7 spectacular national parks to visit in late fall

If I had to choose, I’d say that fall is my favorite season for Airstream travel, no matter where I travel in North America. The air is less humid and the mornings are crisp. The leaves are changing and the summer crowds have gone back to school and work. It’s an ideal time to spot wildlife, explore in the middle of the day without dreadful heat, and cook outdoors.

While early fall travel has its merits, in late fall you'll enjoy much smaller crowds, full-on fall foliage, and the cooler temperatures that can make RV travel a really cozy experience.

Those of you who live in extreme northern or high-altitude areas might find campgrounds closing in mid-October, or but for most of us with RVs across the U.S., it's fairly easy to camp in late fall with just a few simple preparations. For most people that means making sure you've got plenty of propane, and items like a headlamp, and perhaps an extra solar panel or power station to compensate for shorter days.

Here are some of my favorite national park destinations for visiting in late fall, along with tips to make your experience better. With most of these destinations, late fall weather can be changeable, and a heavy fog is just as likely as clear blue skies. If you plan to go, be sure to pack for any kind of weather.

EASTERN US

My friend Bert taking a well-deserved rest during one of our many hikes in Shenandoah National Park. 

Shenandoah National Park | Virginia

Shenandoah has the advantage of being as beautiful as it is convenient to large cities on the east coast. Its slightly higher altitude means the park gets fall foliage a little earlier than the Shenandoah Valley region, and hiking in the forests can be a sublime experience.

I last visited this national park with friend, photographer, writer, and seasoned Airstreamer Bert Gildart. We spotted some amazing things during our time there, including a bear cub racing down a hillside and several historic old cabins. Our hikes took us to high, rocky precipices with stunning views. 

For more details about this national park, read this blog entry.

One of many historic buildings you may see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park | North Carolina and Tennessee

Famous for being the most-visited national park in the U.S., Great Smoky Mountains sees far fewer visitors in late fall, making it a great time to see the popular park's stunning natural landscapes, blue mountain ridges, and famous fall foliage.

Like Shenandoah, Great Smoky Mountains' proximity to population centers makes it highly visited, but don’t let that dissuade you. In September you'll find smaller crowds than in summer. October weekends can be extremely busy due to leaf-peepers, so try to visit mid-week if you can. And November is probably the quietest fall month, with colder nights and crisper days.

Once you're settled into your site at the campground you can explore historic sites by car or with easy walking. Or, hike hundreds of miles of trails that will quickly get you away from civilization.

Like Shenandoah, this is a mountainous region, so the weather is highly variable, and the roads are occasionally winding, but it’s rare to have conditions that would be unsafe for Airstreams or other RVs in the late fall. The park is so large that you’ll never see it all on a single visit, and that makes it a great place to visit year after year.

Our campsite at Mammoth Cave National Park, during fall foliage.

Mammoth Cave National Park | Kentucky

Mammoth is a great bet in late fall for the same reasons as the preceding two parks (less crowding, great foliage) but with a twist: the caves are always the same comfortable temperature year-round.

There are many cave tours to check out, most of which involve easy paved walking trails and lighting, but you can also opt for wilder experiences where you’ll need to gear up and slither through tight spots.

If you’re a bit claustrophobic and prefer to stay above ground, Mammoth Cave National Park also offers mountain biking, hiking, kayaking and more—all well worth exploring while others are roaming the underground world. (Although kayaking might be a bit too cold in November.) The campgrounds and caves are located in forested areas, so you’ll have a spectacular leaf-peeping experience.

WESTERN US

Out west, it’s not latitude that determines where you can go in late fall, it’s altitude. 

Many high-altitude parks (above 6,000 feet) are generally off limits by late October due to snow and freezing temperatures. But that still leaves plenty of great options. Here are four.

Elk are plentiful to spot (at a distance) in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Rocky Mountain National Park | Colorado

Colorado is fantastically beautiful, although quite chilly, in late fall. My favorite reason to visit this park during this time: elk mating season. When the male elk gather their harems, make their “bugle” noises, and occasionally do head-butting battle with other males, it’s an incredible wildlife show. You'll want to take a good set of binoculars, a spotting scope, or a long lens for your camera, because you have to observe from a distance.

In addition to wildlife viewing, Rocky is famous for its many miles of hiking trails, scenic drives, Ranger-led programs, and fishing.

There are four campgrounds in Rocky Mountain National Park. Many of them have no hookups, but a number of them have electric sites. Fresh water and restrooms/showers are easily available. 

If you prefer to camp with hookups, you’ll probably end up in a commercial campground in nearby Estes Park. That minor inconvenience is well worth it for the chance to see the elk, as well as the colorful beauty of fall foliage.

Our delightful spot on the beach at Padre Island National Seashore.

Padre Island National Seashore | Texas

If chilly Colorado mornings don’t appeal to you, hit the beach instead. Padre Island National Seashore is an under-appreciated resource in the national park service, in my opinion.

The best place to stay in this park is literally on the beach! Just tow your RV trailer or drive your motorhome onto the beach and camp anywhere in a 60 mile stretch (assuming you have 4WD). It’s an amazing opportunity to sleep in your Airstream and hear the waves all night long. And the breezy fall weather makes for ideal conditions (no need for air conditioning). 

Don't have 4WD? For those with 2WD drive, there are still five miles of drivable beach you can camp on. Or you can pick from several no-hookup established campgrounds near the water, like Malaquite Campground, pictured above.

One of many incredible overlooks at Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park | Northern Arizona

If you're heading to the southwest, you can't beat the venerable Grand Canyon, and in late fall you'll avoid big crowds.

Although the higher elevation north rim of the canyon closes mid-October, the south rim remains open all winter. In the summer and early fall it’s crowded, but if you time your visit carefully you can catch that sweet spot between crowds and freezing temperatures.

Personally, this is the only time of year I’ll go to the Grand Canyon south rim. Otherwise it’s just too crowded for my taste. The Trailer Village campground on the south rim offers full hookups and there’s a shuttle bus that can take you to major sights along the South Rim so you can leave your tow vehicle behind.

What campsites in Guadalupe National Park lack in trees and plants is more than made up in the glorious cliff and canyon views you'll have from every window.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park | Texas 

If you prefer something quieter, Guadalupe Mountains State Park is a pretty safe bet. Primarily it’s known as a hiking park, with plenty of great trails. If you're an intrepid hiker and boondocker, you'll like the camping available here, surrounded by a bowl of mountains and directly adjacent to hiking trails. 

Guadalupe also has a hidden benefit: it’s only 40 miles from Carlsbad Caverns National Park. So you can get a twofer on your trip if you factor in the time to go – which I strongly recommend you do.

Carlsbad Caverns are out of the way of just about everything. (Look on a map you'll see just how far away from everything they are!) But they are a must-visit if you are in this corner of New Mexico, just north of the Texas border. The caverns are magnificent and jaw-dropping, and have an interesting history, too. (No spoiler alerts: you have to visit to learn more.) They are also surprisingly easy to walk down into and the Visitor Center is worth a look. If you go during the right time of year, you'll see the famous bats leaving the cave at sunset.

A photo does not do justice to the awe-inspiring formations and 'rooms' you'll see as you walk down into Carlsbad Caverns. Plan a day trip from Guadalupe NP.

Carlsbad NP doesn’t have any RV camping, and most people end up in the uninspiring White’s City RV Park nearby. But it’s not a terrible option, and it’s the only nearby option if you want hookups. The city of Carlsbad, 20 miles up the road, is your next best option, with several RV parks.

One final recommendation

Know before you go! Things change rapidly in national parks. To get current information on any national park site (including camping options, closures, and weather) visit NPS.gov.