There are road trips, and then there are fall road trips out West.
This is the season when a tank of gas, a good playlist, a pile of snacks, and nowhere you absolutely have to be starts sounding like a pretty good plan. The western United States is especially beautiful in autumn because the scenery changes so dramatically from one stretch of highway to the next. One minute you’re surrounded by golden aspens and towering mountains, and the next you’re rolling through red-rock country beneath a huge blue sky.
Fall is also one of those seasons that makes getting in the car feel like part of the vacation instead of simply the way you get there. The summer crowds have started thinning out, the temperatures are more comfortable in many places, and small towns seem to settle into a slower rhythm.
If you’re dreaming about an autumn road trip, these are some Western routes worth putting on the list.
Take The San Juan Skyway Through Colorado
Southwestern Colorado might be one of the prettiest places in the country to spend a few days behind the wheel in October.
The San Juan Skyway creates a big loop through mountain country, connecting Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Telluride and several other communities. The scenery is enormous, with rugged peaks rising above forests of evergreen and brilliant golden aspen.
The stretch between Silverton and Ouray is particularly dramatic. The road climbs through the mountains with steep slopes, tight curves and scenery that practically demands a stop every few minutes.
And then there are the towns themselves.
Silverton has the feeling of an old mining town that never completely left its past behind. Ouray is tucked into a spectacular mountain setting and has that classic little mountain-town atmosphere that makes you want to wander around instead of simply passing through.
Don’t try to cram this entire route into one frantic day. Give yourself time to stop, explore, eat something good and take the long way around.
That’s the whole point.
Follow Utah’s Scenic Byway 12
Utah is proof that fall doesn’t need endless forests to be spectacular.
Scenic Byway 12 runs through some of the most fascinating landscapes in southern Utah, where red-rock formations, high mountain forests, desert cliffs and little communities all seem to take turns being the star.
The road passes through the kind of scenery that makes you question whether you’re still in the United States or have accidentally driven onto another planet.
Fall makes the route even more interesting because some of the higher elevations bring brilliant autumn color. Golden aspens and other changing trees can appear against those famous red and orange rocks, creating a combination you simply don’t get in most other parts of the country.
Build in plenty of time for stops around Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase country and Capitol Reef. Even if you’ve visited southern Utah before, the landscape looks completely different when autumn color starts appearing in the higher country.
Drive Through Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains
If your idea of a perfect road trip includes wide-open spaces, mountain roads and the occasional tiny town, Wyoming belongs on the itinerary.
The Bighorn Mountains rise dramatically above the surrounding plains, and autumn brings golden foliage to the higher country. The contrast between colorful trees, dark evergreen forests, rocky peaks and enormous Wyoming skies is something you don’t forget quickly.
One of the best things about driving through this part of Wyoming is that the scenery doesn’t feel crowded or overly manicured. It feels big, wild and wonderfully open.
Spend some time in Sheridan before or after your mountain drive. The historic downtown has plenty of Western character, and it’s a good place to slow down for an afternoon before getting back on the road.
This is a trip for people who enjoy the drive itself as much as the destination.
Make Your Way Around Northern New Mexico
Northern New Mexico in autumn has a personality all its own.
The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway creates a loop through the mountains around Taos, Questa, Red River, Eagle Nest and Angel Fire. Along the way, you’ll find mountain valleys, forests, high peaks and small communities surrounded by some seriously beautiful scenery.
The changing aspens add plenty of gold to the landscape, but what makes this trip special is everything else happening at the same time. You’ll see adobe buildings, old churches, mountain cabins, art galleries, roadside stands and little towns with histories that stretch back generations.
Taos makes an especially good starting point because you can spend a little time exploring before heading into the mountains.
And don’t be afraid to wander.
Take the side road. Stop at the little shop. Pull into the overlook. Get lunch somewhere you didn’t research beforehand.
Some of the best road-trip memories are the ones that weren’t on the itinerary.
Explore Idaho’s Sawtooth Country
Idaho tends to fly under the radar when people start talking about fall road trips, but that makes it even more appealing.
The drive through the Sawtooth region takes you into some spectacular mountain country, with forests, rivers, alpine lakes and rugged peaks surrounding the road.
Stanley is a particularly good place to slow down and spend the night. The town is small, scenic and surrounded by mountains that make the whole area feel wonderfully removed from everyday life.
Fall brings golden foliage to the landscape, and the cooler weather makes it much easier to enjoy outdoor stops without dealing with summer heat.
This would be a fantastic long weekend for somebody who wants beautiful scenery without spending the entire trip fighting crowds.
See A Different Kind Of Fall In Northern Arizona
When people picture Arizona, they usually picture cactus, desert heat and red rocks.
They don’t always picture autumn.
Higher elevations in northern Arizona can put on a surprisingly beautiful fall show, particularly around the Mogollon Rim and areas near Flagstaff. Pine forests give way to stands of aspens, oaks and other trees that bring yellow and gold into the landscape.
The drive around Oak Creek Canyon is especially beautiful when the trees begin changing. The colorful foliage against the red rocks creates one of those combinations that looks almost too carefully arranged to be real.
This is also a great choice if you’re looking for a road trip that doesn’t feel like the traditional fall vacation.
You can have your autumn colors without leaving the desert Southwest.
Wander Through Oregon’s Blue Mountains
Eastern Oregon offers a completely different kind of road-trip experience.
Instead of the crowded coastal destinations and familiar Portland-to-coast routes, head into the Blue Mountains and discover ranch country, forests, rivers and tiny communities scattered across a huge landscape.
The Blue Mountain Scenic Byway gives you plenty of opportunities to simply drive and enjoy the scenery. Autumn adds changing foliage without completely covering the landscape, so you’ll still get those enormous views Oregon does so well.
This is the sort of trip where you might pass a historic building, a little general store or a roadside café and decide to stop simply because it looks interesting.
Do it.
There doesn’t need to be a famous attraction behind every exit.
Take A Fall Drive Through Central Oregon
Central Oregon is another excellent place for an autumn getaway, particularly around Bend and the Cascade Mountains.
The Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway winds through mountain country surrounded by volcanic peaks, forests and beautiful alpine lakes.
The scenery becomes especially striking in fall when the trees begin changing and the mountains start looking a little more rugged with the approach of winter.
Bend makes an easy home base, but don’t spend the entire trip in town. Get out onto the road and explore the surrounding country.
Pack a picnic. Find a lake. Take a short hike. Sit somewhere quiet and watch the mountains for a while.
You don’t have to turn every stop into an activity.
Sometimes sitting there is the activity.
Circle Colorado’s West Elk Mountains
If golden aspens are what you’re chasing, put the West Elk Loop on your list.
This long Colorado route takes travelers through Gunnison, Crested Butte, Paonia and Carbondale, with mountain scenery changing constantly along the way.
The aspens are the real stars here. In autumn, entire mountainsides can turn shades of gold, orange and yellow.
Crested Butte is an especially charming stop, but the beauty of this route is that you don’t have to spend the entire trip in one place.
Drive for a while.
Stop for coffee.
Find an overlook.
Explore a historic downtown.
Then get back in the car and see what comes next.
That rhythm is what makes a good road trip feel different from an ordinary vacation.
Plan For The Weather
Fall in the West can be absolutely gorgeous, but it can also remind you that winter isn’t far behind.
Mountain weather can change quickly, particularly at higher elevations. A sunny afternoon can turn chilly before you realize it, and an early snowstorm isn’t something to ignore simply because the calendar still says fall.
Before leaving, check the weather and road conditions for your route. It’s also smart to keep the gas tank reasonably full, carry extra water and snacks, and have warm clothes within easy reach instead of buried underneath every suitcase you packed.
If you’re traveling through remote country, don’t assume your phone will always have service either.
Sometimes the most beautiful stretch of highway is also the stretch where your phone suddenly becomes a very expensive camera.
Related: Small Colorado Towns That Shine in September
Leave Room For The Unexpected
The biggest mistake you can make on a Western fall road trip is planning every single minute.
Pick your route. Know where you’re spending the night. Have a general idea of what you want to see.
Then leave some room.
Maybe you spot a little town you’ve never heard of. Maybe there’s an old roadside motel that looks like it has been sitting there since 1957. Maybe you find a bookstore, antique shop, pie counter or local café that wasn’t anywhere on your carefully researched itinerary.
Stop.
That’s the good stuff.
Road trips aren’t supposed to feel like you’re racing from one attraction to another while checking boxes on a list.
They’re supposed to give you time to look out the window.
Fall Is Made For The Open Road
You don’t need a month off work or an enormous travel budget to experience a Western fall road trip.
A long weekend can be enough.
Pick a mountain route in Colorado. Wander through northern New Mexico. Follow the red rocks of Utah. Cross Wyoming’s wide-open country. Explore Idaho’s mountain roads or take a slower drive through Oregon and Arizona.
The scenery will be different, but the feeling is the same.
Windows cracked open. Cool air coming through the car. Coffee in the cup holder. Leaves blowing across the highway. Mountains appearing around the next bend.
And that wonderful little feeling that comes from realizing you don’t have anywhere else to be for a while.
Sometimes the best fall vacation isn’t the one where you fly somewhere and spend the week checking things off a list.
Sometimes it’s the one where you fill up the tank, turn onto the highway and see what happens.
Lisa Crow contributed to this article. She is a true crime junkie and lifestyle blogger based in Waco, Texas. Lisa is the Head of Content at Gigi’s Ramblings and Southern Bred True Crime Junkie. She spends her free time traveling when she can and making memories with her large family which consists of six children and sixteen grandchildren.