Fall.
It’s not just a time for sweaters and pumpkin spice. Fall is that extra gorgeous time of year where all of those deep reds, bright yellows, and fluorescent oranges pop out of the trees to say, Hello!
One of the main reasons I love the Pacific Northwest is all of the green. Everything is SO green. But here comes fall, with its colors. And boy are they great! Those pine trees keep us green here in the PNW, but those deciduous beauties add in some sparkle for a few weeks out of the year.
I mean seriously… check these things out!
My
We do the drive to see the leaves, to see the colors changing, to turn our own new leaves and set up for the upcoming season.
From Seattle, take an easy drive up to Monroe, WA and then hop on Highway 2, East. From there, your journey of color begins. If you are going for the fall foliage, I recommend going anytime between Oct 7th-Oct. 27th. There really isn’t a “perfect” day to go, but if you are between these date ranges, then I would say, go for it. We went on a rainy and foggy day and still managed to see plenty of beautiful fall leaves.
The elevation and geography affect the leaves, so keep your eyes peeled the entire way. It is pretty fun to watch the same trees along the way, change at different paces. Some of the trees that we saw in Seattle were still fully clothed in their green leaves, but as we got to the other side of the mountains, those same types of trees had already shed their green color for the year.
If you have the time, peel off the road for some extra, random adventure. We took a leap of faith and took the exit for the Stevens Pass Nordic Center because we saw a couple of big, beautiful, bright yellow trees. We pulled off in hopes of following the dirt road up the mountainside to find more, big yellow leaves. Did we find more? Well, no…
But we did spot a TON of these crazy mushrooms on the side of that dirt road.
Mushrooms as big as my head, I kid you not.
And while there weren’t any leafy trees on this dirt road, we did get to see the back side of the forest.
From my experience, random side roads usually provide some sort of reward. We didn’t get what we expected, but we sure did get a treat from nature.
2 hours of driving over Hwy 2 and we made our way into the quaint Bavarian village of Leavenworth, WA. We stopped and took a quick stroll through town, just because it is too cute to not stop. I adore the horse-drawn carriages this time of year, draped in fall colors. And for that matter, I adore the whole city this time of year, draped in fall colors.
After our quick walk through town, we made our way down to the Waterfront Park. I absolutely love Leavenworth’s, Waterfront Park. Over 3 miles of trails and plenty of sandy sections along the Wenatchee River. There are so many different sections to this park, with different trails and directions to explore. I have walked this park for many years, and I will admit to you right now, that I still got lost this year. Good news is, the park trails along the river, so if you walk too far as we did, you’ll just have to turn around and head back.
After wrapping up our walk, through Leavenworth’s waterfront park, we hopped back in the car and made our way back home. But of course… there would probably be more sporadic stops because I am who I am.
With that, I mean it when I say:
If you have the time, peel off the road for some extra, random adventure.
We were on the road for maybe 15 minutes, before I found myself pulling the car over again because I saw a pretty sight that I wanted to fully enjoy.
And boy was I happy with my decision to make that final stop.
Take a deep breath here and you will feel the healing power of the outdoors.
Have you taken the drive over Stevens Pass in October to relish in the beauty of the fall colors?
Tell me about it!
Do you have a favorite fall drive in the PNW?
I would love to hear about your trip!
