In North Dakota, we had our first frost advisory last night. It had a note on there that this is two weeks earlier than the normal first frost. It’s not rare to see our first snowfall in early October either. It never sticks, but it happens! It feels like we just saw our last snowfall. The end of April we had a massive blizzard. So it really does feel like winter just ended! But then with the heat of the last few weeks, high nineties, it’s been too hot to be outdoors anyway. Plus the never ending bees! I can’t deny that I’m a little happy about cooler weather coming.

I love traveling at any time of the year and fall is no exception. It’s actually one of my favorites. Not too hot, not too cold. Don’t have to worry about running into tornadoes or blizzards on the road. It makes for a pretty amazing roadtrip vibe. I figured I’d throw together my fall travel to do list to pump myself up!

1. Rapid City, South Dakota. South Dakota in the fall is amazing. We always stay in a cute cabin and take a drive down the Spearfish scenic byway, which lined with trees, is gorgeous with the changing colors. There’s fun little hikes, waterfalls, good coffee and food. It’s the best.

2. Maple Grove area, Minnesota. I can’t wait to go do the fall stuff here! I always bring the kids to the apple orchard, we’ve been frequenting Luce Line Orchard the past couple years. There’s fall colors, family to visit, fall shopping, markets, and donut adventures! And I might try sneak up to Duluth for a night. I’ve always wanted to go there in the fall!

3. Billings, Montana. We usually take a trip to Billings around Halloween. We stay in a hotel when we go here as there isn’t much for cabins. We get our favorite breakfast at the Sassy Biscuit Co. There’s a haunted mansion tour we are determined to do this year. Otherwise a haunted hayride at the zoo. We get Halloween Krispy Kreme donuts and burgers from The Burger Dive. Billings is always a good time!

4. Bismarck, North Dakota. We haven’t stayed in Bismarck for many years, but I think we might this year! They have a pumpkin patch that would be fun to see and I’d love to be able to bring the kids to the state capital building. Plus they’ve got Chick Fil A and Crumbl.

5. Estes Park, Colorado or Jackson Hole, WY. I’ve wanted to go back to Estes Park since we went last summer, and from what I’ve seen online, it’s beautiful in the fall! It’s a ten hour drive from here, so not too shabby. On the other hand, I’ve also wanted to visit Jackson Hole. We’ve never been and that was my goal for this year! That’s also a ten hour drive, so we will see which one happens! 🙂

If you have a favorite fall destination, drop a comment or message me! I’d love to hear some of your ideas!