7 Best Fall Road Trips
When the weather starts changing, it’s the perfect time for a fall road trip to witness the changing of the leaves!
Let’s be honest, most of us RVers are headed south to set up shop for the winter months or switching over to a new workamping job like Amazon Camperforce! Weekend warriors may want to get one last road trip in before the winter weather shows up and now is the perfect time!
Late summer to mid-fall is the perfect time to get a last-minute fall road trip planned and completed. Watch the leaves as they change their colors, and provide a bright, vibrant backdrop for your photos.
In this post, we’ll be talking about 7 of the best fall road trips you can take this year, before heading to your winter home or home base. Keep reading to hear more about these awesome drives and choose one of these beautiful scenic roads for a fall road trip this year:
- Blue Ridge Parkway Fall Road Trip
- Scenic Route 100 Vermont Fall Road Trip
- Acadia All American Fall Road Trip
- Yellowstone Fall Road Trip
- Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway Fall Road Trip
- Cascade Loop Fall Road Trip
- Pacific Coast Fall Road Trip
Chase The Leaves With These Awesome Fall Road Trip Ideas!
Blue Ridge Parkway Fall Road Trip
Visit two states in one trip!
Blue Ridge Parkway runs from Virginia to North Carolina, passing through both of these National Parks- Shenandoah National Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
A Blue Ridge Parkway road trip is a beautiful choice for those on the east coast looking for the perfect fall road trip on a windy road with beautiful views.
The gorgeous scenery is full of reds, oranges, and yellows that fill your soul with excitement! The best part about this fall road trip is that you can drive down the mountain route and see the colors change from the top of the mountain to the bottom or vice versa!!!
Great places to stay close by with RV camping are the Lynchburg KOA in Monroe, Virginia (if you want a quiet place to relax) and the Natural Bridge Jellystone Park (if you have kids and want fun activities and amenities)!
If you’re wanting to stay at Shenandoah National Park, check out this link for camping options!
Scenic Route 100 Vermont Fall Road Trip
Located in south-central Vermont, the Scenic Route 100 fall road trip is one of the most beautiful, scenic routes in the United States. It starts at the Canadian border in the north and runs down to the border of Massachusetts in the south.
Known as Vermont’s Main Street, it twists and turns around the Green Mountains and is lined with bright, vibrant trees that have now bloomed for the fall season. You’ll get to see an array of trees like sweet gums, maples, and red oaks along your drive.
Then once you have finally made it around the mountain, there are tons of historical attractions, small town shopping, dining, and all types of camping and outdoor activities. You can also stop and see Moss Glen Falls, a thirty-foot waterfall on the edge of the Granville Gulf Reservation.
Known as foliage season, the time between mid-September and mid-October can be very busy with leaf peepers coming to view the beautiful scenes. Make sure to plan your fall road trip to include a few stops along the way for a bit to eat or a little shopping!
Acadia All American Fall Road Trip
This road is literally a 40-mile loop through Acadia National Park.
Lasting about 3 hours from start to finish, this fall road trip view is amazing! Expect to see the trees line the road blooming with fall colors up against the still green leaves in the forest behind them.
This road is along Maine’s coastline so one of the best places to visit is Thunder Hole, a special tourist attraction. It is a natural inlet that produces a waterspout that rises up to forty feet high with a loud crash.
The Acadia All-American Fall Road Trip takes you up 1,530 feet to the top of Cadillac Mountain which has a 360-degree view of the ocean.
It’s a sight you can’t miss. This fall road trip can also lead you to the Trenton Interior where deer hunting is allowed, if that’s your thing…
If history is more your cup of tea then a great historic stop on this fall road trip would be Wildwood Stables where you can take wagon rides on Carriage Roads, which was started by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1917.
If you think you’ll need more time than the 3 hours it takes to drive the Acadia All-American Fall Road Trip, you might want to think about spending the night!
Camping in Arcadia National Park opens your fall road trip up to multiple days and more.
While there are 4 campgrounds inside the park. There are also private campgrounds in the area available during your fall road trip! Check out this post to find options for Camping in Acadia National Park, Maine!
Yellowstone Fall Road Trip
Looking for the best time to visit this Yellowstone National Park?
Well, October and November are the absolute best months to take a Yellowstone fall road trip in your car, van, or RV!
You can see the fall colors in prime time from 4,000 feet up. And you have the greatest chance to see this park’s wildlife during the fall season, when animals like elk, bears, bighorn sheep, moose, eagles, and many more come out to roam freely.
Be careful, but take it in.
This is also an amazing season for biking.
Most parks start to shut down roads to prepare for winter and while Yellowstone is one of them, it’s always open to bikes. So you will have a clear route to view the scenery.
Also, don’t miss out on fishing. Fall is the best time to catch the good ones…
Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway Fall Road Trip
Have you ever seen a forest of Aspen trees change for the season? If not, add it to your list of fall road trips!
Colorado is known for these beautiful, bright yellow views which is why it’s an excellent place to catch a final fall road trip before winter. Not the mention Colorado is known for its towering snowcapped mountains, it’s truly a state to behold.
Although the byways itself is only 115 miles long or approximately 4-5 hours, it’s jammed packed with beauty and awe.
The Rocky Mountains have some of the United States’ largest mountain peaks. And with 26 scenic drives across the state of Colorado, there are plenty of chances to expand your fall road trip.
What to extend your fall road trip into a winter one? No problem, as Colorado is known for its winter sports and cozy winter getaways.
Cascade Loop Fall Road Trip
The Cascade Mountains are considered the Swiss Alps of North America. Stretching from Canada to Northern California it’s the perfect area for a fall road trip in the Pacific Northwest. The Cascade Loop Fall Road Trip is the perfect way to capture the fall colors of the Cascade Mountain range.
Starting in the Puget Sound area this fall road trip takes you through Cascade National Park and back down through the mountains of Steven Pass.
Ending in Seattle, this is a great fall road trip for those wanting to capture what Washington state is all about.
Not only are there tons of hiking and fishing opportunities on this fall road trip, but there are also plenty of views. From the bright blue waters of Diablo Lake to the adorable Bavarian town of Leavenworth, this is a perfect fall road trip for anyone who wants a taste of it all.
Pacific Coast Fall Road Trip
You may not see the same fall colors on this fall road trip but you definitely won’t be short of any amazing views! The Pacific Coast Fall Road trip takes you along the California coast from the city of Los Angeles to the ancient old-growth forest of the Redwood Forest.
But the truth is that it really doesn’t stop there. Sprawling 655 miles north and south along Washington, Oregon, and California, this fall road trip could turn into a fall road trip excursion! With miles of rocky coastline, thick forests, and rigid mountains, this will be a fall road trip for those looking for an ocean getaway.
Again, depending on which part of the Pacific Coast Highway Fall Road Trip you decide to take, you may not see the bright changing leaves that take over the fall landscape for most states.
But fall is a great time to plan a west coast fall road trip as the busy season winds down from summer vacationers. You’ll experience less traffic and more fall road trip adventures.
There are plenty of stay options along this fall road trip. From Camping in the Redwoods to Camping Cannon Beach!
Wow! You’ve got a lot to think about!
These are great ideas for fall road trips and who are we kidding… these drives are great almost year round (sorry winter…)! So plan a drive, plan a fall road trip, and plan to have an incredible time from behind the window as you take in the views!
Make sure you take time to stop along the way! Each little town you drive through will have fun tourist traps, cute shops, and great places to grab a few bites to eat!
Make the most out of your fall road trip!
-Safe Travels
