Cruising down an open Western highway with the top down may feel like the quintessential American road trip. But if you’ve ever done it in the summer, you know there’s a downside: The hot sun can be unbearable, particularly if you’re stuck in high-season traffic.
But as fall sets in, bringing crisp temperatures and far fewer tourists on the roads, you might want to go ahead and rent that convertible you may have been dreaming about, lower the top and take in the cool air, autumn scents, and stunning reds, golds and oranges of fall.
Here are five great fall road trips in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.
California
Highways 1 and 46 Near Paso Robles
Paso Robles, Calif., along Highway 46 in a major wine- and spirits-producing region, has a small-town feel, with quiet streets and compact homes dating from the Victorian era to the 1970s.
The town began life as a hot springs destination in the 18th century and, at the time, was home to a large concentration of almond orchards. Today, the area consists of 300 wineries on 26,000 acres situated along winding, tree-lined roads.
From Paso Robles, take a quick jaunt west on Route 46 to the coast, then up Route 1 to visit the seaside town of Cambria, the opulent Hearst Castle (tours from $35) and the Piedras Blancas Rookery, an elephant seal sanctuary. From the parking area, visitors get a close-up view of the mammals, which can weigh two or more tons, as they sun themselves and jockey for dominance.
East of Paso Robles, along Route 46, check out Sensorio (tickets from $65), a light, sound and color art show created with more than 100,000 LED lights spread across acres of rolling hills. A stroll along the paths reveals constantly changing animated patterns and colors from all angles. Sensorio features rotating exhibits and is open year-round. Shows begin at sundown.
In Paso Robles, consider staying at the Allegretto Vineyard Resort (from $249 per night in November), a Moorish-style hotel and spa filled with art and antique sculptures from Asia, Egypt and Europe.
Sample the local bounty with a tasting at wineries like Brecon Estate, Daou, Law Estate and McPrice Myers. Paso Robles offers a wide range of restaurants, including Cello Ristorante & Bar, Il Cortile and In Bloom. Joe’s Place, a self-described greasy spoon operating out of a converted home, serves a traditional American breakfast.
Colorado
Million Dollar Highway
The Million Dollar Highway, or U.S. 550, runs 25 hair-raising miles between Ouray and Silverton in southwestern Colorado. Once a 19th-century wagon trail, today’s Million Dollar Highway (according to lore, that’s how much it cost to build) winds across the breathtaking Red Mountain Pass, often without shoulders or guardrails.
In Ouray, the town at the route’s northern end, the Ouray County Museum ($10) includes an eclectic mix of exhibits showcasing the town’s history, military uniforms from past eras, an old-time dental office and Native American artifacts.
Before you leave town, take a dip in the sulfur-free Ouray Hot Springs (adults $30), which features a volleyball net, a rock-climbing wall, water slides, an adults-only relaxation area and a panorama of Ouray’s steep valley.
Traveling south from Ouray, you’ll pass peaks and waterfalls (including Bear Creek Falls, which flows under the roadway) as well as mining towns like Animas Forks set back in the mountains. Once you’ve white-knuckled your way to Silverton, you can watch the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad trains steam into town, or park and enjoy a ride yourself (from $109).
New Mexico
Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway
It takes only about an hour to drive between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, N.M., on Interstate 25. But if you instead take State Highway 14, a.k.a. the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway, you might want the trip to last all day.
The route rises to over 10,000 feet at Sandia Crest, where it overlooks Albuquerque and the Rio Grande Valley. Along the way, you’ll pass through state parks and a series of mining towns reimagined as centers for the arts, crafts, food and museums.
At the trail’s southern end, in Cibola National Forest, visitors can ride the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway ($34 round trip). At 2.7 miles in length, it claims to be longest tram in the Americas, rising to over 10,000 feet, with views of Albuquerque below. Temperatures at the peak are typically 15 to 30 degrees cooler than at the base.
Just off the highway in Sandia Park, the Tinkertown Museum ($6) features a collection of wooden miniatures, many animatronic, created over 40 years by Ross Ward, a carnival show painter and amateur carver. A glass wall composed of 50,000 bottles surrounds the house. Inside, 22 rooms’ worth of miniature circus folk and tiny residents of Tinkertown perform.
Continuing north, the trail passes through Golden, with its 1830s adobe church, and Madrid, a former coal mining town that featured the first baseball stadium west of the Mississippi where night games were played under lights.
With coal in decline, Madrid’s population dwindled to about 30 in the 1970s. Then hippies and artists began moving in, turning the town (now with around 300 residents) into a center for arts and crafts. Madrid’s eclectic Christmas parade and light show draw tourists, as do its Old Coal Town Museum and Mine Shaft Tavern, which claims to have the longest bar in New Mexico.
In Cerrillos, check out tools and jewelry at the Turquoise Mining Museum ($4), and on the way to the San Marcos/Lone Butte area, keep an eye out for distinctive rock formations and views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot some pronghorns, too.
Oregon
U.S. 101 Near Gold Beach
For those who have navigated the bumper-to-bumper snarl of U.S. 101 in Los Angeles, it might be hard to imagine that 40 miles north of the California border in Oregon, the same thoroughfare takes passengers to one of the most scenic areas on the West Coast.
Gold Beach sits at the mouth of the 215-mile-long Rogue River, where you can go white-water rafting, explore rugged pine forests and witness salmon runs.
The mild Mediterranean-like climate, tempered by the Pacific Ocean, makes Gold Beach an ideal place to visit in the fall. Visitors can fish for steelhead and salmon, walk along miles of uncluttered beaches, kayak on the Rogue, and hike in the neighboring 1.8-million-acre Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest east of town.
Along Highway 101 north of Gold Beach, you can visit Floras Lake State Natural Area, which features 10 miles of trails, three miles of sandy beach and nearly 1,500 acres of forest, and Cape Blanco State Park, which features eight miles of hiking trails, a 19th-century lighthouse and Hughes House, a preserved Victorian farmhouse on the National Register of Historic Places (free).
Temporarily trade the car for a jet boat to visit the small town of Agness, 32 miles up the Rogue. Jerry’s Rogue Jets takes tourists — along with the U.S. mail — up the river to the town. Once there, visitors can stay in one of a number of lodges, resorts and R.V. parks.
The four-plus-hour round-trip jet boat tour includes a barbecue lunch and runs from May to mid-October. Tickets are $99 for adults and $68 for children ages 4 to 11. The company also offers white-water jet boat tours from May to September, with adult tickets starting at $129.
If you want to stick around and explore the area, the Tu Tu’ Tun Lodge near Gold Beach (from $395 per night in November) offers 34 upscale adults-only accommodations, as well as a restaurant and a spa.
Washington
Palouse Scenic Byway
Undulating green and yellow hills of wheat draw nature photographers and amateur shutterbugs alike to the Palouse Scenic Byway, which encompasses several highways south of Spokane, Wash.
Visitors will find prime viewing areas of this striking landscape between Oakesdale and Uniontown. Catch breathtaking views at Steptoe Butte State Park Heritage Site (parking, $10; closed until at least the end of October because of roadwork) or McCroskey State Park, just across the border in Idaho (free).
While you’re driving, check out the brightly painted farmhouses that adorn the dirt side roads.
In the university town of Pullman, animal lovers will find the WSU Bear Center, a research and conservation site for a handful of grizzlies. Between roughly April and October, before the bears hibernate, visitors can watch about a dozen adults and cubs of both sexes in their exercise area at no charge.
For those seeking a bit of analog nostalgia, the small town of Palouse features the Roy Chatters Newspaper and Printing Museum, a collection of printing and typesetting equipment from the 19th century. Open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (free).
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