The Best New Jersey Fall Trips: Scenic Drives to Experience Fall Foliage

Sussex County
Take a ride on Jersey's mountainous forested region to view the vibrant colors of Fall. It can be done as a day trip, or as a leisurely weekend getaway for taking some of the many rural stop-off points.

Begin your fall scenic drive on road 519 in Belvidere, on the Delaware River just south of Route 4. Continue your journey north to Newton, looking on the right of the road you will see many open vistas and on a clear day, you might be able to get a view of the New York skyline. The road skirts several state parks as it ventures away from Delaware.
Newton has a historic Revolutionary War past and many colonial-style dwellings and antique shops. Continue to Halsey, Branchville, Frankford, Beemerville, and Colesville on Rt 23. Continue to High Point State Park and Monument, the highest point in New Jersey at 1,803' above sea level. The Monument affords a spectacular 360-degree view of three states and the Delaware River valley.
The park entrance is on Route 23. Next, continue north on Route 23 and turn onto Sawmill Road, where you will continue through High Point State Park into Stokes State Forest where you can access the Sunrise Mountain Road to the South.

This excursion through Stokes offers views similar to New England or the Skyline Drive in Virginia. The road journeys along the Kittatinny Ridge with open vistas into neighboring states.

If time allows, extend your trip down Sunrise Mountain Road to Peters Valley via Rt 206. Peters Valley is known for its fine crafts workshops and as the northern entrance to the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Continue further south to Wallpack Center via Rt 615.

If you are slightly adventurous, continue to Buttermilk Falls cascading down the steep side of Kittatinny Mountain. (See Below)

Buttermilk Falls
Difficulty: Moderate. The entire loop covers 7.5 miles R/T and includes 3 waterfalls, cascades, and good views. Buttermilk Falls is NJ's highest waterfall at 200' high. It requires virtually no hiking to see it, though there are other short stair climbing and trails to get to see other views.
To get there: From Branchville, take Rt. 206 N, past Culver's Lake, make a left onto Struble Road where it becomes Dimon Road. Continue on past two parking areas on the left for Tillman Ravine. At the intersection, turn left onto Mountain Road, past Walpack Cemetery. Continue on Mountain Road until you see a large dirt lot on your right, the falls on are the left right next to the road and can't be missed. GPS Parking: N41 08.221 W74 53.350 Note: Rest rooms are the two Tillman Ravine parking lots on Mountain Rd.

Travel the Old Mine Road
A New Jersey Historic and Scenic Treasure, this is a scenic route recorded in the National Register of Historic Places and is considered to be one of the oldest roads in the United States, running 104 miles from the southernmost point at Kittatinny Point Visitor Center in Hardwick Township, NJ to Kingston, NY

 Eagle Rock Reservation/Lenape Trail
Prospect Avenue and Eagle Rock Avenue
West Orange, NJ
This 400+ acre park along the Watchung Mountains ridge line features the 36 mile Lenape Trail along the eastern edge of the park. The hiking trails and footpaths that crisscross the woodland (and sometimes boggy) areas of the park are friendly for hikers of all ages and abilities..The main entrance to the park, located on Eagle Rock Avenue, is home to the Essex County 9/11 Memorial and overlook to the east with extraordinary views of the New York City Skyline.
The Lenape Trail named for the native Americans who once inhabited Northern NJ, connects 18 parks and 11 municipalities in Essex County. A guide to the trail, including comprehensive trail.

Great Falls National Historic Park
72 McBride Avenue
Paterson, NJ
The falls now 77 feet high, emerged approximately 13,000 years ago the end of the ice age. As the glaciers ice melted, the Passaic river swelled and rerouted it's way around the north end of the Watchung Mountains, carving out the spectacular falls from the basalt base.The falls can best be viewed from three spots; Great Falls Lawn View, from the Great Falls bridge, and Overlook.

Palisades Scenic Byway
Beginning in Fort Lee, NJ, either take the 11 mile route along the Palisades Interstate Parkway or the 9 mile drive along Henry Hudson Drive.
The Palisades Interstate Parkway north, runs through 2,500 acres of parkland ending at the New York state border. It offers awesome views of the Hudson River and Manhattan skyline from the 500-foot tall Palisades Cliffs that the byway rests upon. Parallel to the byway at the river level are a number of facilities for the public that are connected by a scenic river drive.

Watchung Reservation
1160 Summit Ln
Mountainside, NJ
The Watchung Reservation, located in the heart of Union County between routes 78 and 22, is a fall scenic wonderland that encompasses the ridges of the first and second Watchung Mountains, including over 2,000 acres of protected forest and a myriad of hiking trails, lakes, and historical sites. The Reservation has over 13 miles of well-maintained, clearly marked hiking trails. Popular attractions include Blue Brook a stream that flows over a dam creating Lake Surprise, and the abandoned Deserted Village. Visitors can access the village and take a self-guided walking tour to learn about fascinating history and its strange legends. For a popular fall activity, you can take the Haunted Hayride, which travels through the Deserted Village during the Halloween season.