Ready, get set — go!

The next few weeks will be the best time to enjoy fall color in Missouri and Illinois before the leaves are scattered by November wind.

One of my favorite spots for contemplating the colors is the top of Evans Knob at Hawn State Park in Ste. Genevieve County, in southeastern Missouri. But that requires an hour's drive down Interstate 55 and a 10-mile hike on the Whispering Pine Trail.

I recently scouted out a trio of less industrious road trips. All promise gorgeous scenery with things to do along the way to coax you out of the car. You'll come across restaurants, wineries, hiking trails, bike paths and shopping.

The three routes wind between the bluffs and bottoms of river valleys, offering a variety of trees for a patchwork of color.

INTERSTATE 44 SOUTHWEST TO GRAY SUMMIT

Once you get by the billboards and fast-food joints of Valley Park, you'll drive through a 6-mile stretch of unbroken forest, thanks to state and county parks, Washington University's Tyson Research Center and Beaumont Scout Reservation. Trees border both sides of the interstate, creating a lovely, clutter-free gateway in and out of the city.

Take the Lewis Road exit to Route 66 State Park. The visitor center has displays of historic Route 66 artifacts, including a couple of vintage neon signs and exhibits that explain how the park sits on the site of Times Beach, a hardscrabble river town that was wiped off the map by chemical contamination. The park holds the remnants of the town in a huge, grass-covered burial mound, laid to rest by dioxin.

Many of the town's old roadways remain, making excellent paved and gravel paths for hiking and biking. The state park has frontage on the Meramec River, recovering prairies, reed-lined ponds and soggy wetlands that are home to a variety of flora and fauna. A nice population of deer and red-headed woodpeckers lives in the mature forest, and egrets and herons stalk the water's edge. You can see it all in a 3-mile loop that is flood plain flat.

If you want more, drive 13 miles west on I-44 to the Gray Summit exit, crossing back over the interstate and turning right to get to Shaw Nature Reserve, the Missouri Botanical Garden's country cousin. Admission is $3, free if you're a garden member. Get a map at the visitor center and park near the Bascom House at the Whitmire Wildflower Garden, a showcase of native plants.

The reserve has 14 miles of trails that lead through restored prairies, wetlands, glades and woodlands, down to a gravel bar on the Meramec. The prettiest fall display is along the wetland trail, where clusters of purple asters and yellow goldenrod highlight the muted shades of the prairie grasses, giving their best impression of a Claude Monet painting.

HIGHWAY 79 NORTH FROM INTERSTATE 70 TO LOUISIANA, MO.


This stretch of the Great River Road begins in the Mississippi bottomlands, which are perfectly suited for nurseries, sod farms, and corn and soybean fields. As the roadside sign says: "It's called flood plain because it's plain that it floods. Remember '93."

Watch your speed through the towns of Winfield and Foley, because there's a cop watching, too. Take a breather at Elsberry, which has done nice things to its historic downtown along Broadway. The Senate Theater has new seats, the hardware store makes for good browsing and the 4th Street Fountain features a 1930s drug store fountain with Gerri Calkins behind the counter.

"I'm the soda jerk," said Calkins, who insisted I sample a root-beer float for breakfast. It was good down to the last slurp.

Clarksville is a mandatory stop with a selection of shops selling glassworks, pottery, jewelry, antiques and handcrafted furniture. North of town is the Crown Valley Port House, a winery that often has weekend entertainment.

The Mississippi comes into view as you leave Clarksville, and the highway begins climbing into the forested river bluffs, toward Louisiana. The town's aptly named Riverview Cemetery offers a panoramic view of the river rolling beneath two bridges. The Eagle's Nest Winery, Inn and Bistro also is aptly named; this route is prime for eagle watching when the birds are in the area from December to March.

Lunch at the bistro was the raspberry chicken salad, which included sliced grilled chicken breast, toasted almonds, sliced pears and strawberries over fresh greens, topped with a light raspberry vinaigrette, served with fresh bread. A healthy choice for $7 that made up for the sugar-rush at breakfast.

One last stop before leaving Louisiana was a visit to the ASL Pewter Foundry, which produces heirlooms for your dining room table. Last time here, I bought a pewter martini goblet for $55 that is now my lifetime companion.

ALTON TO GRAFTON ON HIGHWAY 100

This trip actually begins on the Missouri side of the Alton bridge at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary. The main road leads to the base of the Melvin Price Lock and Dam, where screeching gulls search the foaming water for dinner. Bring your binoculars because the sanctuary's lakes and wetlands soon will be filled with ducks, geese, white pelicans and trumpeter swans passing through on the Mississippi Flyway. Bald eagles hang around all winter.

Highway 100 follows the Mississippi northwest from Alton and has been designated the Meeting of the Great Rivers National Scenic Byway because the 33-mile stretch includes the confluences where the Missouri and Illinois empty into the Mississippi.

The best place to see the meeting of the Illinois and Mississippi is from the deck of the Aerie winery on the top of a bluff over Grafton. The scrappy river town was resurrected as a tourist destination after the Flood of '93 and now has four wineries. You also can get lunch at the Mississippi Half Step Restaurant, hand-dipped caramel apples at County Corner Fudge, a bloody Mary at the restored Ruebel Hotel and enjoy the incredible views as a guest at Tara Point Inn. The Wild Goose Saloon offers cold beer and a warm fire.

Mike and Lori Nikonovich of Brighton own the new Grafton Winery & Brewhaus, which has two patios overlooking Main Street and the river.

"We've been in the area forever, but last winter was the first time we've seen the eagles that close," Lori said.

The end of the trail on this route can be Pere Marquette State Park, which has a scenic drive leading to a series of overlooks that will offer better views once the leaves are off the trees. The best place to see the Illinois River Valley is from the top of McAdams Peak, which is reached by a short hike on Goat Cliff Trail and is a lovely spot for a picnic.

The stone-and-timber park lodge has a huge fireplace in the great room, a wine bar and a sumptuous Sunday brunch in October that includes ham, roast beef and fried chicken with all the trimmings, for $21.95 for adults, $9.95 for kids.

Or you can take the free Brussels Ferry across the Illinois River and check out the orchards and roadside stands of Calhoun County. The Illinois River Road goes 22 miles through Brussels to Hardin, where you cross the bridge and return back south on Highway 100.

If you take this detour, visit Mel's Riverdock Restaurant in Hardin. The brisket and fried walleye sandwiches are worth the trip, not to mention the pie selection that, on this day, listed bumbleberry, banana split, lemon, coconut, rhubarb, rockslide, dutch apple, gooseberry, pumpkin, custard and cherry. A triple layer carrot cake also sat on the counter.

Oh, man, I'm going back for seconds.