Go on a fall-foliage drive

Leaf peeping is the name for going out to look at the fall colours, usually by driving a scenic road and stopping to walk a little. A foliage drive is the easiest version, and the easiest big fall day there is. You don’t need a trail, a ticket or a friend with a free Saturday: just a car, a route and a couple of hours. The only real planning is timing, because peak colour in any one place lasts about a week or two, and then the wind takes it.

Work out when to go

Fall colour moves. It starts in the north and at higher elevations and works its way south and down into the valleys, so a drive that’s bare or green this weekend can be spectacular the next. Don’t pick a date months ahead and hope.

1. Look up a foliage report for your state or region a few days before. Many tourism sites and park services publish weekly updates in fall.
2. If your area is still green, drive somewhere higher or further north. If it’s already past peak, go lower or further south.
3. Check the weather. A dry day is the goal. Colours look richest on an overcast day or in low morning and late afternoon light, and wind and heavy rain strip leaves fast.
4. Keep a second weekend free if you can. A drive that’s a few days early is still pretty. One that’s a week late is mostly branches.

Choose the route

The best roads for this are slow ones: country roads, river valleys, roads through state forests and parks, and anything with a name like “scenic byway” or “parkway”. Highways move you past the trees too quickly and leave you nowhere to stop.

• Pick a loop rather than an out-and-back, so you see new road the whole way.
• Choose a route close enough to home that the drive there is short. The point is to spend your hours looking at leaves, and a nearby route also keeps fuel costs down.
• Look for places to stop along the way: a lookout, a lake, a small town with a bakery or a diner, a covered bridge, a farm stand.
• Stay off the busiest roads on peak weekends if you can. A popular route can slow to a crawl, and a weekday or an early start is much calmer.

Before you leave

• Fill the tank. Rural stretches can go a long way between gas stations.
• Download your map. Phone signal often drops in valleys and forests, so save the route offline or screenshot it.
• Tell someone your route and roughly when you’ll be back, especially if you’re going alone.
• Clean your windshield, inside and out. Low autumn sun on a dirty windshield is blinding.
• Charge your phone and bring a cable for the car.

What to bring

The catalogue list covers the essentials: a full tank, a playlist and snacks with a thermos. A few extras make the day easier:

• A blanket for sitting at a lookout
• A warm layer you can pull on at every stop, because it’s colder out of the car than it feels inside
• A small bag with tissues, hand wipes and a trash bag, since there may be no bins at pullouts
• A paper map or offline directions, as a backup

How to drive it

A good foliage drive is slow. Keep to the speed limit or below, and let faster drivers pass at pullouts. Take it as a day of stopping, not a day of driving.

• Pull over only where it’s safe: designated pullouts, parking areas, wide gravel shoulders with clear sight lines. Never stop in the lane, on a bend or at the top of a hill.
• Don’t take photos while driving. If the view is too good, the next pullout will still have it.
• Watch for wet leaves on the road. They’re slippery, especially on corners and downhill stretches, and they can hide potholes.
• Expect deer in the early morning and at dusk. They move a lot in fall.
• Watch for walkers and cyclists on narrow roads, because other people are out looking at the same trees.

What to look for

Different trees turn at different times and in different colours, so a mixed forest looks better than a single type. Maples tend to give the reds and oranges, while birches, aspens and many hickories turn yellow, and oaks go russet and brown later. Water doubles the effect: a lake or river with colour on both banks, or reflected in the surface, is a good place to stop for longer.

Light matters as much as the trees. Leaves lit from behind by a low sun glow, and the same road looks dull at noon. If you have the choice, drive in the morning or the last two hours before sunset.

Stops worth making

Plan one proper stop each hour or so. A short walk to a lookout, a coffee in a small town, a picnic by a lake. If a route passes a farm stand or an orchard, that’s a chance to buy something warm or sweet to take home. A foliage drive pairs well with apple picking, since most orchards sit on exactly the kind of back roads you’ll want to be on.

Make it a fall evening

Don’t rush home. Stay out until the light goes gold, then stop somewhere for something hot to drink, and let the playlist run on the way back. If you’d like to be out of the car for a bit, swap one stop for a short walk or a foliage hike on the way.