Autumn Beauty: 10 Fall Foliage Destinations For 2023

Fall foliage vacations are a time-honored tradition, with the changing colors providing one of nature’s greatest spectacles. The toughest part is deciding where to go each year. TURNER is making it easy for you. Check out 10 options for an unforgettable autumn adventure in 2023.

ESTES PARK, COLORADO: Trail Ridge Road & The Peak To Peak Scenic Byway

The famed Trail Ridge Road — the highest contiguous paved road in North America — not only offers beautiful views of aspens, but also the autumnal colors of the alpine tundra in the legendary Rocky Mountain National Park. Meanwhile, starting in Estes Park, the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway also offers a wonderful scenic drive and a great, long way to get to Estes and see all the golden aspen trees along the way.

BAYFIELD, WISCONSIN: The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Set sail aboard one of Wisconsin’s boat cruises and you’ll get a new view of spectacular fall foliage. In the Apostle Islands, fall color paints the area each year adding a magical glow as you cruise past lighthouses, sea caves, shipwrecks and abundant wildlife. To see when and where things are really popping off, check out Travel Wisconsin’s Fall Color Report.

GATLINBURG, TENNESSEE: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The nation’s most visited national park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is beautiful year-round. It’s especially beautiful in the fall, when Tennessee’s temperatures cool down and a kaleidoscope of warm red, gold and orange blankets the region. The park’s 800 miles of trails offer beautiful panoramas and vistas that show off fall’s colorful tapestry of changing leaves. To get way above it all, the Clingman's Dome observation tower offers panoramic views.

SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA: Milliken Arboretum

A passion project of Milliken & Company’s founder, Roger Milliken, the Milliken Arboretum in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is home to hundreds and hundreds of trees, of many varieties, many of which take on the warm colors of autumn as the air cools down. During fall, walkers and runners are able to literally get face-to-foliage with the changing leaves on this campus’ vast array of trees.

WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST, NEW HAMPSHIRE: Kancamagus Highway

One of New England's more spectacularly beautiful drives, New Hampshire’s 34-mile Kancamagus Highway — "the Kank" to locals — cuts an east-west channel through the 800,000-acre White Mountain National Forest. Views are breathtaking, so take all the time you can and don't miss a single pull off.

TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI: Natchez Trace Parkway

One of the nation’s top 10 national parks, Natchez Trace Parkway (which is headquartered in Tupelo, but winds through three states — Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee), is a 444-mile tree-canopied route that delivers picturesque views of maple, hickory, and oak trees vibrantly changing into autumn colors.

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO: ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden

One of the most beautiful displays of fall colors in Albuquerque is at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden. The park truly comes to life with fiery reds, bright oranges and vibrant yellows mixed in with spectacular shades of green. The whole park is something special to take in, but the Japanese Garden within the Botanic Garden should be at the top of your leaf-peeping list. 

MADISON, INDIANA: Clifty Falls State Park

Located on Route 56 just west of Madison, Indiana, the gorgeous Clifty Falls State Park sits atop the hills overlooking the Ohio River. Enjoy a scenic, winding drive through the park while taking in picturesque waterfalls, cliffs and steep gorges, all bathed in the beauty of fall.

COLUMBIA, MISSOURI: Rock Bridge Memorial State Park

Just five miles from downtown Columbia, the wonderland of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park awaits, with some of Missouri’s most popular trails — including the Devil’s Icebox, with its underground streams, natural tunnels and subterranean caves. As you explore, you’ll enjoy serene views of fall foliage everywhere you look.

BEAVER CREEK, COLORADO: Village to Village Trail

Taking you over the western slopes of Beaver Creek, the Village to Village Trail offers leaf-peepers a gorgeous hike, with shimmering aspen trees surrounding you and panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains. Afterwards, get refreshed at the Exhale Spa at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, which specializes in luxurious treatments.

Photo courtesy of Visit Estes Park