Best fall foliage drives in the U.S.

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to Roadtripper,

The newsletter that’s always on my mind, even on the weekends.

But seriously, I went to a concert this weekend to see one of my favorite performers, and when he sang a song called Drive, I spent all of it thinking about y’all and your passion for road trips!

Presently, my passion is planning a last-minute fall road trip anywhere cool. Like legitimately crisp and autumnal.

Because autumn is a foreign concept in Houston, I’ve had to do some research, and I’m sharing because that’s caring. ☺️

So let’s hop to it!

• 🍁 Route Report: 5 Fall Foliage Destinations to Consider

• 🤝 The Assist: Earn 5,000 I Prefer Points on Sixt Car Rentals

• 🏨 The Check-in: Preferred Hotels and Resorts

• 🛑 Pit Stop Poll: Where would you go?

🍁 Route Report: 5 Fall Foliage Destinations to Consider

I’m looking to take a 5-day trip in October (yes, I’ve procrastinated planning this trip 🙈), and I’ve been debating where I want to go.

The criteria: somewhere cooler and preferably in the mountains, though foliage and fruit/wine harvest would be a big bonus.

That’s a wide net to cast, so here’s what I’ve been considering.

1. New England

The obvious answer for the ultimate autumn experience is New England, most notably New Hampshire and Vermont, though the whole region is known for its foliage.

We could drive the covered bridges of Route 100, a scenic 216-mile highway that runs north to south through the heart of Vermont. Brilliant fall foliage is just the background for the two-lane road that passes local general stores, cider mills, maple syrup shacks, the Ben and Jerry’s flagship store, and the well-known leaf-peeping town of Stowe, Vermont.

Though I fear accommodations booked up here months ago, and honestly, it can get a little crowded during peak weekends.

I’d be remiss not to mention New Hampshire’s famous Kancamagus Highway, the 35-mile route from Lincoln to Conway that boasts some of the best fall foliage views in the country. A National Scenic Byway with plenty of scenic overlooks, waterfalls, and hiking spots, it draws millions of visitors annually — which inevitably makes for some slow-moving traffic during peak color change. 😅

My sister-in-law brought me back some granulated maple sugar from her New England trip. It has become my go-to latte topping, so I may have to go just so I can restock!

2. New York State

New York often gets boiled down to just the Big Apple, but the more I learn about it, the more I want to see.

I’m not alone: New York’s Adirondack Mountains were named the top leaf-peeping destination for 2026, according to hotel data from Priceline.

There are at least 18 scenic drives that wind through the Adirondacks, at least according to visitadirondacks.com, so you can’t go wrong with whatever route you choose — I just want to make sure I hit Lake Placid along the way to appease my husband, who is low-key obsessed with the Miracle on Ice. 😂

With ample opportunities for hiking and lake views whenever you need to stop and stretch your legs, the region easily lends itself to a fall weekend getaway.

The other option for a late October trip is to head to N.Y.’s Finger Lakes, where leaf color change peaks a little later than in the Adirondacks (check the New York State tourism board’s official Fall Foliage report for an up-to-date map when leaves start to change).

The region is also home to orchards and vineyards, and harvest is typically September-October, so you can’t go wrong with a visit here whenever you choose to visit. Fall foliage + apple harvest + wineries just might be the perfect weekend, if you ask me.

Drive along the Seneca Lake Wine Trail, with stops for wine tastings along the way, or hike Watkins Glen State Park's gorge trail with its stacked waterfalls and stone bridges — one of the most photographed spots in the state.

3. Oregon

This option wins the nostalgia vote for me, as I lived in the Willamette Valley as a kid — though the perks of growing up in some of the best Pinot Noir country in the world were lost on me as an 8-year-old.

I’d love to go back and experience Oregon wine country as an adult. I’d revisit some childhood hits like apple cider donuts, corn mazes, and pumpkin patches where the pumpkins are actually still on the vine — not just trucked in and dumped in a field.

We frequented E.Z.’s Orchards in Salem as a kid, but the Hood River “Fruit Loop” takes you on a 35-mile loop past 32 farm stands, wineries, breweries, and cideries (the area is known for hard cider), all in the shadow of Mt. Hood.

It’s just an hour from Portland, and to get there you’ll travel the Historic Columbia River Highway (US-30), America’s first scenic highway. Wind through the Columbia River Gorge, where maples turn bright red against basalt cliffs, and stop for a visit at the postcard spot of Oregon’s tallest waterfall, Multnomah Falls.

Fall foliage often doesn’t peak here until later in October, so it may be out of the running for me, but worth considering if you’ve never experienced fall in the Pacific Northwest.

4. Great Smoky Mountains, N.C./T.N. 

I can’t cover fall foliage destinations without mentioning the most visited national park in the country that also happens to have some of the best fall colors.

I feel like it’s never a bad time to visit the Great Smoky Mountains, but cooler fall temps will win for me hands down every time.

We covered how to get to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in this previous newsletter, and those same drives put their best foot forward in the fall — though peak foliage varies depending on the elevation. Higher elevation areas like Clingman’s Dome and Newfound Gap see the earliest color change.

Stay in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee (featured in this Roadtripper), or opt to visit the North Carolina side. Stay in Hendersonville for fall everything (u-pick, cider donuts, hard cider, and corn mazes) or Asheville for a romantic stay (the historic Biltmore Estate, River Arts District, and breweries).

If you want to go a different route, drive the Blue Ridge Parkway from North Carolina to Virginia, towards Shenandoah National Park. The drive spans 469 miles with over 6,000 feet of elevation change, which means you’re all but guaranteed to see peak foliage at some point along the full drive.

5. Colorado Rockies

We went to Colorado Springs last October around the same time. While we loved it, it was a little warmer than we’d hoped for, so we’re torn on whether we want to return.

If we did head to Colorado, we’d consider venturing further out this time, potentially out to Palisade, CO, to explore the Fruit and Wine Byway, which consists of 3 separate routes that pass orchards, vineyards, and wineries with great views of the Grand Valley.

Or we could head southeast to drive the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway, a 236-mile loop through Durango, Telluride, Silverton, and Ouray, the town dubbed “Switzerland of America.” The route includes the Million Dollar Highway, a 25-mile stretch of US Route 550, known for its cliffs, switchbacks, and lack of guardrails. The “million dollar” nickname is rumored to be the cost of the road, or the amount of nerves needed to brave the drive itself. 😳

Late September through early October is usually the best time to watch the aspens turn a brilliant gold— though the rich oranges and deep reds of other iconic fall foliage destinations will be notably absent here if that’s what visitors are after.

The upside of Colorado in my book? We now have family in the area, and that means one thing… babysitters. That’s gotta be the most important travel hack of all, right?

Bottom Line

I know I’ve left plenty of must-see fall destinations off my list — there are just so many to choose from — which might be why I’ve struggled to pick just one to visit. Though, honestly, can you really go wrong wherever you end up?

Unless you’re local, all of the routes above will need a rental car, so keep reading for a unique rental car promo below. 👇

🤝 The Assist: Earn 5,000 I Prefer Points on Sixt Car Rentals

If you’ve never heard of these programs, or don’t use them, you might be tempted to scroll right on past.

I get it. I’ve yet to use either program myself, but that might change now that I’ve taken a closer look.

Sixt is a car rental company with 2,000 locations in over 100 countries, and they recently partnered with Preferred Hotels and Resorts.

As part of that partnership, they’re allowing I Prefer members to earn 5,000 I Prefer points on their qualifying Sixt car rentals — and the promo is worldwide, so international car rentals apply here too.

It’s free to join the I Prefer loyalty program, and if you attach your membership number to your Sixt booking when renting, you receive the following rewards:

• 5,000 I Prefer points per rental

• Up to 15%* discount with the SIXT Status Match

• Exclusive rates with status match*

• New vehicles (6 months old on average)

• Free reservation changes and cancellations when choosing 'stay flexible'

• No credit card charges

The biggest perk is obviously earning 5,000 I Prefer points on each rental, which are valued at about 0.5 cents-per-point, meaning 5,000 points are worth about $25, though the exact value varies depending on how they’re redeemed.

Status Match for better benefits

If you’re an I Prefer Silver or Gold member, you can apply for the SIXT ONE Gold status and enjoy the following exclusive offers:

• Up to 10% discount

• Skip the counter

• Member-only offers

If you hold I Prefer Titanium status, you can status match to SIXT ONE Platinum status and get access to member-only offers, skip-the-counter access, up to a 15% discount on rentals, and eligibility for free upgrades.

If you’re like me, though, and have never stayed at a Preferred Hotels and Resorts property and therefore don’t have status, there is a workaround if you have status with another rental car company.

For instance, I have Hertz President’s Circle status thanks to my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, which I can then match to Sixt’s Platinum status.

So, it could be worth looking into if you have status with a different rental car loyalty program — read more about the partnership here.

Bottom Line

I Prefer rewards nights start at 15,000 points a night, though the locations I found in the U.S. started at 30,000 points a night.

So a few car rentals could net you a free night if you booked them using your I Prefer membership number. Worth considering if you’ve got your eye on a specific stay.

🏨 The Check-In: Preferred Hotels and Resorts

If you don’t rent cars often and aren’t sure what you’d do with 5,000 I Prefer points, you could always pair them with points and miles transferred from Capital One, Bilt or Citi, which all transfer at a 1:2 ratio.

So after one car rental earning 5,000 points, you’d only need to transfer 12,500 miles from Capital One to reach the 30,000 I Prefer points needed to book an award night.

It’s suddenly a much more interesting offer, IMO.

While the Preferred Hotels and Resorts U.S. footprint isn’t as big as other hotel chains, the program specializes in unique boutique properties, such as historical buildings.

The I Prefer program is a little weird in that not every hotel is bookable with points, but they do help you out by listing properties you can book with points here.

Take this property in Memphis: The Guest House at Graceland, an Elvis-themed hotel walkable to the King’s mansion. 👇

That’s 15,000 Capital One Miles or just 12,500 if you’ve taken advantage of the Sixt promo from earlier. And luckily, Capital One is one of the few programs that lets you transfer rewards in increments of 500, meaning no leftover points stranded in your I Prefer account.

If you aren’t an Elvis fan (or weren’t raised by one 🙋‍♀️) there are plenty of other interesting properties, including The Lake House on Canandaigua, which Sam could wax poetic about for hours (dreamy library bar, outdoor pod saunas and hot tub, lakeside firepits with s’mores…).

While rates are a bit steep, if you’re considering a Finger Lakes fall foliage trip, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better property at which to spend your points in the region👇

So if you’re looking for something special or unique on your next trip, I Prefer is a program worth considering.

🛑 The Pit Stop Poll: Where would you go?

🚘 The Dashboard 🚘

If you have a favorite fall road trip or other recommendation I should mention in the weeks ahead, lemme hear it! I’m all ears, friends.

Until next week, 👋

Katie Begnoche
Writer, Daily Drop
29.7604° N , 95.3698° W

with contributions by Sam Anthony.