For the best autumn stretches in Sonoma Valley, check out Arnold Drive and Warm Springs Road (map), two backcountry beauties that roll through tunnels of brimming fall colors. Giant oak trees stitch both sides of Arnold Drive near the Sonoma Developmental Center, creating a canopy of leaves the color of maple syrup and pumpkins. In Glen Ellen, stretch your legs at Jack London State Park, site of the author's much-loved Beauty Ranch. The beginning of the 1-mile (one-way) Lake Trail skirts a vineyard and packs some serious autumn punch (pictured). The trail also passes the quirky Pig Palace, a circular stone complex designed to house and feed prized breeding pigs. After the hike, continue your backcountry tour on Warm Springs Road toward Kenwood; this little-traveled 7-mile stretch features foliage awash in red, yellow, and gold—and overhanging oaks, rustic cottages, and lung-tingling fresh air. Sonoma sweetness!

TIP: Pop into Glen Ellen's Raymond & Co. Cheesemonger for some seriously good cheese. Do a sit-down 6-cheese sample to find your favorite ($5). The shop is run by "the Yoda of cheese," John Raymond, who helped establish Dean and DeLuca in California.

In Jack London State Park, access the Lake Trail from the upper parking lot (parking $6). The park hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dogs are allowed in certain areas, but not up to the Lake.

Raymond & Co. Cheesemonger, 14301 Arnold Dr. (at Jack London Village), Glen Ellen; 707-938-9911. Photo courtesy of Michael Stark.