Lofty Pursuits

Put it in low gear and head out on a breathtaking mountain drive, where you'll get a bird's-eye view of flaming fall foliage and towering peaks.

Fall is a spectacular "drive time," with views of fiery landscapes and brilliant palettes of color. It's always Mother Nature's most spectacular show. But for the best seat in the house, you want the balcony!

MT. WASHINGTON AUTO ROAD
NEW HAMPSHIRE
You'll see "This Car Climbed Mt. Washington" bumper stickers on cars all over New England. What's the big deal? Check your transmission and emergency brake and then find out for yourself why this legendary Auto Road is one of the area's top attractions. With an average grade of 12 percent, it's both steep and twisty. The historic 8-mile climb to the 6,288-foot summit of Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast, offers some of the finest views in New England, with jaw-dropping vistas of the Presidential Range and the White Mountain National Forest.

There's a fee to drive the road, but you'll get an audio tour of features and history along the way -- as well as your very own bumper sticker.

Added bonus: You can visit several historic buildings at the summit, including the Summit Stage Office and restored 1853 Tip Top House.

TRAIL RIDGE ROAD
COLORADO
This dazzling roller-coaster drive weaves through Rocky Mountain National Park's fall-colored forests and mountain valleys before dropping into the lush Kawuneeche Valley. It's the highest continuous U.S. highway, traveling 11 miles above 11,000 feet and 4 miles above 12,000 feet. You'll have sweeping views of Colorado's towering 14,000-footers, deep canyons and forests dotted with shimmering lakes. There are plenty of scenic lookouts along the 55-mile drive.

You can make the one-way trip from Estes Park to Granby in a few hours, but why rush? Stop for a picnic or a walk along the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. There's a $20-per-car fee to enter the park, but it's good for seven days.

Added bonus: Rocky Mountain National Park rangers conduct elk-watching tours during the dramatic fall rutting season.

BEARTOOTH HIGHWAY
MONTANA
Charles Kuralt called it "America's most beautiful road." This roof-of-the-Rockies drive is the ultimate journey for high-country scenery seekers. Not for the faint of heart, the 64-mile serpentine route travels from Red Lodge to Cooke City over an 11,000-foot pass in the Beartooth Mountains. This baby is all about altitude! You'll climb a series of steep switchbacks as you ascend the Beartooth Plateau and take in extravagant views of jagged peaks, glacier lakes and the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness. The highway reaches its highest point at 10,974 feet (about 30 miles from Red Lodge) with more dizzying wide-open views.

You'll descend from here, ending in Cooke City, an old mining town and the northeastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park.

Added bonus: There are trailheads and national forest campgrounds along the highway.

MT. BAKER SCENIC BYWAY
WASHINGTON
Rugged glacier-formed peaks, old-growth forests and gushing waterfalls make this drive a real gem. It's one of the best ways to take in the expansive scenery of Washington's North Cascades. The 57-mile round-trip begins just west of Bellingham and climbs to picturesque Artist's Point. The byway is the only road to 10,781-foot Mt. Baker, which is still an active volcano. Stop at pretty Nooksack Falls, which travels 175 feet down the mountain in a hurry, before driving through a canopy of towering century-old trees.

Added bonus: Much of the road is flanked by the pretty Nooksack River, and there are picnic areas, hiking trails, campgrounds and overlooks all along the way.

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