5 Must-See National Parks in Fall

Crowds thin as children return to school. Temperatures drop from hot to cool. And colorful displays of fall foliage blaze across mountain ranges and lofty plateaus as temperatures become comfortable. With this scenic but low-key backdrop, fall is prime time for in-depth exploration.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Gateway cities: Phoenix Arizona, 360 kilometers away, or Las Vegas, Nevada, 435 kilometers away

Adventurers, grab your hiking poles. Mild temperatures along the Colorado River from September through November make autumn an excellent time for exploring the depths of Grand Canyon National Park. Visit the North Rim on the lofty Kaibab Plateau where you can hike trails that are lined with golden-leaved aspen trees. Facilities on the North Rim, which is 425 kilometers east of Las Vegas, close seasonally in mid-October.

Take a break from the trails and soak in culture at the annual Grand Canyon Music Festival, a chamber music series held on the South Rim each year from late August through Labor Day weekend. In late September, the Grand Canyon Conservancy’s Celebration of Art brings invited artists to the rim for a week to capture the canyon, followed by a months-long exhibition and sale at historic Kolb Studio.

Acadia National Park, Maine

Gateway city: Boston, Massachusetts, 440 kilometers away

Scenic driving is the big draw in autumn at Acadia. Base yourself in the coastal town of Bar Harbor, the gateway to the park, or fly into Portland, Maine, about 280 kilometers away, as an alternative to Boston. The 43-kilometer Park Loop Road, which swings past the rugged Maine coast, was designed to complement the natural landscape and offers many great views. From September through mid-October, orange, red and yellow leaves make this a great scenic drive. Pull over at Jordan Pond House for popovers and tea.

Adventurous hikers can scramble up iron rungs on the Precipice and Jordan Cliffs trails, which reopen in late summer. These “ladder trails” close in mid-March for nesting peregrine falcons.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee

Gateway cities: Charlotte, North Carolina, 265 kilometers away, or Atlanta, Georgia, 260 kilometers away, or Nashville, Tennessee, 345 kilometers away

How best to describe the Great Smokies in fall? Magical comes to mind, especially after a hike down the Sugarland Mountain Trail. From its trailhead near Kuwohi (formerly known as Clingmans Dome), the highest point in the park, which straddles the North Carolina–Tennessee border, this 19-kilometer path drops through three types of forest — spruce-fir, northern hardwood and cove hardwood. Depending on altitude and the time of year, leaves along the trail shimmer with the hues of autumn.

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Gateway city: Denver, Colorado, 112 kilometers away

When it comes to memorable love songs, the bugle call of the bull elk is hard to beat. From September through mid-October in the meadows of Colorado‘s Rocky Mountain National Park, about a two-hour drive from Denver, these 315-kilogram beasts display their antlers and sound their mating calls.

In the fall, aspens turn golden-yellow, and the tundra shines with copper hues. The park is extremely crowded at this time of year. Park officials may restrict access in specific areas when needed. Avoid congestion by arriving early or late in the day and visiting on weekdays.

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Gateway city: Las Vegas, Nevada, 480 kilometers away

Ponder your place in the universe at Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada during the annual Astronomy Festival. For three days in late September, stars are the stars at this remote park, which perches beneath transparent night skies in the Snake Range. Activities include talks, telescope viewings and an astronomy-themed talent show starring park rangers. By day, drive the 19-kilometer Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive as aspens turn gold, or hike to a grove of bristlecone pines, some of the oldest living trees on Earth. Below ground, ranger-led tours explore the calcite formations of Lehman Caves.

Visit the National Park Service website to learn more about the Great Basin Astronomy Festival.