Fall doesn’t just mean apple cider, halloween and pumpkin flavored everything but it also means watching the leaves turn beautiful colors! With Summer coming to an end, Fall is sneaking up fast. What better way to spend a weekend than on a road trip admiring the beautiful changing scenery? Although Upstate New York has so much to offer when it comes to leaves and nature and scenery, there are other areas that offer just as amazing views so why not get out and explore?
Forbes did a study where they ranked America’s Top Ten Prettiest Fall Drives:
- Route 168 – Sierra Nevada Mountains, California. With an elevation of 4,000 feet at the start, you’ll be able to get a great view of aspen, juniper and pine trees. It is best to go the last week of September and the first week of October.
- Route 100 – Green Mountains, Vermont. With a starting elevation of 1,000 feet , you’ll see maple, birch, beech, elm and ash trees. Go anytime in October to see the changing colors.
- Kancamagus Scenic Byway – White Mountains, New Hampshire. If you go early in October you’ll witness the various colors of maple, ash, oak, beech and birch trees.
- Columbia River Highway – Columbia River, Oregon. Drive these 80 miles between mid to late October and you’ll get a glimpse of bigleaf, maple, vine maple, cottonwood and Oregon ash trees. The canyon walls are 4,000 feet tall.
- Independence Pass – Rocky Mountains, Colorado. At an elevation of 12,095 feet, you will get a great view of cottonwood, poplar, aspen, oak, boxelder, birch and chokecherry. The best time to go is October.
- Newfound Gap Road – Great Smokey Mountains, Tennessee. With an elevation of 5,046 feet, you will see yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, pin cherry, hobblebush, hickory, sweet gum and scarlet oak. Hit this road trip anywhere between October and November for the best views.
- Route 78 – Hocking Hills, Ohio. Here you will find a variety of oak, hickory, red maple, chestnut, mulberry, willow, birch, beech and walnut. The best time to go is mid-October.
- Route 113 – White Mountains, Maine. Drive these 55 miles in late September, early October and you will get the most beautiful views of basswood, beech, birch, butternut, elm, poplar, witch hazel, maple, sumnac and tupelo.
- Sugarloaf Road (SR 2012) – Ohiopyle State Park, Pennsylvania. Experience these 48 miles of red maple, silver maple, white ash, bigtooth, aspen, American chestnut and sycamore. The best time to go is in October.
- Cade’s Cove Loop – Great Smokey Mountains, Tennessee. For just 11 miles, you will be able to experience the most beautiful colors of birch, American beech, maple, cherry, hobblebush, hickory, sweet gum and oak. Go in November for the best views.
There has never been a better time for you to get out and explore this country. Hop in the car and hit the road, these views are worth it. There are places right outside of New York for you to experience if you’re not looking to go too far but there are also places across the country. Pick a place and go.
