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Hit the Road, Jack: California Colors

Travel Tips | Rayme Gorniak | September 23, 2025

All this month, we’re taking you on a road trip. Bid your city and your stresses adieu. Grab some friends, jump in the car and take the scenic route with us. Find brilliant little stops, surprises tucked away, and tips to make the road trip experience complete. Do you already have a favorite road trip that you took? Let us know! And where are we headed this time? To chase some serious autumn eye candy. A California fall foliage road trip is about to blow your mind—and we’re here to spill the tea on where to catch nature’s most fabulous seasonal transformation.

Forget everything you thought you knew about West Coast autumn. California serves up fall colors that’ll make New England jealous, from golden aspens dancing in mountain breezes to sugar maples throwing their own crimson tantrum. The secret? Timing and elevation, darling.

Hiker enjoying golden autumn trees and mountain reflections in Yosemite Valley during a California fall foliage road trip.

Your California Fall Foliage Road Trip

Peak colors chase the mountains downhill, so we’ve mapped out your adventure from highest to lowest elevations:

Mammoth/June Lakes (Mid-September)

Picture this: glacial canyons carved deep into Sierra mountainsides, where quaking aspens shimmer like nature’s own disco ball. Drive any westbound road off US 395 and prepare to be absolutely shook by groves of golden aspens and willows putting on their annual show.

Yosemite National Park (Late September-Early October)

Yosemite Valley’s black oaks turn burnished gold while cottonwoods serve you school bus yellow realness. The real star? A drama queen sugar maple near Yosemite Chapel that goes full crimson diva mode—totally worth the Insta story.

Nevada City & Grass Valley (Mid-October)

Nevada Street’s century-old sugar maples and sweetgums turn stoplight red, giving you serious Vermont vibes without the pretension. For the full spectacle, hit Empire Mine State Park where early settlers’ tree-planting legacy creates an epic color explosion.

Julian (Late October-Early November)

San Diego County’s best-kept secret sits pretty at 4,200 feet, proving it’s not all beaches and palm trees down south. Lake Cuyamaca and the Five Oaks Trail at Volcan Mountain serve up black oak magic that’ll make you question everything you thought you knew about Southern California.

Pro tip: Check local foliage reports before you roll—autumn waits for no one, and these shows are fleeting but absolutely worth the chase.

RELATED LINKS:

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Skip the Chips and Dip for These Healthiest Road Trip Snacks

Find Healthy Food on Your Road Trip (There’s an App for That)

Drive Out of Your Comfort Zone: If Dolly Can do It, So Can We!

Hit the Road, Jack: Road Trip Through Midwest

Drive Out of Your Comfort Zone: Road Trip Through the Mid-Atlantic

Hit the Road, Jack: Making a Run from the Border to the Desert

Drive Out of Your Comfort Zone: Road Trip Through New England

Drive Out of Your Comfort Zone: Road Trip Through Northern California

Delaware North at Yosemite Photo courtesy of Development Counsellors International

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And let’s be honest, that’s pretty darn gay.
 

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