5 Underrated Fall Budget Travel Destinations in the Western US According to CNN Travel

Budget travel is all the rage this year and if tourists have a plan to travel west, CNN Travel has a few less common destinations for travelers to explore and enjoy this fall.

Here are five of the underrated destinations recommended for fall travel in the western United States.

White Sands National Park, New Mexico

A visit to White Sands National Park is like an adventure to another planet. Imagine white gypsum dunes as far as the eye can see and travelers can get a sense of New Mexico’s enormous White Sands National Park.

Tourists can walk through the dunes on foot and even rent a plastic disk for a fun slide down the sandbanks. There is affordable camping nearby to save some travel money on the budget.

Flagstaff, Arizona

Get started on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona. Home to Northern Arizona University, it’s a vibrant city with great food and fun options for budget tourists of all ages.

Travelers can stay in Flagstaff and visit a number of national parks, all within a short drive. The most famous among visitors is the Grand Canyon. But tourists can also explore Waputki, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Walnut Canyon National Monuments, all on the same budget trip.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

To enjoy the natural beauty of the Wild West and get away from it all, travelers on a budget can explore Utah’s underrated Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Perhaps not as well known as Utah’s Mighty 5, but this landmark isn’t shy with 1.9 million acres of natural beauty.

Travelers can find reasonably priced places to stay in Escalante and near Lake Powell.

Tacoma, Washington

Ah, the great Pacific Northwest without the high prices and crowds of Seattle. Travelers may want to base themselves in Tacoma.

According to CNN Travel, it’s home to a Dale Chihuly exhibit, a fantastic collection of classic cars, and don’t forget all the fresh seafood from Puget Sound.

Tacoma is also closer to natural areas such as Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park than its famous and trendy neighbor to the north.

San Luis Obispo, California

Although many locals will call it SLO, travelers shouldn’t be put off by the pace of life acronym.

San Luis Obispo offers the same California Central Coast lifestyle as Santa Barbara, at a fraction of the price.

According to CNN Travel, the underrated destination of San Luis Obispo has some cool craft breweries to enjoy, along with reasonably priced restaurants and boutiques for shopping.

History buffs will love the old Spanish mission, and hikers can lace up their boots to explore the California Coastal Range.

Tips for travelers

The western United States has some fantastic places to explore on a budget road trip this fall. They are great travel destinations to burn off those excess vacation days before the end of the year without going over budget.

To save even more, travelers who want to explore some of the national parks mentioned in this article, especially the Grand Canyon, can explore the America the Beautiful annual pass at their first national park/monument destination.

For $80, it provides unlimited access to all federal lands, including the national parks and monuments mentioned in this article, for one year from the time of purchase. This will really help travelers save money as the entrance fee to the Grand Canyon alone is $35 for private vehicles.

Have fun exploring and adventuring in the western United States this fall!