing booths for their photos, parked their “city cars” stuck on the narrow dirt road, and They left body waste on the side of the road.
“The residents went to the (local government) and said, ‘We can’t take this anymore,’” Goodwin said.
During the 2022 leaf-peeping season, officials temporarily converted the road through Sleepy Hollow to a one-way street. But that was not enough to deter tourists from misbehaving. This year, local residents tried a different approach: raising funds with crowdfunding or collaborative financing.
In a statement on GoFundMe, the team of organizers wrote: “(We have) experienced an unprecedented increase in tourism influencers driven by Instagram and TikTok… (who) have damaged roads, been in accidents, had to be towed out of ditches, They trampled gardens, defecated on private property… and verbally attacked residents.“.
To date, the appeal has garnered 103 donations and raised $16,068.
city officials voted to close the roads leading to the farm to non-residents during peak fall foliage season (September 23 to October 15), drawing the ire of travelers who had driven to the area hoping to capture the perfect photo.
Most Pomfret residents emphasized that They are not anti-tourists; They simply want people to treat their people with respect.. Beyond the fact that private property is not respected – several locals pointed out – they are concerned about the safety of the residents of Cloudland Road, as well as the tourists themselves.
According to Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer, “this is not a road designed for multiple vehicles. (In 2021 and 2022) there were lines of traffic parked along the road, and a fire truck or ambulance would not have been able to circulate. “The traffic was simply overwhelming the infrastructure of the area.”
Things were different in the lively neighboring town of Woodstock, where Cloudland Road ends. There, crowds of visitors walked in and out of pretty boutiques, their windows decorated with pots of chrysanthemums and winter squash.
Outside the Au Comptoir cocktail bar, customers waiting for tables leaned against the stone walls. On the city sidewalks, people stopped to take panoramic photographs of majestic buildings erected by the Rockefeller family.
The city’s restaurants were also packed. At the Woodstock Inn & Resort, whose head chef, Matthew McClure, is a seven-time James Beard Award cooking competition semifinalist, there was only enough space in the restaurant for those staying at the inn.
Unlike Pomfret, Woodstock is a city that thrives on tourism and is equipped to deal with it.
Lori Crowningshield, retail manager at The Vermont Flannel Co store on Elm Street, said it was the biggest sales weekend of the year.
After a surprisingly rainy summer that was “very hard on everyone,” he said, “we really need the tourists here.”
But what’s good for Woodstock isn’t necessarily good for Pomfret.
At a time when cities like Venice are so inundated with travelers that authorities are considering imposing a tourist tax on visitors, and trendy restaurants are banning influencers from dining on their phones, Pomfret is just one of many places around the world. world that are trying to stop mass tourism and fight against hashtaggers.
But that has a cost. According to Palmer, closing Pomfret roads not only consumes a lot of authorities’ time; it is also expensive.
Palmer estimates that Cloudland Road residents footed bill of more than $10,000 for local officials to post road closure signs and patrol the area, all of which rather than deterring tourists, ended up raising the town’s profile as word spread.
Palmer hopes the Pomfret issue will be resolved once and for all.
Residents raised the idea of creating a reservation or ticketing system to visit Sleepy Hollow in order to manage the tourist rush in a more responsible way. However, as far as Palmer knows, that option is not being seriously considered.
“We like having tourists here, it’s a big part of Vermont’s economy and we want people to enjoy the natural beauty, visit the vendors and shops, and drive around the area,” he added.
“The most important thing is to respect people’s homes and properties. Please come visit us, but be respectful.”
This article was originally published on BBC Travel. You can see the original version in English by clicking here.
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