The Best Places to Enjoy the Fall Foliage in the US

When you’re driving along the road in autumn, you want to enjoy the views of the fall foliage with the changing leaves and colors.

Tis the season for viewing the leaves and seeing the change in colors before they all come off the trees and all we see is the naked forest without any leaves on the trees. If you want to know where to go in the fall to see the colors, this list of places to drive will amaze you.

Aspen, Colorado

Check out the fall foliage that surrounds one of the most popular ski towns in the world. The leaves around Aspen turn to a rich yellow color in the fall and shimmer in the breeze to give you the views and feeling you want to enjoy. The Aspen autumn season is short, which means you need to get there early and check out the colors that you’ve wanted to see.

Stay at the Limelight Hotel and enjoy the ultra-modern mountain lodge feeling that gives you a look at Wagner Park in downtown Aspen while you’re in the area.

The Catskills, New York

The 6,000 square miles in southeastern New York is known as the Catskills. This area is home to six major river systems, 35 mountain peaks over 3,500 feet, and the famed Woodstock music festival. This area is a year-round destination which is at its most vibrant in the fall when the yellows, oranges, and reds come to bloom to show you the thickly wooded hillsides.

Stay in one of the charming B&B’s to have a great view and the feeling you want when you’re visiting this area of the country in the autumn to enjoy the views.

Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina

If you want to see one of the longest stretches of fall foliage in the country, the Blue Ridge Parkway is where you will find what you’re looking for. This road stretches the 469 miles from the Shenandoah National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. When the weather begins to cool, the colors come in and you’ll see miles of beautiful leaves in the fall.

If you want to stay near the Blue Ridge Parkway, stay at the Hyatt Place Asheville Downtown hotel and enjoy the views of the parkway from the hotel.

Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Take a ride into the Cascade Mountains and enjoy the natural border that’s formed between southwestern Washington and northern Oregon along the 80-mile Columbia River Gorge. The sublime sights of this area during the autumn will show off the fall foliage that you want to see and enjoy during your drive. Choose to take in the gorgeous views and hike along the trails or go kayaking down the river.

Stay at the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel and enjoy the amazing views from this location including the 208-foot Wah Gwin Gwin waterfall.

Green Mountain Byway, Vermont

This drive is lined by maple, birch, and beech trees to give you the drive you want around New England. Enjoy the drive from Waterbury to Stowe along this road and check out the fall foliage offered. The best time to visit this road and see the leaves changing is in the early days of autumn when the change is taking place before the leaves fall.

Stay in Stowe at the Topnotch Resort which sits on 120 acres overlooking Mt. Mansfield which is Vermont’s highest mountain at 4,393 feet.

Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, New Mexico

This dazzling 83-mile look that starts and ends in Taos has become a fall foliage destination for those driving down from Aspen to see the changing of the leaves in New Mexico. The route circles Wheeler Park, New Mexico’s highest point where you can see the leaves change and enjoy the amazing views offered.

Book a stay at one of the many B&B’s in Taos to have the stellar mountain views and enjoy the amazing southwestern-style rooms and homes in the area.

Laurel Highlands, Pennsylvania

Admire the covered bridges, rolling hills, and picturesque small towns that are amazing and beautiful in the autumn time. The fall foliage of this area will give you the views you want and allow you to see what you’ll admire when you drive around this area. The trees are simply breathtaking and will offer you the bright red, orange, and yellow colors you want form the dogwoods, black gums, and scarlet oaks.

If you want to stay in the area, book a room at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort where you’ll have the views you want and the luxurious stay you’ll enjoy during your time in Pennsylvania.

Upper Peninsula, Michigan

One of the largest state forest systems in the eastern US is found in Michigan. You’ll find nearly four million acres of forest to give you the vies you’re looking for. Choose one of the Upper Peninsula’s 20-plus forested state parks and see the fall foliage. This area is home to ash, aspen, beech, birch, maple, oak, sycamore, and tamarack trees. Admire the views and colors that will make you smile and wonder about nature when you see this area.

Book a night or more at the SandHills Lighthouse Inn on the Upper Peninsula and experience the stay in a cozy lighthouse that’s been transformed for you to enjoy your time in the autumn.

Glacier National Park, Montana

You’ll want to take some hikes and enjoy the gorgeous drive through Glacier National Park which is a dream area filled with fall foliage that you can admire and see with wonder in your eyes. You’ll have the place to yourself in the autumn after the tourist season has ended for the year. There are evergreens and colorful trees that change when you’re visiting at the right time of the year to give you a mix of green, red, yellow, and orange to admire.

Check-in and enjoy the Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish and experience the amazing on-site dining offered all year long.