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Most awesome autumn drives
For grand vistas, American Road magazine's executive editor, Thomas Repp, recommends a fall drive along Pennsylvania Route 120 between Ridgway and Lock Haven. “The colorful landscapes along the route overwhelm,” he says, “as you make your way to one of the grandest views in the United States at Hyner View State Park ... looking over the valley floor, across the Allegheny Plateau, the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, and onward to the edge of the sky.”
Timing is the key—and elusive—ingredient in the fall drive. Kevin Smith explains that the annual turning of the leaves is triggered by a combination of day length and temperature, but he allows that scientists “still don’t entirely understand what the timing is all about.”
For help with predictions, there are several excellent resources, including the Forest Service’s fall foliage hotline (800-354-4595), which offers region by region information, including predictions of leaf colors, foliage peaks and tips for scenic drives.
But Smith cautions not to get too fixated on projections about how good this particular season going to be. He says it’s important to keep in mind that “so much of the intensity of the experience is on a very specific basis—this hillside or that, this valley or that mountain.”
He adds, “The main thing is to take your time and enjoy what’s in front of you. ... Being able to see off in the distance is great. But having a solid, beautiful, individual tree right in front of you can be every bit as moving.”
Large regional foliage maps can point you in the right direction, but for help with the smaller picture, try The Foliage Network, which collects data from an army of volunteer foliage spotters twice a week during the fall, ensuring an up-to-date and very specific report for “leaf peepers.”
Planning ahead is also crucial for those looking for accommodations along the drive, especially in the more well-known leaf-viewing areas of New England.
Alternatively, you can take your accommodations with you, like Hall-Bruzenak, who prefers traveling by RV for a more leisurely paced journey. “If you want to stick around and enjoy an area or wait a few days for the best time,” she says, you can simply “find a campground right in the forest.”
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And as for what to drive? According to Dale Fox of Spin Automotive Group, a luxury car club based in Los Angeles, "There are few thrills in the world like weaving down a back road in a vintage Alfa Romeo Giulietta, with the autumn leaves dancing in the roadster's wake. Never mind the chill in the air. This season demands a top-down approach—convertibles are a must. And turn off the stereo, too. This is a time to listen to the voice of the engine and the song of the wind flowing past your ears."
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Finally, don’t neglect those grander, metaphysical sensations. As Smith puts it, “Autumn is a time for reflection, or a certain nostalgia for things that are over—intimations of mortality. We see such real gloriousness in nature, and know that that gloriousness is a prelude or harbinger of winter to come.”
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