5 Spectacular Fall Drives From Every Corner Of WA State

Road Trips to See Washington's Autumn Splendor

Even though Washington's nickname is the Evergreen State, there are still plenty of deciduous trees upon its landscape to enjoy when the seasonal colors change from summer to autumn every year.

And because these trees are found throughout the state, there are any number of places where the splendor of their changing leaves can be enjoyed.

So, let's take a look at five drives to enjoy fall colors from every corner of the state, including Central Washington - which isn't exactly a corner, but we couldn't just leave it out.

Also, please excuse the pictures of our road choices being off-season. Although we would like for all of them to have represented what the drives look like during autumn, they are simply included to offer an actual glimpse of the actual roads and the surrounding landscapes...you'll just have to imagine what they must look like during the fall ;-)

#1: Southwest Washington's Country Roads Autumn Drive

In the state's southwestern region, you'll find a trio of conjoining roads which not only offer a luscious look at plenty of autumnal foliage but also set it upon a beautiful bucolic backdrop as well.

The stretch is only about 23 miles, so it won't take too long to traverse, but it's definitely worth taking. At the north end of the route, start by turning onto Boisfort Road from State Route 6 a few miles west of the town of Ruth.

From there, travel Boisfort Road through the town that shares its namesake until it turns into Wildwood Road.

This will comprise most of the drive, until you reach the junction of State Route 506. At which point, you can turn west for a quick look at the quiet hamlet of Ryderwood before heading east to the town of Vader, where the drive finishes out.

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#2: Skagit and Whatcom Counties Fall Loop

Moving to Washington's northwest corner, there's a lot of competition for a pleasant peregrination during the fall. And while well-known routes like Chuckanut Drive (State Route 11) or State Route 20 are always fine choices, the one which made our list is much less appreciated but equal to the others in so many ways.

There are actually two ways you can take this route or do a loop and enjoy the scenery of both!

From the west, start in Bellingham and take State Route 542 (SR-542) to Nugents Corner. From there, you can either continue on SR-542 through Deming to State Route 547 through Kendall, or hang a left and use State Route 9 to go through Lawrence and Nooksack. Either route will find you ending just to the south of the Canadian border town of Sumas, and each is filled with plenty of great fall color and country atmosphere.

As a loop, the entire drive will take you about an hour and is right around 55 miles.

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Read More: A Scenic Road Trip to Celebrate Electric Vehicles in Richland

#3: Okanogan and Ferry Counties Quiet Fall Loop

In the state's North Central region, the landscape becomes more diverse with Eastern Washington's semi-arid desert environs blending together with mountain foothills, rolling hummocks, high plateaus, and tracts of pine forests at varying elevations.

Here, autumn hues can appear in sparse and sporadic numbers or be tightly clustered to include aspens, maples, and oaks. On the lattermost note, such a milieu can be found along a 54-mile stretch of road through Okanogan and Ferry Counties.

Beginning from the west in Oroville, to Chesaw Road through the town that shares its namesake to Toroda Creek Road. From there, continue north to Kettle River Road and travel its pavement until you reach the town of Curlew along State Route 21.

You'll likely see very little traffic on your way; the roads are all paved and kept in fair to good condition; and it shouldn't take you more than 80 minutes to complete.

#4: Northeast Washington's Pine and Deciduous Drive

Pines tend to dominate the northeastern part of the state, even in areas that aren't heavily forested, so locating a route that will offer you an equal number of trees which will be any color other than green during the fall is a bit challenging.

However, my best choice for this will take you along nearly 53 miles of rural Stevens County that will offer eye-catching vistas of sweeping farmlands interspersed with plenty of wilderness - both of which include plenty of deciduous trees set amidst the Arcadian backdrop and dense groupings of pines that are rooted upon it.

From the south at Colville, take Aladdin Road through the unincorporated community of Pinkney City until you reach the turn for Deep Lake-Boundary Road in Spirit. You can certainly continue on Aladdin Road until it connects with State Route 25 (SR-25), but I would suggest following Deep Lake-Boundary Road, which will carry you past the eastern shores of both Cedar and Deep Lakes until you straddle the Canadian border and end in Northport at SR-25.

This is a very enjoyable drive which should take you approximately 75 minutes in all.

#5: Grande Ronde Canyon's Dramatic Fall Drive

Southeast Washington is admittedly the most difficult corner of the state to find many lengthy thickets of autumnal colors, but there is one spot which definitely leaps to mind.

It won't take you very far, unless you decide to tread a lot of unimproved (gravel and dirt) roads into neighboring Oregon, but it's certainly a drive I'd recommend during any time of the year just for its stunning and unusual scenery alone.

From the tiny town of Anatone, 25 miles south of Clarkston on State Route 129, follow the highway until you reach the turn for Grande Ronde Road, then travel this stretch until you hit the Oregon border.

From there, you can continue to the remote town of Troy and continue further into the Beaver State on unimproved roads until you reach Oregon Route 82 (OR-82) outside of Wallowa if you choose. Otherwise, there's only one paved surface to get back again, which is exactly the way you came in going the opposite direction.

This drive will have your stomach doing rollercoaster dips as you luge your vehicle along the hairpin twists and turns of SR-129 while you descend Grande Ronde Canyon, and also find you feeling like you're skimming the waters of the Grande Ronde River as you travel mere feet away from the banks on its western side. It will also give you a decent assortment of trees which are changing from green to yellow, amber, brown, and even red along the way.

The drive from Anatone to Troy will take you almost an hour and covers just over 30 miles, but if you decide to travel the chuck (my word for gravel and dirt surfaces) track all the way to OR-82, be prepared to spend a good two-and-a-half hours in the car, with most of it being the latter half of the trek.