Exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains during the fall is a lot like watching Japanese cartoons on acid: there’s so much stimulation overload you could have a seizure. This is prime fall foliage territory, where the mountains pop with color and the trails, rivers, and scenic byways beckon like sirens. The problem is there’s just too much to see and do. Should you go to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and take a scenic drive? Should you pull out the mountain bike and hit West Virginia? Should you stay in a cabin, rent an RV, or camp out under the stars? The decisions can be overwhelming.

Blue Ridge Outdoors understands your plight, so we’ve developed five ideal weekend itineraries. Not only do we tell you where to go, we go one step further and tell you what to do when you get there. Fall foliage is supposed to be relaxing, after all. So just sit back, follow one of our step-by-step itineraries, and bask in the glory of the Blue Ridge’s most spectacular season.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Nine million people visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park every year, making it the most visited park in the country. Thankfully, this itinerary is designed to get you away from the crowds and into the most isolated territory for the entire weekend.

You’ll be spending most of your time in the Cataloochee Valley, the most remote and least visited portion of the park. It’s a little tough to get to, but that’s half the charm. The valley sits at 2,600 feet and is surrounded by 6,000-foot peaks. Whether you’re at the valley floor or on top of one of the outlying mountains, the views are jaw dropping.

Friday Afternoon: Arrive at Cataloochee Campground in the heart of the valley. Get there early to snag one of the spots along Cataloochee Creek. RVs and crowds avoid this campground because of the dirt road accessing the valley, and there’s plenty of real estate between you and your neighbor. You may even see a bear or two.

Friday Night: Take a moonlit hike along Cataloochee Creek. The stream cuts through the valley flowing through vast meadows before entering the hardwood forest. New Cataloochee Road runs along the creek for three miles, or you can just hug the riverbanks and walk as far into the woods as you want.

Saturday Morning: Rise early to see the Elk grazing in the meadows. Elk are prospering in the Cataloochee Valley after being hunted to the point of extinction in the 1800s. They were reintroduced to the park in 2001, and the best time to see the lumbering beasts is early morning as they mingle for breakfast. After eggs and bacon over the campfire, fill up the Camelbak and head out for a day hike. There are 37 miles of hiking trails in the valley, so the only limits are your legs. The Cataloochee Divide Trail starts at 4,000 feet and rambles along the ridgeline between Maggie Valley and Cataloochee Valley for 6.5 miles. The trail actually forms a portion of the park’s southeastern border, providing views of both surrounding valleys. If you want to get up close and personal with the foliage, hit the Boogerman Trail, a 7.5-mile loop through an old growth forest.

Saturday Evening: If you’ve got anything left in you after the long hike, explore the valley’s gravel and dirt roads on your mountain bike. Start on Cove Creek Road and branch off to one of the dirt roads whenever the mood strikes. Most roads lead to old home sites, schools, and churches-remnants of the prosperity the area enjoyed in the 1800s. The roads are perfectly level so you won’t be too worn out to cook trout (store bought, of course) and home-fries when you get back to camp.

Sunday Morning: On the way out of the park, take a short detour to Lake Fontana and spend a couple of hours paddling along the wooded shorelines and islands of one of the most dramatic lakes in the region. The various fingers of the lake form the southern border of the park, and there’s no better way to appreciate fall colors than from the seat of a boat. Fontana Marina (800-849-2258, www.fontanavillage.com) offers canoe rentals.

Afterward, hit the singletrack at Tsali Recreation Area. The butter-smooth trails roll beneath colorful hardwood canopies along Lake Fontana. The trail system is comprised of four loops totaling 39 miles and is one of the most well maintained systems in the South. The 11-mile Right Loop offers the most views of the lake and can be cut to a shorter 4-mile loop if you’re just looking for a quick pedal. Cheoah Ranger District: 828-479-6431.

Shenandoah National Park

The Shenandoah may not be as popular as the Smokies, but it’s a hiker’s paradise. The Appalachian Trail cuts through the center of the park offering section hikers and loop hikers a buffet of vistas, waterfalls, and canyons. This itinerary centers around an overnight loop hike, half of which follows the A.T.

Friday: Leave work early and take a scenic drive along Skyline Drive, the highway that skirts the ridgeline of the park. Be sure to pull over at Hogback Overlook (milepost 20). You’ll get views of the Shenandoah River below and Massanutten Mountain on the horizon.

Friday Night: Take a sunset hike up Hawksbill Summit (milepost 46.7), the highest peak in the park. It’s a two-mile roundtrip hike that can be steep, but you’ll need to stretch your legs after the long drive. Plus you’ll get 360-degree views from the peak. If you think the fall colors are gorgeous during the day, you should see them when the setting sun sets them on fire. Grab dinner at Big Meadow Lodge (milepost 51). Their dining room serves southern delicacies and you can step into the taproom for a beer and live entertainment. After dinner, slumber down at Lewis Mountain Cabins (milepost 57.5). It’s like camping, but with your own private bathroom.

Saturday Morning: Stock up for your big overnight hike at Big Meadows Wayside (mm 51), one of the only stores inside the park. You’ll be connecting the Bluff Trail with the Marshall Trail and the A.T. for a 15.5-mile loop. The hike starts at Gravel Springs (mm 17.5) and traverses rocky singletrack and overgrown forest roads. Some of the trails aren’t even maintained by the park anymore, which means you’ll leave the crowds far behind. At 1.6 miles into the hike, take a side trip to the Big Devil Staircase, a skinny but deep canyon filled with waterfalls. Have an early lunch along the canyon rim before heading back to the main trail.

Saturday Afternoon: Summit the Peak, a solitary mountain that is speculated to be one billion years old. It’s a tough climb with 2,800 feet of elevation gain and some bushwhacking towards the top. But take your time and look around as you climb; the trail to the Peak offers spectacular views of the surrounding valley and mountains.

Saturday Night: All of the Shenandoah backcountry is open for primitive camping as long as you use common sense. Pick a spot along the Sprucepine Branch River. Soak your legs in the stream and enjoy a hearty meal of camp chili.

Sunday: The miles you have to cover today are a piece of cake compared to Saturday’s feats. Basically, you’ll be hiking back to your car along the Appalachian Trail from Jenkins Gap to Gravel Springs. Other than the summit of North Marshall (3,368 feet) it’s a relatively easy hike out.

New River Gorge

Biking, hiking, paddling, climbing-you can do it all in the Gorge, and in a short amount of time.

Friday Night: There are a number of primitive “campgrounds” scattered throughout the 70,000 gorge, but these fill up quickly and can become fairly rowdy on weekends. Instead, find a backcountry campsite along the Brooklyn to Southside Trail, which follows the New for six miles in the Thurmond region. And bring your mountain bike-the Brooklyn to Southside Trail is one of the gorge’s most sought after fat tire paths. After the ride, take a midnight dip in the always brisk New and soak your legs.

Saturday: It would be a sin to enter the gorge without paddling the New River. The Upper New is a quiet and scenic river with long pools separated by class II and III rapids. Try a half-day trip from Hinton to Sandstone Falls. There are several access points and enough scenery to fill your memory card twice over. If you’re looking for more action than vistas, hit the Lower New. This is the section of the river that the multi-million dollar rafting industry was built around. It’s typical West Virginia big water with fast, rolling class IV-V rapids that seem to last forever.

If you still need more panorama in your weekend, hike the Long Point Trail. It’s only 1.6 miles long and ends with a great view of the gorge and bridge. Afterwards, head to Drifter’s Bar and Grill on US 19 for some bar food and good old-fashioned karaoke.

Sunday Morning: The sandstone cliffs of the New River Gorge are legendary in the climbing world. The Bridge Area has a variety of routes for beginners-try Afternoon Delight or Monkey See-Monkey Do.

Big Frog-Cohutta Wilderness

There are very few opportunities to step off the grid in the Southeast. Most of this region hasn’t been considered primitive since the days of Daniel Boone. And yet, the south is home to the largest seamless tract of wilderness east of the Mississippi. The Big Frog-Cohutta Wilderness along the Georgia-Tennessee border encompasses more than 40,000 acres of uninterrupted hardwood forests, mountains streams, and ridge tops. And very few people have yet to explore its bounty.

Friday Afernoon: Set up camp at Thunder Rock Campground at the base of Big Frog mountain near the Ocoee River. Mountain bike the historic Old Copper Road Trail-a doubletrack path that was originally used by Native Americans before being turned into a road to transport copper between Ducktown and Cleveland. It was actually the first road in the area. Now, the 2.4-mile unpaved stretch offers a leisurely ride through the Ocoee Gorge amidst hardwood forests whose fall colors shimmer like graffiti against the gorge walls. It’s a 4.8-mile out and back ride.

Saturday: Today’s hike is an all-day affair. You’ve got 11 miles of very steep, very rewarding trail to conquer. There are more than 35 miles of trails surrounding Big Frog Mountain, the highest in the wilderness. Most of the trails eventually lead to the summit, but for the most challenging hike, try Big Frog Trail, which leaves right from the Thunder Rock Campground. It’s a 5.5-mile trek to the top with outstanding views of the Cohutta Wilderness to the south and the Tennessee Valley to the East. Along the way, you’ll be surrounded by oaks and hickory exploding with color. You’ll also pass through a much-loved rhododendron tunnel that spans more than 100 yards. Check out a boulder field on the North Side of the mountain-the perfect spot for lunch.

Saturday Night: You’ll be too tired to cook dinner at camp so head into Ducktown for slow-cooked, hickory smoked ribs at Burra Burra BBQ on Hwy 64.

Sunday Morning: Before heading south, stop by the New York Restaurant in Copperhill, Tenn., a Big Frog breakfast institution (423-496-3855). After breakfast, head to the Cohutta Loop, a collection of roads that encircle the Cohutta’s northeastern region. There’s very little traffic and you’ll pass babbling brooks and more scenic vistas than a postcard shop. The Cohutta Loop lies between Hwy 251 and Hwy 411. There are a number of campsites along the road if you want to extend your weekend, and hiking trailheads dot the woods on either side of the road.

Sunday Afternoon: Instead of going straight home, linger around Lake Conasauga, a 17-acre lake that sits 3,150 feet near the summit of Grassy Mountain. It’s a crisp mountain lake fed by the river of the same name, which is a Native American word that means “sparkling water” or “strong horse” depending on who you talk to. Have a late lunch and a crisp, fall dip.

Cloudland Canyon

Cloudland Canyon is one of the largest and most dramatic canyons in the East. Cloudland and its surrounding mountains are also drastically different from the Blue Ridge most of us are used to. The mountains in northwestern Georgia were formed by sediment-sand and mud that formed layers on the bottom of an ancient ocean. The rest of the Blue Ridge was formed by volcanoes. As a result, the canyon is predominantly sandstone and limestone rock.

Native Americans used to pilgrimage to the area for sacred rituals. Today New Age Celtics come to the canyon for energy rituals.

Friday Night: Get to the park early in the afternoon for a full 18 holes of disc golf. Cloudland Canyon is home to one of the best courses in the South. It’s 6,000 feet long with varied terrain through meadows and woods, offering many scenic vistas along the way.

After the round of golf, set up camp at the West Rim Campground, which is more isolated and less crowded than the East Rim Campground. Settle in after a dinner of burgers and dogs from the grill and listen for the sound of tumbling water coming from Daniel Creek Falls.

Saturday Morning: Head down the Waterfall Trail for a brisk morning hike. You’ll descend about a half-mile of steps into the gorge to the base of the Upper and Lower Daniel Creek Falls. The Upper Falls drops 100 feet over a sheer cliff and tumbles into a crystal blue pool-the perfect spot for a breakfast of granola bars and coffee. If you rise early enough, you’ll beat the crowds.

Saturday Day: Hike the West Rim Trail, a 4.8-mile loop that takes you in and around the canyon. It’s frequently voted by hikers as one of the best trails in the country. The rocky, rooty trail offers more views than a peep show, and it should take you the better part of the day. You’ll descend to the bottom of the gorge and cross Daniel Creek before climbing to the west rim of the canyon. Once on the rim, you’ll explore mixed hardwood forests with plenty of picnic spots.

Saturday Night: Head in to Chattanooga for dinner at Sticky Fingers (800-784-2597), which boasts the best ribs in the city. Meander around Market Street’s pubs and shops at the heart of downtown before heading back to camp.

Sunday: You’ll probably want to skip breakfast because you’ll be hang gliding today. Lookout Mountain Flight Park is one of the best hang gliding schools in the world and Lookout Mountain is a top destination for those looking to defy gravity. The instructors will get you 2,000 feet in the air on your first tandem flight, or you can opt for the 65-foot beginner’s hill. Can you think of any better way to experience fall’s bounty than from the rig of a hang glider? (706-398-3541, www.hanglide.com.)