Trip Ideas Fall Vacations America's Best Fall Foliage Drives By Margie Goldsmith Published on September 20, 2015 Share Tweet Pin Email Crisp air, panoramic views, brilliantly colored ash and poplar trees: the route to North Carolina's Mount Mitchell State Park—the highest peak in the Eastern United States—is a destination in itself. The scenic 78-year-old Blue Ridge Parkway is just one of the country’s great autumn drives. The fall foliageseason, when the changing palette of deciduous trees is in blazing bloom, is now starting. And the way to maximize your intake of color is to map out a driving route. In September, October, and—in some spots—even November, color seekers can visit 31 states and drive more than 3,000 miles of national scenic byways, plus thousands of other scenic roads. Related: America's Most Beautiful Lakes Some nature lovers, like former Shenandoah National Park guide Hazel Mills, can’t wait to buckle up and get up close and personal with the purple dogwoods and deep burgundy leaves of the Virginia creepers. “It’s like a basketful of fall chrysanthemums in every color,” she says. “Red and yellow, purple, and deep burgundy. When the afternoon sun hits the hickory, it looks exactly like gold, absolutely breathtaking.” Others, like Mike Boutin, owner of Maine-based Northwoods Outfitters, like to take country drives surrounded by mountains bursting with yellow beeches, scarlet maples, and purple witch hazel around Moosehead Lake. He also loves one of the season’s biggest local adventures—back-road moose safaris. “It doesn’t get better than pulling over to see a huge brown male moose crash through a riot of bright red and yellow leaves,” says Boutin. Certain areas of the country—the Northeast corridor, the Southeast, along the Appalachian Mountains, and much of the Midwest—produce the most striking and vibrant colors because of mild autumn days and cool (but not freezing) evenings. If daytime temperatures are too warm for an extended period of time, colors are less intense. Related: America's Best Cities for Fall Travel If you’re planning a fall foliage trip, choose your route based not only on the timing of nature’s fiery color display, but also around available activities. Horseback ride through the orange hickory trees in Shenandoah National Park. Or stand beneath a quivering golden aspen at Mammoth Lakes in the Eastern Sierra while peering through a dusty window in Bodie, the best-preserved ghost town in California. But no matter where you are, the way to cover the most ground—and take in the biggest eyeful of color—is behind the wheel. Here are some of our favorite fall color drives. 01 of 14 Michigan's Gold Coast Courtesy of Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau Starting Point: Traverse City The Route: 100 miles. What to Expect: Lake Michigan’s northeastern shores have charming coves, towering sand dunes, and tiny fishing towns. Drive along Grand Traverse Bay, where, in the fall, fiery-hued maple and oak leaves stand out against green pine, fir, and spruce trees. Where to Stop: The lakeside villages of Peshawbestown, Omena, and Northport; Inspiration Point, for views of Lake Michigan and the Manitou Islands; the 19th-century Grand Traverse Lighthouse; Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Don’t Miss: Visit Kilcherman’s Christmas Cove Farm, in Northport, to pick apples from among 250 varieties. —Bree Sposato 02 of 14 Blue Ridge Parkway, VA & NC patrickschneiderphoto.com Starting Point: Roanoke, Virginia The Route: 500 miles. What to Expect: This slice of the iconic Blue Ridge Parkway combines Virginia’s laid-back farmsteads with North Carolina’s Appalachian hardwood forests. Where to Stop: North Carolina’s artsy city of Asheville; scenic Price Lake; mountain towns such as Blowing Rock, Floyd, and Galax, home to the Blue Ridge Music Center, which showcases the area’s bluegrass tradition. Stay: The eight-room Black Walnut Bed & Breakfast Inn (Asheville; $$) was created by the architect behind the Vanderbilts’ Biltmore Estate, and recently developed a series of "secret gardens" for guests to discover during their stay. —Bree Sposato 03 of 14 Coastal Maine Christopher Churchill Starting Point: Portland The Route: 450 miles. What to Expect: The upper reaches of U.S. Route 1 are filled with seaside mansions, striking foliage, and lighthouses set on craggy peninsulas. Where to Stop: Cape Elizabeth, for lobster rolls at the Lobster Shack at Two Lights; Acadia National Park’s 5 1/2-mile Sargent Mountain Loop hiking trail; off-the-beaten-path coastal towns such as Stonington and Bath; Kennebunkport, for its historic feel and low-key clam shacks. Stay: The recently renovated Inn at English Meadows ($$), in Kennebunk, is an ideal base: just a short walk from Dock Square. —Bree Sposato 04 of 14 Olympic Peninsula, WA Chuck Pefley / Alamy Starting Point: Seattle The Route: 350 miles. What to Expect: The northern coast of this still-wild, 5,000-square-mile peninsula is inhabited by elk, cranes, and sea otters. Where to Stop: Olympic National Park’s scenic Hurricane Ridge, for some of the best views of the park’s eponymous snowcapped peaks; Lake Crescent, for a hike to the 90-foot Marymere Falls; Cape Flattery, known for its Sitka spruces and misty coves. Don’t Miss: On the way back to Seattle, the historic seaport of Port Townsend is lined with Victorian houses and has a thriving boat-building industry. —Bree Sposato 05 of 14 Ozarks, AR Terry Smith Images The Route: 197 miles. From Bentonville, head east to the funky town of Eureka Springs, full of gingerbread houses and art galleries. U.S. Highway 62 and State Highway 21 then lead past spectacular hardwood forests on the way to the town of Jasper. En route, you’ll find hand-thrown pottery at Osage Clayworks, and have the chance to float in a small boat 10 miles along the Upper Buffalo National River framed by 500-foot-high bluffs and dense flame-tipped oak forests. Once in town, treat yourself to the Ozark Café’s perfectly southern biscuits with chocolate gravy. If you continue along Highway 21 to pick up Highway 16, you can visit the 86-acre Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, in Fayetteville, before riding I-540 back to Bentonville. Where to Stop: Bentonville highlights include the art-filled 21c Museum Hotel; fried chicken and waffles dinner at Tusk & Trotter (topped with maple-bacon béchamel sauce, of course); and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which opened in 2011. --Bree Sposato 06 of 14 Moosehead Lake Region, ME Priya Srinivasan The Route: 75.2 miles. Foliage Update: maine.gov Visit the spectacular foliage of Maine’s largest lake, Moosehead. Start at The Forks, Maine’s white-water-rafting hub, then to Jackman, deep in the North Woods. Stop at the Attean Overlook for an extraordinary view of the Moose River Valley all the way to the Canadian border. Head to Rockwood on the shores of Moosehead Lake and spend the night in Greenville. In the morning, drive beneath spectacular tree canopies on unpaved logging roads. Where to Stop: Overnight at the luxurious Blair Hill Inn; book a moose safari, white-water raft or hike to Moxie Falls, and take a scenic floatplane tour for a bird’s-eye view of Moosehead Lake. —Margie Goldsmith 07 of 14 The Green Mountain and Mad River Byways, VT Getty Images The Route: 23.9 miles. Foliage Update: foliage-vermont.com Vermont is known as the mecca for serious leaf viewers in the Eastern United States. Drive on one-lane highways meandering through valleys and mountains painted glorious shades with yellow alder leaves, purplish-red pin cheery, and brilliant orange and red maple trees. Begin in Waitsfield where the Mad River runs, continue through Waterbury, and end in Stowe to see Vermont’s highest colorful peak, Mount Mansfield. Where to Stop: Visit Cold Hollow Cider Mill for a tour and cider tasting; dine at Michael’s on the Hill with panoramic views of Green Mountain; and shop for local products at Cabot Annex, home of eight specialty shops including Cabot Cheese, Danforth Pewter, and Lake Champlain Chocolates. —Margie Goldsmith 08 of 14 Lake Placid, NY Getty Images The Route: 45 miles. Foliage Update: iloveny.com The Adirondacks, the largest natural wilderness region in the Eastern United States, offers a dazzling palette of autumnal colors in the six-million-acre Adirondack Park, designated “forever wild.” Start in Lake Placid and go northeast on Route 86 along the high cliffs of the Ausable River to view the sugar maples, American beech, and yellow birch trees’ dazzling color display. Pass Jay and Keene, continue up the mountain along Cascades Lake, then head back into Lake Placid. Where to Stop: Overnight at the Lake Placid Lodge; take the Whiteface Mountain gondola ride; attend the annual Flaming Leaves Festival in October; and go to Santa’s Workshop in Wilmington. —Margie Goldsmith 09 of 14 The Driftless Region, WI © Clint Farlinger / Alamy The Route: 158 miles. Foliage Update: tourism.state.wi.us Wisconsin offers some of the most spectacular Midwest foliage driving routes, including The Driftless Region, a loop starting and ending at Mineral Point. Head north on Highway 23 to Baraboo, where sumac and maple trees streak the hillsides, and twisted oak and wild hickory blaze orange and yellow along the river valleys. Where to Stop: Visit the historic Pendarvis miners’ homes in Mineral Point, Cave of the Mounds at Blue Mounds, and Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s home in Spring Green. Sample artisan Black Sheep Truffle and Goat Cheddar at Carr Valley Cheese in Sauk City; ride the free Colsac III ferry across the Wisconsin River. —Margie Goldsmith 10 of 14 Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, VA Getty Images The Route: 105 miles. Foliage Update: virginia.org This park in the Blue Ridge Mountains is the quintessential fall foliage destination for Southeast travelers, and Skyline Drive has been called one of the top 10 scenic mountain drives in the U.S. Cruise along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Front Royal, VA, to the Waynesboro-Charlottesville area, and ogle at the bright red Virginia creeper vines, yellow and orange hickories, and deep purple dogwoods. Where to Stop: Visit the Skyland Resort Gift Shop for local Virginia wines, and stay at the historic Skyland Resort, 3,680 feet above sea level. Ride horseback through the park’s scenic wooded trails, and don’t miss Luray Caverns. —Margie Goldsmith 11 of 14 Cades Cove, The Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, TN Getty Images The Route: 49 miles. Foliage Update: gatlinburg.com Straddling the Tennessee–North Carolina border, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in America. For optimal leaf viewing, start at the “top of Ole Smoky” at Newfound Gap, and drive down the mountainside to Cades Cove. You’ll experience the fiery yellows of American beech and birch and vibrant reds of mountain ash, cherry, and mountain maple. Take the 11-mile loop around Cades Cove, winding past foliage surrounded by waterfalls, streams, and panoramic views. Where to Stop: Shop for handmade baskets, scrimshaw, and leather goods at Gatlinburg’s Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community; bite into a stack of flapjacks at the Pancake Pantry (smoky mountain buckwheat, old-fashioned buttermilk, deep woods black walnut with orange syrup); hike, bike, or horseback ride Cades Cove to view the 19th-century homesteads. —Margie Goldsmith 12 of 14 West Elk Loop Scenic & Historic Byway, Gunnison-Crested Butte, CO Getty Images The Route: 205 miles. Foliage Update: gunnisoncrestedbutte.com The country’s largest and most spectacular aspen grove delivers endless vistas of gold, orange, and crimson. From Gunnison, head to Crested Butte on Highway 135 and on the Kebler Pass Road (gravel, but fine) that connects to Highway 133 near Paonia Dam. Loop back around on the West Elk Loop Byway, along the Blue Mesa Reservoir and the north rim of the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. Where to Stop: Take a trail ride through the forest with Fantasy Ranch Horseback Adventures; try the cinnamon, sugar, and almond crêpe at The Bean Coffeehouse & Eatery in Gunnison; and bunk at the Inn at Crested Butte. Book a room with a covered balcony for stunning mountain views. —Margie Goldsmith 13 of 14 The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, Taos, NM Getty Images The Route: 84 miles. Foliage Update: taos.org You’ll find some of the best southwestern fall foliage along the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway loop from Taos to Eagle Nest (where you’ll see 13,161-foot high Wheeler Peak), on to Angel Fire, and back to Taos. Here, the aspens range in color from brilliant gold to dark orange. Feast on purple cinquefoil and golden and red cottonwoods while on the lookout for elk, black bear, and eagles. Where to Stop: Swing by the Taos Fall Arts Fest next month, as well as the old gold-mining town of Elizabethtown; stay at the Historic Taos Inn (in business since 1936) in the town’s charming old section. —Margie Goldsmith 14 of 14 Eastern Sierras, CA © Oleksandr Buzko / Alamy The Route: 125 miles. Foliage Update: monocounty.org Head to California for blinding displays of yellow and orange aspens, golden willows, and crimson cottonwoods amid sapphire alpine lakes, gushing waterfalls, and snow-frosted 12,000-foot-high mountain peaks. Start in Coleville to Lundy Lake, and then continue on to the June Lake Loop and Mono Lake. Go through Mammoth Lakes where orange streaks the mountainside, and finally to Rock Creek Canyon. Where to Stop: Take a short hike for a view of Lundy Canyon Falls plunging down hundreds of feet; visit the West’s largest unrestored ghost town, Bodie, in the Basin Range; and don’t miss the lobster taquitos at the unusual Whoa Nellie Deli inside the Tioga Gas Mart in Lee Vining. —Margie Goldsmith Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit