Autumn is peak season for a certain kind of trip: the one where you drive slowly, look up a lot, and plan your days around which trees are turning. The Points Guy has rounded up nine hotels that make excellent base camps for leaf-peeping, and the list covers a surprisingly wide range of styles and budgets — from a park-side luxury tower in Manhattan to a tent with a fireplace in Washington state.

In the city camp, the JW Marriott Essex House sits directly on Central Park, so the changing canopy is essentially your room service view. Fall rates run from $697 a night (or 97,000 Marriott Bonvoy points), and the hotel runs weekly guided running tours of the park if you want your foliage at jogging pace. About 90 miles north of the city, Mohonk Mountain House goes the other way entirely: a castle-style resort set in 40,000 acres of forest, with hiking, canoeing, horseback riding, three daily meals and afternoon tea all bundled into rates from around $730 per night for two adults.

Out west, the W Aspen makes the case that Colorado's aspens deserve a trip before ski season — think a heated rooftop pool, fire pits, bike rentals and staff-arranged paragliding above the leaves, from $363 a night. In Jackson, Wyoming, The Cloudveil is a stylish Autograph Collection property positioned for double-duty trips to Grand Teton and Yellowstone, with suites featuring deep soaking tubs and a heated outdoor pool; fall rates start at $325.

Budget-conscious travellers get real options too. The Park Vista, a DoubleTree in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, sits 1,000 feet above town on the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with Dollywood nearby and rooms from just $119 a night. Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri's Ozarks starts around $232 and throws a "Cedar Fest" each September and October, complete with bonfires, pumpkin painting and foliage dinner cruises; kayaks, pedal boats and mini golf are included.

For something less conventional, Under Canvas Columbia River Gorge — one of 2025's notable hotel openings — offers glamping tents with propane fireplaces, ensuite bathrooms and a Stargazer tent with a window above the bed, from about $275 a night. Postcard Cabins Big Bear rents private, dog-friendly tiny cabins among the cedars of Southern California from $189. And if your idea of foliage comes with a juice cleanse, Miraval Berkshires in Lenox, Massachusetts, is an adults-only, near-all-inclusive wellness resort where meals and activities like yoga and archery are covered, from roughly $1,250 per night for two.

Why it matters: leaf-peeping season is short and bookable rooms in the prettiest spots go fast, so having a shortlist across price points — and knowing which ones are redeemable with Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt points — makes planning an autumn escape far simpler. City breakers, national park road-trippers and wellness seekers all have a pick here.

Story via The Points Guy