Cheap fall getaways
Here are 20 places to enjoy autumn colors without going into the red.
© Beth Gauper
Children run toward the zip line during the Audubon Center's open house.
Fall is the busiest travel season of the year — we all know the nice days are numbered, and we're going to try our damnedest to make them count.
But with pretty much everyone heading out to look for fall color, especially on weekends, there are few bargains.
That's why those of us on a budget look to our old friends: the parks, the mom-and-pop motels, the environmental centers, the hostels, the outdoors clubs.
Sign up for those deals, and you'll be enjoying fall in all the best places: along the Mississippi River, on Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, even Minnesota's North Shore.
Here's our 2011 edition, with 20 great autumn trips for $100 or less per person, based on two.
If you're really planning ahead, or if you want more ideas, see Cheap winter getaways, Cheap spring getaways and Cheap summer getaways.
Outdoors on the Upper Peninsula
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is mostly national forest, which means it’s a great place to see fall color – perhaps the best in the region.
Use Ironwood as a base, staying at the new Wolverine Village, built
mainly for cross-country skiers but open year-round. Cabins for three cost $55 and cabins for up to 12 cost $175.
From there, explore the waterfalls along the Black River north of Bessemer. Nearby, take in the incredible view from the top
of Copper Peak, the only ski-flying hill in the Western Hemisphere.
Ride a chairlift to the crest of the hill, then take an 18-story elevator to the top of the jump, $14, $7 for children 14 and under.
Farther east, hike at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. To the south, seek out the waterfalls in Wisconsin’s Marinette County.
Sleepover at Shedd Aquarium
In Chicago, you really can sleep with the fishes. Shedd Aquarium offers a Spooky Seas family event on Oct. 28-29 that includes a sleepover option, $60 per person including breakfast and dinner.
For more, see Halloween in Chicago.
Music on the Mississippi
© Beth Gauper
Boats putter through Winona's backwaters.
In Winona, the Boats and Bluegrass festival Sept. 22-24 looks like a great deal for families. For $65 ($75 after Sept. 1) you get to hear all the music, camp in the riverside campground and go canoeing — and kids under 16 are free with an adult ticket. There’s also disc golf and airplane rides for $15.
If you can’t make it, the municipal Prairie Island Campground is a good place to camp any time, with a beach,
playground, deer park, canoe rental, boat launch, store and showers. Sites are $17-$21.
If you have your own boat, bring it; the Mississippi backwaters are fun to explore.
For more, see Afloat in Winona.
Stay in a spare room
In just four years, Airbnb has ballooned into a billion-dollar company by allowing people with a spare room, suite or dwelling to rent them out.
It’s like staying in a B&B, but cheaper and without most of the frills – though some hosts go all out. You'll pay $40 for a guest room with bath in a downtown Minneapolis condo and a room and bath near Madison’s Capitol Square for $65.
Rates are higher for luxury properties in glamorous locations. For more, see Staying with Airbnb.
Hiking in Devil's Lake State Park
The last Ice Age gave Wisconsin some great hiking trails, and the ones around Devil's Lake State Park near Baraboo are perhaps the best.
© Torsten Muller
Hikers sit at the edge of the bluffs in Devil's Lake State Park.
It's five miles around the lake on the West Bluff and East Bluff trails, which are spectacular, but if you can arrange it, continue eastward on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail for a great 10-mile one-way hike (have friends start on one end and exchange car keys in the middle).
Stay close to the park at the Willowood Inn, a neat and comfortable mom-and-pop
motel that has double rooms for $65-$70. Pets are welcome in three units.
If you're there Oct. 14-16 — and the color still should be good then — you also can visit artist studios during the big Fall Art Tour, which includes Baraboo.
For more, see Devil's heaven.
Family camp in a Minneapolis suburb
At the Baker Park Reserve Near-Wilderness Settlement in the western Minneapolis suburb of Maple Plain, spend a weekend in a log cabin.
Over the Minnesota school break on Oct. 21-23, there’s a Fall Family Camp, with canoeing, archery, scavenger hunts and arts and crafts. The cost for two nights for up to eight people is $175, including one breakfast. Reserve at 763-694-7724.
The rustic cabins have wood stoves, and firewood and cooking/eating utensils is provided, and there’s a nearby log lodge with modern restrooms.On Oct. 21, there are also fall-color tram rides through the woods, with a stop at the Trumpeter Swan Refuge and a catered lunch at the log lodge, $12. Reserve by Oct. 17.
For more, see Camping in the Twin Cities.
Fall color in the Porkies
© Torsten Muller
Waterfalls tumble down the Presque Isle River in the Porkies.
Fall is the best time to visit gorgeous Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, along Lake Superior in Michigan’s
Upper Peninsula – it has 100 miles of hiking trails, spectacular fall color in the largest stand of virgin hardwood
forest east of the Mississippi, and no bugs.
Stay in one of 19 wood-heated rustic cabins, $60. You'll have plenty of privacy, but they're not for sissies: Seven are
within a mile of a trailhead, and one is handicapped-accessible, but others require a hike of up to four miles.
Cabins on Mirror Lake, Lily Pond and Lake of the Clouds include boats.
Three yurts, $60, are open year-round and can be reached only by trail — the shortest hike is a mile — and do not
have electricity or running water. Water is supplied at one yurt; at the others, guests must filter water from streams. Wood
is provided.
For more, see Afoot in the Porkies.
Birding at Crex Meadows
This wildlife preserve in western Wisconsin, in Grantsburg near the St. Croix River, has a busy schedule of weekend birding
tours, wildflower walks, nature-photography workshops and even mushroom hikes. Most tours and hikes are free; some cost $5 or
$10.
The best time to spot birds is at dawn, so it’s most convenient — and cheap — to camp in the rest area or stay in Crex Meadows' two bunkhouses, $10 per person, or cabins, $15.
A football weekend in Madison
In this lively college town, the air is electric on fall weekends when the Badgers play a home game. In fact, you’ll get a shock just looking at hotel rates.
One way to get around high hotel costs but still be in the middle of all the action is to stay at the Hostelling
International Madison hostel, two blocks from Capitol Square. It's probably not for Marriott types, but adventurous
travelers will find it fun.
The house has 31 beds in smaller rooms, including five private rooms that sleep two to five people in a mix of full and twin
beds.
Cost is $52 for one person, $55 for two and $58 for three. One person can sleep in a bed in a dorm room for $25.
There's a Costa Rican cafe on the lower level.
For more, see At home in a hostel and other Madison stories.
Horseback along the Minnesota River
Stay at the edge of a golf course in Fort Ridgely State Park, and you can have a pretty amazing weekend: a round of golf, a
trail ride, a visit to a historic site and a stay in a chalet for less than $100 per person and without going more than a few
miles.
© Beth Gauper
On a fall trail ride, riders crest a ridge.
The park rents out its former golf chalet for $75, and it sleeps up to 14, though eight would be better. Fort Ridgely
Historic Site, important during the U.S.-Dakota Conflict of 1862, is within the park, and Fort Ridgely Equestrian Center
offers trail rides in the park.
New Ulm is nearby. For more, see Ponies and
putters.
A southwest Wisconsin retreat near Galena
The Cooper Living & Learning Center on the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Pioneer Farm makes an ideal base for budget-conscious groups of girlfriends who want to shop in Galena, half an hour south, or Mineral Point, 15 minutes to the northeast.
It rents suites, each with two bedrooms and a bath, for $18-$35 per person per night, depending on how many occupy the room.. Eight of the bedrooms sleep four in bunk beds and four have two single beds. Linens are provided.
There's a large furnished kitchen in which guests can prepare meals and areas for volleyball and campfires.
It's seven miles east of Platteville, worth visiting for its Mining Museum and Bargain Nook. For more, see Power shopping in Wisconsin.
St. John Mine is another 15 minutes to the west in Potosi, home of the newly reopened Potosi Brewing Company, which includes a restaurant. The Dickeyville Grotto is 15 minutes south, on the way to Galena.
Many non-profit centers, camps and state-park group lodges offer similarly good deals. For more, see Cabins for a crowd.
Bicycling Minnesota's Mesabi Trail
© Beth Gauper
On the Mesabi Trail, bicyclists ride by a slag heap near Hibbing.
The Sports Dorm at Giants Ridge resort near
Biwabik on Minnesota's Iron Range makes a good base for riding the beautiful Mesabi
Trail, which now stretches 74½ miles between McKinley and Grand Rapids, plus a four-mile spur from Gilbert to
Eveleth.
It's also near Lake Vermilion, Ely and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The state-owned Sports Dorm has 24 motel
rooms, each with two bunk beds and a private bath; linens and towels are provided. There’s a meeting room and lobby,
each with TV, and a kitchen that guests can use.
The fall rate is $55 for up to four people. Call Jeff Spolar at 800-688-7669.
For more, see Rolling through the Iron Range.
A sampler of outdoors sports
Every fall, the Minnesota Rovers Outdoors Club puts on an
Outdoors Extravaganza to introduce prospective members to the
club. This year, it's Sept. 23-25 at Jay Cooke State Park near Duluth, and members lead paddling, rock-climbing,
bicycling and hiking expeditions.
Cost of $20 includes two nights of camping plus Saturday supper and Sunday breakfast.
For planning travel on a nickel, the Rovers and other outdoors clubs are unparalleled.
To find out about these groups, which offer many great trips for $100 or less, see Join the club.
Exploring northeast Iowa
© Beth Gauper
The mile-long city park on the Mississippi in Guttenberg, Iowa, is lined with maples.
Not all of the great color and scenery is in the north woods. The northeast corner of Iowa, along the Mississippi River, is as scenic as it gets in fall.
It's definitely not flat; part of the Driftless Area, its hills rise and fall like the waves of a tsunami. It has two of the
Upper Mississippi Valley's great panoramas, from Mount Hosmer City Park in Lansing and Pikes Peak State Park in
McGregor.
But because it’s Iowa, and not close to any large metropolitan area, rates for cabins are much cheaper than they are in the marquee destinations.
Visit Iowa lists many possibilities: Andy Mountain Cabins in Harpers Ferry, $65-$95; Custer Cabin in Lansing, $40 for four; Yellow River Valley Cabins, $60.
There's also a lot going on: German Fest in the antebellum town of Guttenberg, Sept. 23-24; and Hole in the Sock Gang street theater with bank robberies, cowboy shootouts and saloon girls; Sept. 24 and Oct. 29.
Hawk Watch Weekend at Effigy Mounds National Monument is Oct. 1-2, and Fall Arts & Crafts in McGregor and Flea Market in Marquette are Oct. 1-2 and 8-9.
For more about fall in northeast Iowa, see One fall swoop.
An outdoors weekend that's almost free
Near the eastern Minnesota town of Sandstone and the 75-mile Willard Munger State Trail, the Audubon Center of the North Woods holds an annual open house, Oct. 8 this year, where almost everything is free,
including camping.
There's a morning trail run, arts and crafts fair, hay rides, apple pressing, scavenger hunt, raptor programs and walking tour. Guests can use the climbing wall and zip line.
The only cost is the chili lunch, $5-$7.
Camping is free Friday and Saturday nights, but people also can spend the night in one of the environmental-learning center's
lodges, $40 for a room that sleeps four adults or a family of eight.
The lodges also can be rented by groups who want to ride the Munger Trail or go birding around the 535-acre campus, 320-245-2648.
A roof in a Minnesota state park
© Beth Gauper
In Itasca State Park, the Douglas Lodge offers a few inexpensive rooms.
In fall, many leaf-peepers flock to the state parks, because that’s where the color is.
In Minnesota, that’s where the action is, too. Pick out one of the many naturalist programs, then stay right in the park for the weekend.
In Itasca State Park, the Sept. 24 Autumn
Harvest Festival includes guided lantern-lit hikes, children’s activities, campfires and a concert.
Stay in the Douglas Lodge, where guest rooms with shared
baths are $69.
Or stay for even less at the Mississippi Headwaters Hostel, a short walk from the headwaters. Cost is $23-$27 per person, $10-$12 for children younger than 14.
For more, see The people's park.
In William O’Brien State Park in Marine on St. Croix, there’s a free Geocaching program Sept. 24 and the annual Voyageur Encampment Sept. 24-25. Stay in one of the park's four camper cabins, $45-$50.
For more about state-park camper cabins in Minnesota and other states, see A roof in the woods.
And remember to check out private campgrounds, too: Many rent out camper cabins that cost the same and have more amenities nearby.
Bicycling the Root River State Trail
© Beth Gauper
Bicyclists head west on the Root River State Trail from downtown Lanesboro.
In the southeast corner of Minnesota, the Root River State Trail and town of Lanesboro are a favorite fall destination.
Pitch a tent for $15 right downtown, in Sylvan Park or in the Riverview Campground, or park a camper for $25. Hot showers are $1 at the adjoining Community Center, and you can pick up pastries from local Amish families at the Saturday farmers market.
Or camp west of town at Old Barn Resort, which also has a hostel.
For more about riding the Root River, see Bicycling in bluff country.
For more about the area in fall, see Bluff-country byways.
Deep woods around Ely
The boreal woods around the northern Minnesota town of Ely, on the edge of the Boundary Waters, are beautiful any time of
year, but especially in fall.
Just north of town, off the Echo Trail, YMCA Camp du Nord is offering a fall Family Camp Oct. 20-23, with guided hikes and paddles, nature programs, campfires, family saunas and arts and crafts.
There are 21 heated cabins, some with gas fireplaces, in three villages. Some are rustic, but most are quite luxurious. Rates depend on size of cabin; 16 people sharing Thor's Cabin pay $68 apiece, and seven people sharing Jack's Cabin pay $93. Reserve early to get your choice of cabins, 612-465-0568.
For more, see Dreaming of Ely.
A spot on the North Shore
© Lutsen-Tofte Tourism
The inland maple forests of the North Shore are vivid in fall.
In fall, Minnesota's North Shore is Mecca for leaf-peepers. In fact, it often seems as if the entire Upper Midwest is funneling into this narrow strip on the west shore of Lake Superior.
Reserve far in advance; if you show up without a reservation on a weekend between late September and the fourth weekend of October, you may wind up sleeping in your car. Plan especially for Oct. 20-23; Minnesota schoolchildren are on break then, and the entire shore books up.
Rooms aren't cheap. But the North Shore has a big variety of lodgings, and not all of them are fancy villas. Between Grand
Marais and Lutsen, the classic Cascade Lodge has
motel rooms that start at $71.
In Lutsen, Solbakken Resort has motel rooms for $69-$89, and at the famous Lutsen Resort, you can get a room in the lodge for $51 per person weekdays, including a hot breakfast in the restaurant.
For more, see Where to stay on Minnesota's North Shore and other North Shore stories.
Trail clearing in Minnesota
Here’s a weekend trip that pays you. The Twin Cities-based North Stars Ski Touring Club is the largest cross-country club in North America and helped blaze many of the state's best ski trails. It holds several trips every fall to clear them for winter, and it reimburses participants for gas money.
Typically, workers put in six to eight hours on Saturdays and four hours on Sunday.
Lodging and meals are provided by the host resorts or organizations, typically Camp du Nord near Ely, National Forest Lodge in Isabella, Audubon Center near Sandstone, the Banadad Trail along the Gunflint Trail, the Gunflint Lodge and resorts on the North Shore.
It's a good way to meet people, too. Sign up early for the best slots.
For more about groups, see Join the club.
Bicycle with birds along the Mississippi
© Beth Gauper
The Trempealeau Hotel faces the river in the Wisconsin town.
In the southwest Wisconsin town of Trempealeau, the 1871 Trempealeau Hotel
still includes eight of the original "working-man'' rooms, $40-$49. They don't have private baths, but most have river
views.
The 24-mile Great River State Trail starts in the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge, 8½ miles north of town, and slices through Trempealeau before entering the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge and then the prairie outside Onalaska.
You'll see plenty of shore birds, coots and herons in the marshes, bogs and bottomlands. Be sure to take an hour to hike up
Brady's Bluff in adjacent Perrot State Park for one
of the region's best views.
For more, see Bikes, birds and bogs and
Hitting the trails in
Trempealeau.
More ideas
In big cities where hotels cater to conventions and business travelers, rates fall precipitously on holidays, including Labor
Day weekend. For more, see Cheap Chicago.
Fall is the best time to ride a bicycle trail; temperatures have cooled down, and the wildflowers are blooming. See Bicycling stories.
It's also much easier to find a camping spot in a popular place. See Camping
stories.
Minnesota rents several modern guest houses that are very affordable for groups. For more, see Lodgings in Minnesota state parks.
Group travel can be extremely cheap, with everyone sharing expenses. To find out about other inexpensive places for groups to stay, see Cabins for a crowd.
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