Fall travel is very easy to romanticize, until you’re sitting in standstill traffic outside a famous foliage town with half the East Coast. As much as I love to chase foliage, and that’s a lot, I already spend so much of my week in traffic commuting to work, and the last thing I want is to be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on my vacation too. So, instead of flocking to Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, or New York, I’m eyeing towns that have all the charm of a weekend getaway without any of the crowds. That may mean trading leaves for beaches, but I’ll take that over spending 8+ hours in traffic.
That version of fall is exactly what the experts I spoke with recommend too. In a world where we’re all so busy, stressed, and just trying to keep up, they say it’s imperative to take trips that reset you, especially in a season designed around nesting. According to Michelle Groves, Head of Marketing, Fripp Island Golf & Beach Resort, “On Fripp Island, South Carolina, it’s not uncommon to find yourself with a wide stretch of sand to enjoy, whether you’re collecting shells, taking a morning walk, or simply settling in with a good book.”
Brad Ryan, who spent seven and a half years visiting every U.S. national park with his grandmother, Grandma Joy, found the same solitude at Colorado’s Black Canyon of the Gunnison. His prediction? “One day the world will catch up. Until then, enjoy its unique wonder with a lot more solitude,” he says.
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Fripp Island, South Carolina
colorful beach and ocean sunrise landscape at Hunting Island with tree in eroded maritime forest in the foregroundGetty
Fripp Island sits between Charleston and Hilton Head, but it looks vastly different from South Carolina’s busier beach towns. The private barrier island has vacation homes instead of traditional hotels, and most people trade in their car keys for a golf cart once they arrive. Live oaks shade the roads, deer wander surprisingly close to the houses, and the island ends in miles of Atlantic shoreline and marsh. By fall, summer vacationers have mostly cleared out, but beach weather hangs around until the end of November, with temps in the upper 70s and low 80s.
For Michelle, she loves how the island can feel like its yours alone during the off-season. “Visiting Fripp after Labor Day is the perfect opportunity to experience the island’s uninterrupted coastline without the crowds that define the summer season. It’s not uncommon to find yourself with a wide stretch of sand to enjoy entirely to yourself.” While you’re there, spend an afternoon kayaking through the Spartina marshes or hop on a bike and cycle around. “A typical slow day might begin with a quiet morning walk along the beach, coffee in hand, as the sun rises over the Atlantic. From there, work on your tennis game on the newly updated courts or explore the island by golf cart or bicycle, spotting deer and other wildlife along the way,” Groves says. The island is also home to two award-winning golf courses, as well as over 175 species of birds and an equestrian center that offers horseback rides throughout the year.
There’s no shortage of events happening in October and November, too. From Fripp Fest, which takes place October 30 – November 1, and includes everything from an oyster roast to a Key West inspired evening, to a concert on Saturday. There’s also a chili cookoff on October 10th. Since the island is smaller, there aren’t a ton of options for restaurants, but Fripp Island Resort has the famed Bonito Boathouse (with a state famous smash burger), Cabana Club has a grille that overlooks the pool, and Roadhouse BBQ boasts a cookout every Wednesday, starting at 5pm, with a mouthwatering collection of smoked meats and classic Southern sides.
Related: The New England Fall Road Trip Travel Experts Swear By
The South Shore of Lake Superior, Wisconsin
Raspberry Island Lighthouse in Wisconsin on Lake Superior in the Apostle Islands National LakeshoreGetty
As a Midwest native, I’ve always fawned over Wisconsin during the fall. In fact, here’s a roadtrip idea if you’re still looking for a way to soak up the fall leaves in a place not ridden with crowds. To avoid the tourists of Door County, Wisconsin local Cory Scribner, recommends going north. Highway 13 works its way north toward Lake Superior through hardwood forest, then reaches towns like Ashland and Washburn before curling around the Bayfield Peninsula. Near Washburn, Houghton Falls Nature Preserve takes you through the woods to the lake itself, where the fall color climbs the hills behind a stretch of deep-blue Superior. Keep going toward Bayfield and then tiny Cornucopia, where Siskiwit River Falls gives you another waterfall hike before you reach the marina and beach. Scribner, who lives along Lake Superior’s south shore, calls the area home and admits his recommendations are appropriately biased.
His full route is longer than a weekend, but is well worth it if you’re a leaf peeper. “My week-long road trip centers around my backyard, and would be bookended by two fantastic waterfall hikes, with an amazing festival for good measure,” he says. “Start just north of the small town of Mellen at Copper Falls State Park and head north on Highway 13. Your final stop will be the tiny town of Cornucopia and Siskiwit River Falls. Here, you’ll touch the towns of Ashland, Washburn, and Bayfield along the way.” For this particular trip, he recommends coming after the Apple Festival in Bayfield, which is October 3 – 4. Bayfield tourism officials note that Lake Superior pushes peak color later into the season, and apples and other fall produce remain available through the end of October and you enjoy the splendor without 50,000 visitors.
According to Schriner, as you drive through Bayfield on your way around the peninsula, you have multiple options to enjoy the scenery around you. “You can head straight to Cornucopia or drive onto the ferry to Madeline Island for a truly unique northern Wisconsin fall adventure,” he says. “Or if you want a guided trip, hop on the Apostle Islands tour boat and take a 3-hour journey on the water to see the changing leaves from an entirely new perspective.” For him, his key stops in Bayfield are Hoops Dockside restaurant, which have caught-that-day fresh whitefish, and Honest Dog Books, which, according to Schriner, “has an amazing calendar of events in their space in addition to being an amazing bookstore.”
On his route, the final stop is Cornucopia, which Schriner says, “has a charming downtown street and the marina & beach hosts Siskiwit River Falls which will give you another incredible set of color-changing forest and beautiful waterfall to enjoy as you hike this gorgeous trail,” he says.
Related: We Gave 3 Travel Experts a Strict $500 Fall Vacation Budget
Curaçao
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For those who don’t care much for leaves and prefer soaking up vibes of summer longer, Curaçao should be your go-to. Willemstad’s waterfront is lined with candy-colored Dutch architecture with intricate façades, the sea stays a cozy 84 degrees, and September through November is one of the island’s quieter travel periods. Daytime temperatures generally stay between 84 and 90 degrees, so you are actively trading sweaters for swimsuits. Curaçao also sits outside the main Atlantic hurricane belt, making direct hurricane hits exceptionally rare even though the broader Caribbean is still actively in a storm zone.
Baes yourself in Willemstad and walk across the floating Queen Emma Bridge between Punda and Otrobanda, then hop in your rental car and follow the coast west. Beaches become smaller and more tucked away as you leave the capital, often appearing at the bottom of limestone cliffs with water clear enough to see right to the bottom. Beaches, restaurants, and attractions are generally less busy from September through November.
When planning your meals, save one for Old Market, or Marshe Bieu, in Willemstad, where locals line up at the open-air food stalls for dishes like kabritu stoba, the island’s slow-cooked goat stew, with funchi and plantains on the side. Then spend some time away from the water and wander through the courtyards of the Kurá Hulanda neighborhood and visit the Museum Kurá Hulanda, which traces the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the African heritage that continues to influence Curaçao today. You can also snorkel off the west coast or head north to Shete Boka, where trails run along a much rougher stretch of coast and waves crash into caves carved into the limestone.
Related: Why This Colorful Caribbean Capital Belongs on Your Vacation Bucket List
Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada
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By October, Tahoe’s summer beach crowds are gone and the first skiers are still waiting for snow. In between, aspens turn bright yellow along the South Shore, and Lake Tahoe looks even bluer against the vibrant fall color. It is a very different version of a place many travelers only know in July or February, particularly in the morning when parking is plentiful along the beaches (like Kings in North Lake Tahoe) and there’s no queue at Fire Sign Café in Tahoe City for their famed eggs benedict or fluffy coffee cake.
Enjoy the colors at their peak at Taylor Creek, about three miles north of South Lake Tahoe, where the half-mile Rainbow Trail crosses forest and wetland on a paved, wheelchair-accessible route. Early to mid-October is particularly good for foliage, and later in the month bright-red kokanee salmon begin swimming upstream to spawn. In 2026, the visitor center remains open Thursday through Sunday until October 25, although the trails stay open after the building closes for the season. From there, continue along Highway 89 toward Fallen Leaf Lake or Emerald Bay, stopping for the many picturesque overlooks and short walks to soak up the beauty of this natural paradise.
Fall weekends also come with plenty to do outside of hiking. Start with breakfast at The Getaway Cafe in South Lake, a local favorite for big breakfasts — like the getaway burrito or the stuffed chorizo quesadilla. If you are visiting October 10 – 11, Meyers Mountain Fall Festival, takes over Tahoe Paradise Park with bluegrass music, a pumpkin patch, local food, and a beer garden. For something quieter, Clearly Tahoe’s clear-kayak tours continue into fall, following the western shoreline past historic estates and Taylor Creek while the morning water is typically at its calmest.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
Sunset view from the South Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, overlooking the Gunnison River in Colorado in the spring.Getty
As popular as Colorado is, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park remains one of the country’s least-visited national parks. According to the National Park Service, In 2025, the park drew just 250,086 recreation visits, ranking 50th out of the 63 national parks. Author Brad Ryan, who has visited all 63 and wrote Grandma Joy & Me: A Journey of Healing One National Park at a Time, also considers it one of the most underrated. With some of the most jaw-dropping canyon views in the West, it is easy to see why. One moment you are walking toward an overlook, and the next, the ground has dropped thousands of feet toward the Gunnison River. The canyon walls are dark and startlingly steep, with the Painted Wall rising 2,250 feet from river to rim. Fall brings cold mornings and the possibility of early snow, but the South Rim Road is usually open to vehicles until mid-November, depending on conditions. “Grandma Joy and I imagined this park as the portal to a dark mythical underworld,” Ryan says.
Hiking this relatively untraversed park gives you a much closer look at the sheer scale of the landscape, from towering rock walls and narrow overlooks to the Gunnison River cutting through the gorge thousands of feet below. Ryan suggested starting at the Painted Wall Overlook and looking down. “Photographs simply cannot communicate the scale of this geologic treasure,” he says. “The tallest cliff in Colorado rises 2,250 feet from the Gunnison River, and the canyon is so narrow and precipitous that the experience feels almost otherworldly.” There are other trails worth checking out too, including the Rim Rock Trail, which runs about a mile one way along the South Rim, and the Warner Point Trail, which is roughly 1.6 miles round trip. For something steeper, Oak Flat Loop drops about 400 feet below the rim, and the North Vista Trail reaches Exclamation Point at 3.2 miles round trip or continues to Green Mountain for 7.2 miles in total. The North and South rims are separated by a two- to three-hour drive, so pick one side rather than trying to do both in a day.There are no hotels or restaurants inside the park, so pack lunch and plenty of water and snacks if you plan to stay all day as picnic tables are available at Pulpit Rock, Sunset View, and High Point on the South Rim. You can sleep inside the park at South Rim Campground, about a mile from the visitor center, but if you’d prefer a soft bed and a hot meal, base yourself in Montrose, just 14 miles from the South Rim. The town has everything from smaller motels and B&Bs to larger hotels, plus dozens of restaurants, breweries, and cafés.
Oxford, Maryland
Autumn on the trail in MarylandGetty
If you’ve never heard of Oxford, you’re not alone. Imagine a place where October and November sounds like halyards tapping against sailboat masts. The tiny Eastern Shore town sits on the Tred Avon River, with brick sidewalks and centuries-old houses flanking the streets that run toward the water. To experience this quintessential New England-esque town, walk along the waterfront, visit the Oxford Museum, then take the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry across the river. The ferry carries just nine vehicles at a time and has been crossing the Tred Avon in some form for roughly 340(!!) years.
Oxford’s waterfront also holds a more complicated history. It was one of the Chesapeake’s early colonial ports and is the Eastern Shore’s only UNESCO-documented international slave-trade site, with at least 29 slave-trade voyages disembarking enslaved people here. In October, the town falls into the festivites with CommUNITY Fall Fest, which takes over the Oxford Community Center on October 17, 2026, and boasts hayrides, pumpkin decorating, live music, and a scarecrow contest. Come a little later and nearby Easton hosts the Waterfowl Festival from November 13–15, and is a three-day Eastern Shore tradition filled with wildlife art, retriever demonstrations, duck-calling competitions, and local food.
More than just crab cakes and football (name that movie), Oxford has a surprisingly great food scene. Start the morning at Oxford Social Cafe, a year-round coffee shop beside Town Park serving Quartermaine Coffee (which was created in 1991 by the original founder of Starbucks) and locally made baked goods. For dinner, head to Doc’s Sunset Grille, where tables face west over the Tred Avon and seasonal specials include soft-shell crab tacos alongside burgers, and mouthwatering crab soup. If you’re dining around sunset, you’ll get to see the boats silhouetted against the river and illuminate in a golden glow.
Related: Travel Experts Say These Are the 7 Best Fall Destinations for Travelers Over 60
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