Gunther Volkswagen Coconut Creek – Fall drives aren’t just about the scenery – they’re about the season itself, the one where “cuffing season” takes hold and couples start seeking cozy, cinematic escapes. There is a crispness in the air that encourages blankets, warm drinks, and lingering conversations with the windows cracked open. Unlike summer, when drives are about energy and speed, fall slows everything down – inviting couples to savor the stillness, the shifting light, and the fleeting beauty of the season together.

Gunther Volkswagen Coconut Creek carried out a survey of 3,005 couples to gauge their opinions, based on past experiences, of the most romantic fall drives in North Dakota. 

The top 3 were as follows:

#1. Turtle Mountains Scenic Byway
This northern escape winds through rolling, forested hills that blaze in amber and scarlet each fall. Lake Metigoshe gleams among the trees, inviting quiet walks, fishing, or a lakeside picnic. The byway passes through small towns like Bottineau, where local culture adds warmth to the journey. With golden reflections in calm waters and forests alive with color, the Turtle Mountains Byway is a serene and intimate drive.

#2. Sheyenne National Grassland Scenic Byway
Here the prairie rolls to the horizon, stitched with wetlands, ribbons of the Sheyenne River, and pockets of cottonwood and oak. Autumn softens the grassland to honeyed gold, with flashes of red and yellow in the tree belts under impossibly blue skies. Watch for bison, prairie dogs, and birds, then stop at cultural sites that tell the region’s deeper story. It’s a quiet, contemplative drive—perfect for sharing the wide-open calm together.

#3. Chan SanSan Scenic Backway
Running through the James River Valley, the Chan SanSan Scenic Backway reveals a side of North Dakota shaped by wooded hills, prairie bluffs, and winding waters. In autumn, the valley is painted in yellows and golds, standing out against the wide blue sky. Couples will find quiet charm in the small farming towns along the route and peaceful overlooks where the river bends through the countryside.