A road trip can be as simple as taking an afternoon drive to view some fall color (with an excellent soundtrack or podcast, naturally). Or it could be slightly more ambitious: spending a full weekend exploring the autumnal glory and fall foliage of neighboring states you may not have seen in awhile. Take in the changing trees, inhale the crisp air, and taste local foods on one of these eight fall road trips across the United States.
One of the best places to see Savannah’s live oak trees is at the Wormsloe Plantation Historic Site.
Courtesy of Jose Llamas/Unsplash
1. Atlanta to Savannah to Charleston
- Start: Atlanta, Georgia
- End: Charleston, South Carolina
- Approximate distance: 350 miles
What better time to tour through the South than the fall, when the temperatures are mild and roadside nature gets especially attractive? Start with a city adventure in Atlanta, exploring historical points of interest like the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and art at Westside Cultural Arts Center. Next, head toward the coast to Savannah, Georgia, where you can indulge in delicious institutions like Leopold’s Ice Cream and Common Thread.
End your trip in Charleston, South Carolina, a city worth lingering in to get to know its most iconic foods or learn about Gullah-Geechee cuisine and African American history.
Where to stay along the way: Perry Lane Hotel
- Book now: perrylanehotel.com
Once in Savannah, spend the night at the luxurious, centrally located Perry Lane Hotel, complete with a bar and restaurant, rooftop pool, and expansive lawn for lounging in between sightseeing.
2. West Virginia’s natural wonders
- Start: Blackwater Falls State Park
- End: New River Gorge National Park
- Approximate distance: 200 miles
West Virginia’s location in the Appalachian Mountain region makes it a beautiful place to visit in the fall, especially in October. One of the best ways to tour this area is on a three-day adventure visiting Blackwater Falls State Park, Seneca Rocks, and the New River Gorge National Park. Experienced rafters may want to come earlier in the fall because there’s plenty of exhilarating white water rafting on the Gauley River once “Gauley Season” comes around (the six weeks or so following Labor Day).
Where to stay along the way: Adventures on the Gorge
- Book now: adventuresonthegorge.com
Stay deep within West Virginia’s nature with Adventures on the Gorge, which offers wooden cabins and stargazing opportunities. (Some cabins have a private porch and hot tub.) To maximize the experience, Afar associate director of SEO Jessie Beck suggests catching a sundown drink at nearby restaurants Smokey’s on the Gorge or Chetty’s Pub.
While in San Antonio, don’t miss its 15-mile-long River Walk.
Courtesy of Robin LeeAnn/Unsplash
3. Hill Country, Texas
- Start: Austin
- End: San Antonio
- Approximate distance: 235 miles
The worlds of cowboys and wine collide in Texas Hill Country, where fall colors take over the region in October. Starting in Austin, head to Bandera, the self-proclaimed “Cowboy Capital of the World,” and catch a rodeo. Then dip into the wineries that line Wine Road 290 in Fredericksburg. There are more than a dozen other towns to explore, including New Braunfels (where two rivers flow through) and Lockhart, one of the state’s best places for barbecue.
Where to stay along the way: Hoffman Haus
- Book now: hoffmanhaus.com
For some true Southern hospitality, Fredericksburg-based boutique hotel Hoffman Haus delivers breakfast daily to each door at 9 a.m. in a picnic basket.
The Linn Cove Viaduct, at mile marker 304.4, is one of the most ambitious and technically challenging segments of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Photo by Anthony Heflin/Shutterstock
4. Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia to North Carolina
- Start: Charlottesville, Virginia
- End: Asheville, North Carolina
- Approximate distance: 470 miles
Launched in 1935 as a New Deal project, the Blue Ridge Parkway took 52 years to complete and is now one of the country’s most iconic highways. Come fall, it’s also one of its most vivid. To make the most of the experience, give yourself plenty of time to cruise from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Asheville, North Carolina. You’ll want that time to hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail, pop into Blue Ridge Music Center for a little bluegrass, and savor both barbecue and fall colors.
Where to stay along the way: Oakhurst Inn
- Book now: oakhurstinn.com
Start your road trip with a good night’s sleep at Oakhurst Inn in Charlottesville, Virginia, a cluster of buildings from the 1920s turned into a comfortable boutique property. Along the next leg of your journey, seek out a secluded Airbnb or vacation rental (there are plenty to choose from in the Blue Ridge Mountains). Save a few days at the end of your drive and check in to one of Asheville’s best hotels so you can leisurely explore the city’s multicultural dining scene and nearby hikes.
The nearly 1-million-acre Olympic National Park has more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams.
Courtesy of John Thomas/Unsplash
5. Olympic Peninsula Loop Drive, Washington
- Start: Edmonds
- End: Olympia
- Approximate distance: 300 miles
Yes, you might get rained on during a fall visit to the Olympic Peninsula—the wild, mossy arm west of Seattle that encompasses Olympic National Park. But part of the charm is seeing the changing colors of deciduous trees contrast the evergreens found in its rainforest. Start in Kingston, a city 17 miles north of Seattle, and begin where Highway 104 meets Highway 101 (your road for most of the drive) and follow it counterclockwise around Olympic National Park. Along the route, learn to pronounce the names of small towns like Sequim (“Skwim”) and Dosewallips (“Doh-si-wall-ips”), hike to waterfalls flush with seasonal rain, and walk the raw coast on the westernmost edge of the peninsula.
Where to stay along the way: Lake Crescent Lodge
- Book now: olympicnationalparks.com
Start your trip with a stay in a cabin at Lake Crescent Lodge, which has a waterside location with scenic views of the surrounding mountains. The property offers cottages, cabins, and rooms for overnight stays, as well as boat rentals for exploring the nearby lake.
On a road trip through Idaho, dip into Kirkham Hot Springs.
Courtesy of Idaho Tourism
6. Boise to Sun Valley, Idaho
- Start: Boise
- End: Sun Valley
- Approximate distance: 200 miles
Nearly two-thirds of Idaho is public land, making this state ideal for outdoor adventure. Add in some gorgeous fall foliage and hot springs (there are more than 120 you can soak in throughout the state) and you’ve got yourself a road trip. Starting from Boise, take Highway 21 (aka the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway) for 131 miles to get to Stanley. From there, take Highway 75 (known as the Sawtooth Scenic Byway) for 63 miles to get to Sun Valley. Along the way, these routes take you through the autumn colors of Boise National Forest and Sawtooth National Forest.
If you’re up for taking an hour-long detour from Boise, head to Bruneau Dunes State Park. On Friday and Saturday nights through mid-October, its observatory has night sky and solar viewing.
Where to stay along the way: Modern Hotel and Bar
- Book now: themodernhotel.com
Kick off your Idaho adventure with a stay at the Modern Hotel and Bar. The 39-room property was a boarding house during the Great Depression, but was renovated in 2007 to become a midcentury, minimalist hotel.
The Green Mountains are postcard perfect.
Photo by Dennis MacDonald/Shutterstock
7. Connecticut River Byway, Vermont
- Start: Stewartstown
- End: Vernon
- Approximate distance: 320 miles
New England in the fall is a no-brainer, and the nearly 500-mile Connecticut River Byway showcases the full beauty of the region in the autumn. The majority of the road is in Vermont—following the border between New Hampshire—and presents views of the red, orange, and gold trees on the Green Mountains. Be sure to keep an eye open roadside farmstands and country stores serendipitously dotted along the route. You’ll want to load up on the season’s bounty of maple syrup, apples, and pumpkins.
Where to stay along the way: Twin Farms
- Book now: twinfarms.com
Woods, meadows, hills, and a nine-acre pond are all part of Twin Farms, a 300-acre property that guests can explore via nine miles of trails. In 2023, Twin Farms added eight tree-house accommodations that include floor-to-ceiling windows, a living room, a deck, and air conditioning.
Yosemite explodes into color in the fall.
Photo by Luc Stadnik / Shutterstock
8. U.S. Route 395, California
- Start: New Pine Creek
- End: Hesperia
- Approximate distance: 550 miles
While California’s Highway 1 (also known as the Pacific Coast Highway) is a prime summertime drive, the best fall drive is the inland U.S. Route 395. The complete route goes from the Mojave Desert to the Canada–U.S. border near Laurier, Washington, but California’s 550-mile or so portion traces the eastern Sierras and terminates in Hesperia, around 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Embark on the trip from mid-September to October for peak fall foliage, and take your pick of national and state parks—Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia to name a few—to see the shifting colors until the end of November.
Where to stay along the way: Evergreen Lodge
- Book now: evergreenlodge.com
If you want to stop by Yosemite on this fall foliage drive, the more than 100-year-old Evergreen Lodge is a great option for families, located about one mile from Yosemite National Park’s western entrance. Afar deputy editor Michelle Baran says her Thanksgiving stay at the lodge was “downright magical”; highlights include a heated pool, two outdoor playgrounds, and nightly s’mores.
This article originally appeared online in September 2020; it was updated on September 12, 2024, to include current information.
