Scenic Fall Road Trips

The Best Scenic Fall Road Trips in the Northwest

Autumn colors, mountain vistas, idyllic island treks and the back roads of wine country

The forest and mountains near the brilliant blue waters of the North Cascades’ Diablo Lake come into view along a drive on the Cascade Loop

Seattle Magazine Staff

The Cascade Loop Is One of Washington’s Most Iconic Drives

The drive takes you through a stunning and varied landscape of farms, mountains and sagebrush

See craggy Liberty Bell Mountain, near Washington Pass, while driving along SR 20/North Cascade Highway

Niki Stojnic

Seattle’s Counterbalance? The Awe-Inspiring, Wide-Open Landscape of the Palouse

Part of our Scenic Fall Road Trips cover story

A trip to the top of 3,612-foot Steptoe Butte yields a panorama of the Palouse

Roddy Scheer

Take in Lopez Island’s Stunning Views on Two Wheels Instead of Four

Soak in the rural beauty of this small island from the seat of a bike

This article appears in print in the October 2018 issue, as part of the Scenic Fall Road Trips cover story. Click here to subscribe. On one of Lopez Island’s backroads is a green street sign with the words “Less Travelled Rd.” It succinctly sums up one of the big reasons to come to the smallest of the three most visited…

Virginia Smyth

Take a Deep Drive into Whidbey Island to Experience Great Views and Good Food

Part of our Scenic Fall Road Trips cover story

The Admiralty Head Lighthouse at 100-plus-year-old Fort Casey Historical State Park, part of the vast defense to the entrance of Puget Sound

Niki Stojnic

Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula Is a Trip Back in Time

Give reality the slip on a charming, delicious and weird weekend adventure

Stay at one of Sou’wester Historic Lodge and Vintage Travel Trailer Resort’s trailers, such as this refurbished 1952 vintage Westcraft

Jenny Cunningham

Washington’s State Capital Is the Perfect Jumping-Off Point For a Day Spent Exploring

Just an hour’s drive south of Seattle, head to Olympia and check out the scenic Thurston Bountiful Byway

This article appears in print in the October 2018 issue, as part of the Scenic Fall Road Trips cover story. Click here to subscribe. The Interstate 5 corridor between Seattle and Olympia can be a disheartening slog through traffic and a visual assault of strip malls and billboards. But not too long after you pass Tacoma, the landscape changes. This…

Chelsea Lin

Traveling the Willamette Valley’s Back Roads in Northwest Oregon

Making the trip, one milkshake at a time

Stop at Smith Berry Barn for the signature Marionberry Lavender milkshake and fresh marionberries, an Oregon staple.

Danielle Centoni