I hate the term “leaf peepers,” so let’s just dispatch with that now. Why not hue hunters? Deciduous drivers? I know, I know, I’m barking up the wrong tree. So let’s get to the matter at hand. What makes a good fall color road and where are your favorites?

To my mind, fall roads should be lightly traveled two-lanes with a satisfying mix of hills and curves. In other words, they should be fun to drive as well as scenic. Mine are in Otter Tail County, in the northwest part of the state, and to the southeast, in the Bluff Country of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. I also have a soft spot for all of the roads in Itasca State Park (pictured above in 2007), where the orange maples pop against the old-growth white and red pines of the forest. I wrote a more detailed account of my wanderings in Otter Tail County last fall for the Sunday Travel section (Sept. 7).

What are your favorites?

This entry was posted on Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 8:00 am and is filed under Minnesota travel, fall color, road trips, state parks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.