West Elk Loop
Colorado
In the mountains of west central Colorado, the West Elk Scenic and Historic Byway features 206 miles of scenic driving in a cherry-shaped loop that connects numerous towns, natural areas and other attractions. Fall color brings out the best in the area’s natural beauty.
“In the fall, the mountains are incredibly dynamic to look at,” said John Hoffman, chairman of the West Elk Scenic and Historic Byway Steering Committee. “It just really opens up your heart — it’s so golden and full of life. And down lower, there are bright red oaks, and the Aspens are so incredibly yellow. All of the leaves turn in different periods, so anytime from October 1 to the middle of November, you’re able to see a lot of good color.”
The route begins and ends in Carbondale, Colorado, a town known for its burgeoning culinary scene as well as an abundance of hiking options. From there, travelers visit the towns of Redstone, Crested Butte, Gunnison, Paonia and Hotchkiss, each of which has its own distinctive flavor. The route cuts through Gunnison National Forest and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
“The Black Canyon is one of the most dramatic canyons anywhere,” Hoffman said. “It’s this very hard black rock that has been cut almost 2,000 feet in places. The road follows around the north side of the canyon, and you can look into the canyon from quite a few places. The road is twisty and windy, and the mountains are absolutely stunning with pines and aspen.”
It takes about eight hours to drive straight through the loop, although Hoffman recommends breaking the trip up into two or three days to enjoy the natural areas, local restaurants and colorful towns along the way.
Olympic Peninsula
Washington
Situated across the Puget Sound from Seattle and the rest of northern Washington, the Olympic Peninsula is home to Olympic National Park and some of the state’s most compelling scenery. When the weather begins to turn cold, the area gets its own brand of fall color.
“People think about Vermont and New Hampshire for fall,” said Marsha Massey, executive director of the Olympic Peninsula Visitors Bureau. “Our fall is different, but we get beautiful leaf color with the bigleaf maples and vine maples. It’s all against the backdrop of really deep forest green. So it’s a different kind of fall color.”
The most popular way for groups to explore the area is to cross the sound by ferry and then set out on one of several scenic drives through the peninsula. U.S. Highway 101, better known as the Pacific Coast Highway, makes a 300-mile loop around the peninsula, cutting through the national park in various places. Along the way, visitors can stop to see communities such as Port Townsend, Squim and Port Angeles.
“There are beautiful views traveling all along Highway 101,” Massey said. “You can take a road off the highway and go up to Hurricane Ridge, which is up 5,600 feet. There’s a visitors center there that looks across the mountains, and you get a beautiful view of the attractions at the top. Hurricane Ridge is on everyone’s bucket list.”
Another popular scenic byway, Washington Highway 112, is an old logging road that follows the waterline of the Strait of Juan de Fuca all the way to Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point in the continental United States.
Lake Placid
New York
In the far northern reaches of upstate New York, not far from the Vermont border, the area around Lake Placid has more than 15 scenic drives that feature mountainous terrain and rich woodland color in the fall.
“What’s great about fall here is that the landscape really lends itself nicely to touring,” said Kimberly Rielly, director of the Lake Placid Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism. “We have a tremendous, colorful fall-foliage season. Because of the variety of our altitude, it’s a long foliage season — the leaves change over a long time.”
Many visitors like to go from their base in Lake Placid through Wilmington, where Whiteface Mountain is located, and drive up the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway. Whiteface Mountain is the fifth-highest mountain in the state and offers a 360-degree view of the Adirondack Mountains and the valleys below.
Another popular excursion is the trip to Lake Champlain, which takes travelers through the Ausable Chasm, a two-mile long sandstone gorge.
“The Ausable Chasm is one of the most popular attractions of its kind in the United States,” Rielly said. “You can walk through the chasm, which is a spectacular natural attraction.”
A trip west from Lake Placid takes groups to Tupper Lake through Saranac, where the quaint downtown is known for its art galleries. At Tupper Lake, a new attraction called Wild Walk offers adventurers an unprecedented view of the mountains and forest from amidst the treetops.
