As it is now meteorological autumn, here is a good article on fall foliage drives ranging from New England and Upstate New York to the Upper Midwest and Colorado.
http://mashable.com/2015/08/31/fall-foliage-drives/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-pete-link (http://mashable.com/2015/08/31/fall-foliage-drives/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-pete-link)
I wasn't sure if there was a topic specific to this on the Forum yet.
Nice thing about living in the Northeast, is that wherever you go, it's a fall foliage drive. No need for a long trip-but it's probably a good idea to do it anyway. :sombrero:
I think Appalachia has the most spectacular drives in the fall. Especially with the brown, orange and gold leaves falling off the trees as you drive along the mountainous background.
I just enjoy saying "leaf peepers."
I had a terrific drive along rolling roads in the Eastern Townships of Québec last autumn. Truly beautiful peepage. Hope to take a similar one this year.
Northwest Illinois around Columbus Day weekend is usually the best locally for me. US 20 into Galena or Dubuque then head north on US 151 or IL-84 into southeast Wisconsin.
Last fall, in early October, I drove AL 68 between Crossville, AL and I-59 on my way to Fort Payne, AL in the morning hours. It was quite a nice drive, especially since most of that stretch of the road appeared to have been repaved recently at the time.
Spearfish Canyon is a good one, but it's really hard to time right. You almost have to stay there for 2 months to find the one "peak color" day.
What roads in Kentucky will have the best foilage?
A lot of roads in Northwestern (CT 43, 341, 26, 112, etc) and Northeastern (I-395, US 6 & 44, CT 197, 89, 171, etc.) Connecticut look really nice in the fall. They are fall in the Northeast in a nutshell when at peak/full foliage.
I'd like to take a weekend in October and poke around north-central PA. Allegheny N.F., Kinzua Bridge, PA 120, Grand Canyon of PA etc. This region never seems to get quite as inundated by leaf-peepers as other parts of the northeast.
Pretty much any road in Maine will look spectacular during the peak foliage season. A few in particular that I've enjoyed are I-95 north of Bangor, ME 11 north of Milo, US 1A between Brewer and Ellsworth, and ME 9 east of Eddington. Here are a few shots I was able to get last Fall...
I-95 northbound in Howland.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5603/15482856337_2eb6a1b14b_z.jpg)
ME 11/157 near Millinocket.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7552/15048060344_ffe064f7a4_z.jpg)
Baxter Park Road leaving Millinocket.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3956/15048661853_6187d9f9ba_z.jpg)
I'm gonna head back up to Lake Superior this fall. Wanted to go to New England but it didn't work out. I was up there last year but probably started my trip a week late so this year I'm going up a week earlier than I did last fall.
I haven't been there during the fall yet, but Nova Scotia's Cabot Trail is at the top of my list of roads I'd like to drive at that time of year.
Our normal commute (over the top of a mountain) gets pretty spectacular for about a week.
New England does fall better than anywhere else. Mohawk Trail, VT 100, Kancamagus...can't be beat when it comes to foliage. Appalachia looks like it was done with finger paints in comparison. :D
Most of the back roads in New Jersey offer beautiful Autumn foliage - no need for me to travel anywhere!
The Northeast (especially New England) has breath-taking fall foliage. I didn't realize how spoiled I was until I left for a couple of years.
Pretty much all of Blacksburg and Montgomery Co. is spectacular in early to mid October.
Quote from: TravelingBethelite on September 01, 2015, 04:21:58 PM
A lot of roads in Northwestern (CT 43, 341, 26, 112, etc) and Northeastern (I-395, US 6 & 44, CT 197, 89, 171, etc.) Connecticut look really nice in the fall. They are fall in the Northeast in a nutshell when at peak/full foliage.
Don't forget CT-47, CT-67, CT-199.
US-7 up from CT through western MA can be stunning too.
Cant believe no one has mentioned the Merrit and Wilbur Cross Parkways yet. One of my favorite drives any time of the year but especially in autumn.
I find that driving around the back roads around the hills of Central New York State is very pleasing during fall foliage season. It has a tendency to be rather quiet in comparison to some of New England's leaf peeper destinations.
I am very much looking forward to my first autumn in my new home in the Hudson Highlands of NY. Pretty much anywhere I go should be downright beautiful, but in particular, I'm convenient to the Bear Mountain Bridge and approach, and my daily commute involves the Metro North station on the spectacular waterfront at Peekskill–not to mention the train route itself, but this thread is supposed to be for drives. ;-)
I can't let this subject pass without mentioning M-22 in the Grand Traverse region of Michigan, especially near Sleeping Bear Dunes. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also great in mid-to-late October.
Quote from: kennyshark on September 02, 2015, 12:50:30 PM
I can't let this subject pass without mentioning M-22 in the Grand Traverse region of Michigan, especially near Sleeping Bear Dunes. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also great in mid-to-late October.
I drove M-22 in June a few years ago. It seems like it's a neat drive any time of the year.
Quote from: TravelingBethelite on September 01, 2015, 04:21:58 PM
A lot of roads in Northwestern (CT 43, 341, 26, 112, etc) and Northeastern (I-395, US 6 & 44, CT 197, 89, 171, etc.) Connecticut look really nice in the fall. They are fall in the Northeast in a nutshell when at peak/full foliage.
Back when I was in college, we did a fall foliage tour off of one of the Connecticut web sites. Starting from New Haven, we took US 1 east to Branford, CT 146 east to Guilford, CT 77 north to Durham, and CT 17 north to Middletown. If you have extra time and want to squeeze in some more water views, you could add CT 337 and/or CT 142.
Also, Litchfield County in Connecticut and the Hudson Valley in New York are great places for driving around and looking at foll foliage. The past couple of years, I've been going up to Poughkeepsie in October or November to go over the Walkway Over the Hudson.
Quote from: Dougtone on September 02, 2015, 02:25:18 PM
Quote from: kennyshark on September 02, 2015, 12:50:30 PM
I can't let this subject pass without mentioning M-22 in the Grand Traverse region of Michigan, especially near Sleeping Bear Dunes. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also great in mid-to-late October.
I drove M-22 in June a few years ago. It seems like it's a neat drive any time of the year.
If you're up that way, you should drive M-119 also.
I'm heading up to Vermont the first weekend of October for a fall foliage trip with my family. I can't wait to see some new roads and also the leaves!
Any good routes in West Virginia/Kentucky/Tennessee in early-mid October?
Quote from: TravelingBethelite on September 05, 2015, 05:06:18 PM
Any good routes in West Virginia/Kentucky/Tennessee in early-mid October?
There's plenty of good routes in all three of those states. However, if you're going for fall foliage, early-mid October is a bit early for good colors in those states.
I have a preference for little two lane county and town roads in areas of glacial moraines. It's the right balance of sight lines, curvy roads, tree tunnels and low traffic volume. The forest is usually broken up enough by small lakes and farm fields to yield nice views. The Kettle Moraine is the most recognizable one in Wisconsin since it's the name of a state forest and it's close to Milwaukee. Go north and south from Waupaca and explore the Johnstown Moraine in fall. WI 22 and WI 49 follow a lot of it. The Chippewa Moraine north of metro Eau Claire is another good one. CTH M in northern Chippewa County is a stand out.
Quote from: TravelingBethelite on September 05, 2015, 05:06:18 PM
Any good routes in West Virginia/Kentucky/Tennessee in early-mid October?
I like WV 28 in the fall, just spectacular, especially in Pendleton County and the Germany Valley area.