Go North or West that is the question

You do not say what you mean by "fall". By mid September the great parks are cooling down a lot. Especially the high altitude parks: YNP, Tetons and Bryce along with N. Rim.
By cooling down I mean heavy snow is possible. Camps close 9/30. We got six inches of snow on the way out of YNP last year in late September.
And the long term weather guesses are for record cold summer up here. We had temps in the 30's last week outside YNP, active snowfall on the peaks around here.

On the other hand it could be a great time for Arches, Zion and Capitol Reef, maybe south rim. And all the AZ small parks.

The NE guess is for record high temps.

And for your third year - Really head north to Alaska! :B

Plan both and don't leave Newfoundland out of the northern trip. Then check your crystal ball for the best one for that year.

we love western Washington.. it's green, warm, and not crowded ....

Keep it green,, bring money :)

We love the Four Corners. All that you mentioned we've enjoyed. Durango being one of our favs. We have inflatable kayaks and love to run the Animas through town.

Have you toured the Four Corner states? There are tons of tribal destinations that most Americans haven't seen. Some of my favorite bucket-list POIs are:

* Monument Valley
* Mesa Verde
* Canyon de Chelly
* Chaco Canyon
* Four Corners (novelty stop)
* Taos Pueblo

The list goes on.

The geography, people, and historic sites are unbelievable in that part of the country. And the fall is a great time to be there. Just keep in mind that most of the National Parks close in mid-October, so try to see those sites first. One year our family were the last guests out of Mesa Verde and they literally locked the gates behind us.

Go to Newfoundland in early Summer (next year) when the ice burgs are in "seasons" Check Google on the correct time of year. Note date of the below photo of my camp site. Stay the summer up north. See the fall colors in mid-October.

When we were in Maine a few years ago, Lobster were $20/lb in the stores, $10/lb at the warehouse, $5 or even free at the boat or at the dock where the fishermen sell to the warehouse.


Click For Full-Size Image.

I'm not worried about smoke. I just don't want to see Nova Scotia for the first time looking like the apocalypse. I agree on the fall colors, something we haven't seen since we were kids.

Who can predict where smoke from forest fires will be a problem several months from now? I would consider going North for the Fall colors.