America’s prettiest fall foliage drives can be found on both coasts as well as in the center of our country. The drive up Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) is legendary and the drive through the northeast is an annual ritual for Americans seeking to view fall leaves changing from green to golden and every color in between.
Driving the Pacific Coast Highway in Oregon
The drive up PCH along the Oregon Coast is a beautiful, romantic drive and the views are second to none. It takes between 10-12 hours one-way and there are quite a few places to stop along the route, including Tillamook Cheese Factory, plus many boutique wineries and breweries that have made Oregon famous.
If you have ever wanted to catch Sea Lions in their natural habitat, don’t miss the Sea Lion Caves in Florence – just be warned that these big guys are very noisy! Watching the Pacific Ocean pound against the majestic cliffs, crossing bridges that seem to just suspend in the air, and driving through so many beautiful lush evergreen forests is the perfect backdrop for a romantic weekend drive. You can camp along the beach or stay in a romantic Bed and Breakfast while watching the sunset over the ocean and eat fresh seafood and sip on great tasting local wine. Almost every turn on this drive is one filled with beauty and wonderment along with remarkable views of cliffs and ocean waves crashing into each other.
Vibrant colors and buffalo herds in Colorado
Highway 70 from Denver to Grand Junction, CO is 243 miles one-way and is 4 hours of gorgeous mountain views. As soon as you Denver down Highway 70, you see beautiful snowcapped mountain peaks with evergreen trees dotting the mountainside. Along the route are many small ponds and lakes that surprise you around unsuspecting turns.
At Exit 254 (Genesee Park) there is a Buffalo Herd Overlook and if you are lucky, the herd will be grazing on the countryside. The buffalo herds are the direct descendants of seven of the wild bison found in Yellowstone National Park back in 1914.
This romantic fall drive is showcased by the beautiful changing colors of the aspen – from golden yellow to burnt orange to a fiery red. Beautiful!
One of the best parts of this drive are the many choices to stop and enjoy a relaxing lunch or dinner in a mountain town. Check out Breckenridge for eclectic shopping and some top-notch craft brews or head over to Vail for a little bit of elegance and 5-star restaurants in a cool mountain town. When you drive closer to Grand Junction the mountains jut straight up to form some magnificent views accented with the Colorado River traveling the road beside you. This drive is a great way to spend a day in Colorado!
Tree peeking in the Northeast – Maine to Vermont
For a great weekend experience drive through three states from Maine to Vermont and do what the locals call “tree peeking.” It is the picture-perfect drive to capture the Fall leaves changing and is a great backdrop for romantic weekend getaway. Starting in Portland, ME head out on US-4 to NH-104 and sit back and watch the landscape change and blossom into a sea of color. This entire route through New Hampshire is filled with hundreds of trees in the midst of various shades of yellows, oranges, and red leaves that are incredibly vibrant.
Lake Winnipesaukee is an incredibly beautiful and romantic destination in the middle of New Hampshire; you would think it was right out of a storybook. As you head into Vermont, the air gets a little crisper and trees wave as you pass by. With the trees dancing in the wind it is a great moment to get out of the car and hug your sweetheart closer as you view some of nature’s natural beauties.
Where is your favorite area to go for a drive?
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I’m from Vermont and (in my opinion) we have the most beautiful scenery in the autumn!
I have also traveled to Vermont, took a drive from New Hampshire over to visit a friend’s family farm. I agree, it is gorgeous scenery. I took the trip during the summer. Such beautiful weather, unlike here in Texas.
Lake Winnipesaukee is where I want to go.
I must add that to my destinations to visit soon.
I would Love to visit Vermont one of these days. Been to CO plenty of times but never Oregon. East Coast I here has the best fall scenery. Thanks for sharing.
Vermont is such a gorgeous state.
Those are some beautiful fall foliage drives! We are in the southeast and enjoy driving in the mountains.
Mountains are also beautiful. Rebecca, do you drive in the mountains during the snow? The white caps are very pretty to see.
I used to when I didn’t have children. Now – it’s a little difficult in the SouthEast – little different in the midwest
This is a great list. I’d love to drive PCH sometime in the fall.
I absolutely love driving through New Hampshire and Maine in the fall. It’s gorgeous to drive Route 1 in New Hampshire up the coast and then wind inland to see the beautiful leaves! One of these years, I’d like to run the half marathon that’s in Hampton and North Hampton, NH in October. I think it would be absolutely beautiful (although since I can’t run more than about 90 seconds at a time, I still have a lot of training to do).
Good luck training for the half, Lisa. That’s a great goal to have and what a beautiful state to run it in!
Beautiful! we are lucky enough to live in the NE and driving to see fall foliage is a daily event! (but it never gets old!)
That is lucky! I think I would go out for a regularly scheduled drive if I was in the NE. Maybe pull over and do some hiking or walking as well.
That looks lovely! I don’t really have a specific place I like to go for a drive, as when I seeek out a drive it’s more to clear my head then look at scenery. When I did drive to look at scenery it was often along the coast, but Sandy killed that for us.
It is unfortunate that hurricanes cause such destruction to beautiful areas. Going for a drive surrounded by gorgeous scenery is relaxing for me.
Wow! What amazing, beautiful photos! We don’t get much fall here in south Texas but I love visiting relatives in North Carolina to get a dose of it!
That’s why we love to travel so much. We are located in Texas too and it gets boring here. I wish we had more changing of the seasons here.
I’ve driven PCH before and it is one of the most spectacular drives. I can just imagine how beautiful it would be in the fall. Colorado is close to me, putting that on my list!
what beautiful scenery! But, I’ll admit that I’d rather stop and moo at the Buffalo – those are gorgeous creatures!
I’ve gone from Maine to Vermont before and it is absolutely gorgeous!!
fall is one of the BIG REASONS I MISS HOME.
I miss the east coast.
Breathtaking photos!!!!!
Wow Oregon is beautiful. I never had a thought of ever going there until I read this post! To answer the question though I love driving through Louisiana.
I love driving through the mountains, but I would really love to go out east and see the fall colors!
There is just something about fall colors and the beauty of it. The mountains are gorgeous year round.
Fall is just beautiful. I love the changing colors. I love the temperatures. So refreshing. Thank you so much for sharing