Top down view of car driving on a country road surrounded by fall colour
Northumberlanding is...
Fall Road Trips

6 Ways to Fall in Love with Fall in Northumberland.

Throw on a sweater or flannel shirt and head to Northumberland to immerse yourself in brilliant colour, indulge in the fall harvest, hike or bike on trails, get a little spooky, feel a sense of history. Make time for all of it by staying somewhere unique. Keep reading for all the details.

Two people hiking in the fall

Start with the scenery.

With over 2000 square kilometres of space in Northumberland County, there are endless opportunities for great road trips. From Port Hope to Brighton, Rice Lake to Campbellford, and all points in between, you’re bound to find amazing views. Be brave, take a detour and find something you’ve never seen before but want to remember where to come to see again!

Check out the map for some ideas but remember this is just a starting point – there are beautiful spots around every corner here and the fall colours will draw your attention to every one.

Explore the map for trip ideas
drone view of rolling hills and a country road in fall

Taste fall flavour.

It’s harvest season and local farms are flush with fresh produce. Stop into a weekend farmers’ market, a fresh farm market or a farmgate stand to make the most of the season. Immerse yourself in farm life with a u-pick experience at a local pumpkin patch or apple orchard and be a-maze-d with a walk through Burnham Market’s corn maze.

And, of course, there’s something about fall that makes us crave a butter tart so be sure you check out one of the stops on the Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour. We do love some butter tart photos so take a pic of your favourite one, share it on socials and tag us (@northumberlanding on IG, @NorthumberlandCountyTourism on FB), so we can share the decadent flavours too.

Parents and small child in a pumpkin patch

Farms & Farm Markets

U-Pick Experiences

Be a kid again.

Let your inner child out to play in the leaves. Go for a hike on a Northumberland County trail and let them crunch under your feet for a grounding experience you’ll feel head to toe. Head to the Northumberland Forest to cycle through the colours or get yourself to the Ganaraska Forest to zip through the canopy with Treetop Trekking. Whatever you choose – high adrenaline or low-key – fall’s cooler weather is the best time to put on a sweater and enjoy every fleeting moment.

Drone view of a lookout point in Northumberland Forest marked by stones

Spooky, scary, scream-worthy.

Fall means spooky season and we’re embracing it. Take the self-guided IT Walking Tour in Port Hope to see where Steven King’s IT, IT Chapter Two and the inspired IT: Welcome to Derry were filmed. Get ghostly with a Ghost Walk in Cobourg on Friday nights in October or go to Wesleyville Village’s Annual Ghostly Visit and Haunted Forest Trail. For the ultimate scream fest, you need to visit Phantom Farm, a haunted barn and hayride that will certainly spike those cortisol levels!

Exterior of Victoria Hall at dusk

Take a minute for history.

As much as we all like to spend time outside during the sweater-weather time of year, it’s also a great time to step back into history and explore museums. Check out the Cobourg and Area Museum, closing for the season after Thanksgiving, or set up an appointment to dig into film history at Marie Dressler House and the Canadian Women in Film Museum in Cobourg. Proctor House Museum in Brighton is also open by appointment. And make sure you stop into the Northumberland County Archives and Museum (NCAM) to visit their current exhibit – opened in September 2026 the museum is a welcome addition to historical discovery and research in the region. If you do want to incorporate some outside time into your history lessons, enjoy a self-guided heritage walk through Cobourg, Port Hope, or Grafton.

Exterior of Northumberland County Archives and Museum (NCAM)

More museums

Stay a little longer.

Northumberland has some beautiful overnight options and there really is so much to see that you’ll want to extend your trip. From the luxurious rooms at Villa Idalia in Port Hope to Grafton Village Inn’s boutique rooms you’ll feel like the kings and queens that you are. For something that connects you deeply to nature, try Whispering Springs’ a-frame cabins (which come with access to the thermal spas), or the farmhouse and off-grid cabins that sit on a 100-acre property at Fells Meadows. Wherever you choose, high-luxury, family-friendly or off-grid, we know you’ll have what you need for a good night’s sleep.

A-frame cabins at Whispering Springs. Image ©Whispering Springs

Find a place to stay

Fall events are fantastic!

Browse the calendar to find fairs, festivals and all kinds of fun, right here in Northumberland.

  • Retro Movie Nights
    7:00pm
    See More
    Sep
    23
    Sep
    23
  • Open Mic Night at the Grand Maple
    5:30pm
    See More
    Sep
    24
    Sep
    24
  • Felted Creatures by Jill Witherspoon
    6:00pm
    See More
    Sep
    24
    Sep
    24

Discover more in Northumberland

search