Fun Fall Trips in the West

Instead of putting your RV in mothballs at the end of summer, try some Fall trips to places too hot in summer, but that haven’t yet accepted winter’s chill. Here are some suggestions.

In the mountains at 4,500 feet an hour northeast of San Diego, Julian in Fall brings rich smells of bubbling apples and cinnamon at Mom’s Pie House, whose famous apple pies with flakey crusts and not-too-sweet fillings have been a hit with locals and tourists since 1984. Fall color is unusual this far south, but Julian’s apple orchards offer a chance for leaf peeping late in the season, and the downtown historic district from Julian’s late-1800’s gold rush, is filled with antique shops, arts and crafts boutiques and home-style cafes.

The oasis at the refuge headquarters at Corn Springs is a cool splash of green grass, green trees, and shade surrounded by desert scrub and creosote. An amazing number of migratory birds visit this refuge in fall for the copious water flow, plentiful food supplies, and a safe nesting habitat. As many as 50 species of birds have been seen here in a single morning. Big oak trees, cottonwood, willow and fruit trees planted by earlier residents flourish around the spring. Drive twenty-two miles north of Las Vegas on I-95 to the refuge sign, then right on four miles of dirt road to the visitor center, with maps, bird lists, restrooms, and a wonderful nature trail leading around the ponds fed by the spring. Boondock camping with views of Mt. Charleston is permitted on the open land surrounding the visitor center.

When the mountains are getting too cold and the lower deserts still reaiate heat, a visit to the high desert is a good plan. Joshua Tree’s temperatures in Fall average from a high of 85 to a low of 55 degrees with a humidity of only 25%, slipping in November to 72 and 40 degrees respectively, but you can expect dry days and cloudless skies.

Joshua Tree has one of the most varied plant communities of any desert park, 673 different species including 20 species of cactus, spanning a transition between the cooler wetter Mojave and the hotter drier Colorado and Sonora deserts.

Halfway between Phoenix and the Grand Canyon, Sedona’s picturesque canyons, peaceful rivers, and nearly red rock formations present a visual feast. In the fall nature’s mountain beauty is painted with the colors of the season, the best fall color and most spectacular scenic drive climbs up Oak Creek Canyon on Highway 89A towards Flagstaff. To see the trees in full spectacular display, hike the West Fork Oak Creek Trail along gently flowing Oak Creek.

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