Like most things, leaf peeping is all about balance. Sure, you want to chase the most vibrant fall colors—but not if it means following a hundred other cars headed to the same overlook. So when a Reddit user asked the r/roadtrip community, about the best place to take a trip this fall with great foliage and small crowds, we took note.
The answer, according to Redditors, is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, specifically Highway 58, which goes through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
The suggested route runs along the southern edge of Lake Superior, which is famous for its 200-foot sandstone cliffs towering over crystal-clear water. It draws hikers and kayakers—and in the fall, leaf peepers who come to see the changing colors of trees like the American beech, sugar and red maple, and yellow birch. The variety of trees is part of the reason why this area is so popular in the fall. First, the hardwood trees change color, then the conifers.
The fall colors on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula generally peak between mid-September and mid-October, with colors typically progressing from the interior of the peninsula toward the Great Lakes. The Upper Peninsula Fall Color Report is a great resource to reference and is updated every Wednesday.
In addition to fall colors, the drive provides easy access to some of Pictured Rocks’ most iconic sites, including Twelvemile Beach, Miners Castle, and Grand Sable Dunes.
To drive Highway 58 through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore you’ll need to buy a $25 day pass to the park. You can buy a pass online before you visit or at the main Munising Falls Visitor Center (open year-round) and the Grand Sable Visitor Center (closed November to May).
To get to Highway 58 and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, you can fly into Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport (MQT), which is an hour away by car, but you may find more flight options at Duluth International Airport (DLH), which is a little under six hours away.
After the Upper Peninsula, Redditors also recommended upstate New York, specifically the Adirondacks, Catskills, and the state parks in the Finger Lakes region, for fall colors without the crowds. Another popular suggestion was north central Pennsylvania, particularly the drive between Coudersport and Mansfield on U.S. Route 6
