[Countrywide] Autumn road trips (Sep–Oct): which routes have the best fall colors, and what timing makes it work?

[EIA_Ask_NO]

This thread is for fall color driving — the routes that look spectacular in September–October, plus honest timing (because “peak color” shifts by region and altitude).

Please share:

• The route you drove + the exact week (or rough date window)
• What colors you saw (golden birch, red shrubs, mountain contrast)
• Whether you hit snow/closures at higher elevations
• Best stops for photos (easy pull-offs, short walks, viewpoints)
• Your “weather plan B” when fog or rain killed visibility

What autumn drive gave you the best colors — and what date range would you recommend to repeat it?

 

[ViolettaPetrovna]

For autumn road trips with real fall colors and not just wishful thinking, the drive across Hardangervidda around the last week of September completely surprised me, especially with the red tundra shrubs and yellow birch popping against already-dusty mountains. From what I’ve seen, that timing is the sweet spot before snow starts flirting with the higher sections and everyone pretends it’s “still fine” to drive. Fog definitely rolled in, but dipping down toward lower valleys saved the day and honestly made the contrast even better. Has anyone pushed this route into early October and lived to tell a colorful, snow-free story, or is late September the last sane call?

 

[Alex Turner]

One of my favorite autumn drives was late September, roughly the last week, doing the route from Lom over Sognefjellet and down toward Lustrafjord. The colors hit me all at once — golden birch everywhere, low red shrubs near the road, and that sharp contrast with dark rock and early snow up high. We did hit light snow near the pass one morning, but nothing closed, just added to the drama. When fog rolled in, we’d drop lower into the valleys where the colors still popped and visibility improved. For photos, short pull-offs near lakes worked best, no hiking required. After a long day, nothing beat ending with a local beer or a glass of aquavit by the water in Solvorn.