October splits the country in two. In the east it is the foliage month, the single best fortnight of the year in the southern Appalachians and New England. In the southwest it is the month the desert stops trying to kill you and the canyon parks come back into season. Both are on this list.
1. Zion National Park, Utah
October is arguably the best month in Zion: eighties in the day, cool at night, the summer monsoon finished so the slot canyons are safe again, and the cottonwoods turning gold along the Virgin River.
The Narrows are at their most reliable now. Flash flood risk drops sharply once the monsoon ends.
Our 3 days itinerary: Zion National Park: 3-Day Itinerary. Day by day, with where to sleep and what to book.
2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
The most visited park in the country has its best month in October, and the colour moves down the mountain over about three weeks. High elevations turn first, in the first week; the valleys hold on until the end of the month.
Which means a badly timed week can miss it entirely. Pick your elevation to match your dates rather than the other way round.
Our 3 days itinerary: Great Smoky Mountains National Park: A 3-Day Itinerary. Day by day, with where to sleep and what to book.
3. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
A hundred and five miles of Skyline Drive with the colour on both sides of it. Peak is usually the middle two weeks of October along the ridge, and the overlooks are the whole point.
Weekends on Skyline Drive in October are genuinely congested. Go on a Tuesday and it is a different park.
Our 3 days itinerary: Shenandoah National Park Itinerary: 3 Days on Skyline Drive. Day by day, with where to sleep and what to book.
4. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
The quietest of the five Utah parks and the one with the orchards. October brings cool walking weather to the Waterpocket Fold and the fruit trees in Fruita turn at the same time as the cottonwoods.
Cathedral Valley needs high clearance and the road is impassable when wet. Ask at the visitor centre, not the internet.
Our 2 days itinerary: Capitol Reef Itinerary: 2 Days in the Waterpocket Fold. Day by day, with where to sleep and what to book.
5. Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia and North Carolina
Four hundred and sixty-nine miles built for exactly this month. The colour runs the length of it through October, moving south and downhill as the weeks pass, so the drive can chase peak for a fortnight.
Sections close on ice without much warning from late October. Check the parkway road status the morning you drive.
Our 5 days itinerary: Blue Ridge Parkway Hikes: A Scenic Road-Trip Itinerary. Day by day, with where to sleep and what to book.
6. New England, New Hampshire to Maine
The classic. Peak in the White Mountains is usually the first week of October and it moves south through the month. Franconia Ridge on a clear October day is the best-known ridge walk in the east and it earns the reputation.
Book lodging early. Foliage season is the most expensive fortnight of the year in northern New England.
Our 7 days itinerary: New England Fall Road Trip: A 7-Day Foliage Itinerary. Day by day, with where to sleep and what to book.
More trips that work in October
- Hiking in Big Bend National Park: 4-Day Texas Itinerary 4 Days · West Texas
- Saguaro National Park Hikes: 3-Day Best Hikes Itinerary 3 Days · Sonoran Desert
- Tallulah Gorge State Park: A Weekend Hiking Itinerary 2 Days · Northeast Georgia
- Blue Ridge Parkway Hikes: A Scenic Road-Trip Itinerary 5 Days · Virginia to North Carolina
