Hit the road for a scenic fall drive

Fall is the nicest season for rolling down the car windows, taking a drive and enjoying the scenery.

Stop along the way to pick pumpkins, visit a winery, or stroll a woodsy trail sparkling with reds and golds. Watch the cranberry harvest in Massachusetts, take a moose tour in Maine or an elk tour in Colorado, or drive the 2,000-mile Great River Road along the Mississippi River.

Here are a few routes around the country to consider as you plan your autumn outings.

California: Fall color in Southern California? You bet, but it’s a little bit later in the season than what you’ll find in the North and East.

The first week of November is the best time to see the cottonwoods and oaks northeast of San Diego, in Cuyamaca State Park, on Highway 79. Or try the 23-mile drive along Highway 78 from the town of Ramona to Julian, where apple harvest season runs mid-September to mid-November, www.julianca.com.

For more on fall foliage in California, including mountains and forests in the northern part of the state, visit www.parks.ca.gov/?pageid=23487.

Colorado: Here, fall means yellow cottonwood trees and red and gold aspens. Fall is also mating season for elks, which put on a show by making loud distinctive calls known as bugling. They can be seen and heard through the end of October and into early November in Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, Mueller Park and many other places around the state.

One hourlong drive runs along Highway 141 from Grand Junction to Gateway, about 50 miles, with elevations from 4,500 to 7,000 feet. The best time to go is early September through mid-October.

In Gateway, Gateway Canyons Resort www.gatewaycanyons.com is offering a “Canyon Colors” package that includes a photography excursion with an elk guide, foliage tours on horseback and by ATV, a massage, trout fishing and more, starting at $950 for two nights.

Great River Road: This route runs along the Mississippi in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

In addition to fall colors and river views, you’ll find rustic red barns, antique stores, and historic sites like Mark Twain’s hometown of Hannibal, Mo., and the Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa. Details at www.byways.org/explore/byways/2279/.

Missouri: Summertime crowds are gone in Central Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks but the weather is good and so is the fishing. Oak, ash, maple, redbud, dogwood, hickory, persimmon and sassafras trees usually put on their colorful shows early to mid-October.

Drive along two-lane roads in a 25-mile loop through woods and bluffs with views of the Lake of the Ozarks and stop for lunch at a waterfront restaurant. Start on Business Highway 54 at the Willmore Lodge in Lake Ozark for a six-mile view of Bagnell Dam and the lake. Travel south to the Historic Bagnell Dam Strip. At Route HH, cross the Community Bridge to Route MM west, to Route TT south to Route F north to Highway 5 south.

Continue on Highway 5 south and turn west onto Lake Road 5-88 to the Camdenton Fire Tower. Return to Highway 5 south, turn west on Highway 54, then south on Route D to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. Explore the castle ruins there and enjoy the view from a 250-foot bluff. Return to Highway 54, turn south onto Lake Road 54-85, and end the trip at the Casa de Loco Winery, in a restored historic 1930s fishing lodge. For more information, visit www.funlake.com.

Elsewhere in Missouri, Highway 100 or Highway 94, which straddle the Missouri River, offer plenty of scenery but also take you through wine country. October is a big month for festivals in the area. Check foliage reports at www.mdc.mo.gov/.

Montana: Start in Missoula and head north along Highway 93 around Flathead Lake. Grab lunch in Kalispell at Red’s Wines &Blues www.redsmontana.com and continue on to Bigfork, then loop back to Missoula. Along the way, stop in at St. Ignatius Mission to see the 58 handpainted murals.

From Kalispell, head east to Glacier National Park www.glaciermt.com/ which offers mild fall weather, uncrowded roads, colorful mountainsides and an occasional glimpse of mountain goats or bighorn sheep. U.S. 2 along the park’s southern border follows the scenic Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

Elsewhere in Montana, the 90-mile drive from Seeley Lake to Swan Lake on Highway 83 provides a good look at the western larch tree, whose needles turn yellow-gold in mid-October.

New England: Nothing compares to the explosion of red, yellow, orange, green and gold across New England each autumn.

Yankee Magazine is a great resource for planning trips in the region. Check out event listings and scenic drive suggestions at www.yankeefoliage.com/. One attraction recommended by Yankee for a family outing is the eight-acre Davis’ Mega Maze in Sterling, Mass., north of Worcester, open through Nov. 11 www.davisfarmland.com, $14.95 adults, $12.95 children.

Elsewhere in Massachusetts, head to Wareham, about an hour from Boston, for the Cranberry Harvest Celebration, Oct. 6 and 7.

For more cranberry tours and events around Massachusetts, visit www.cranberries.org/cranberries/bog tours.html.

Connecticut: You’ll find fall drive ideas at www.CTvisit.com/drivingloops/fallloopsmain.asp. The Litchfield Hills Driving Loop, a scenic 100-mile route through small towns, begins in Torrington at the intersection of Routes 202 and 63. Head north on Route 8 to Winsted, then Route 44 to Canaan.

Take Route 7 past the historic West Cornwall Covered Bridge across the Housatonic River. From there, Route 45 heads to Warren and becomes a scenic road around Lake Waramaug. In New Preston, take Route 202, then south on Route 47 to Washington Depot and north on Route 109 to East Morris. Route 63 heading north takes you back to Litchfield, then east on Route 118 to Route 8 to close the loop.

New York: The Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway www.cayugalake.com/ is a 90-mile loop around the longest of New York’s Finger Lakes. The route includes 19 wineries and 215-foot-tall Taughannock Falls. Routes 5 and 20 take you across the northern part of the loop, Route 89 runs on the western side and Route 90 is on the eastern side. North of the loop you’ll find the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, and south of the loop you’ll find Ithaca, home to Cornell University.

Virginia-North Carolina-Tennessee: The Blue Ridge Parkway www.nps.gov/blri/ runs 469 miles from Virginia through the Blue Ridge Mountains to North Carolina, ending at Great Smoky Mountains National Park www.nps.gov/grsm/ in Tennessee.

Take a week to explore the entire parkway, or pick a section for a day trip or an overnight. Highlights include Mount Mitchell State Park, home to the highest peak in the East; scenic Linville Gorge; Roan Mountain; Mount Pisgah; Shining Rock Wilderness Area, and the town of Cherokee, where you’ll find the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and Oconaluftee Village.