mrjanto

I'm trying to make plans for a fall trip to view fall foliage in the Northeast. I'm using frequent flyer miles and the best destination I could get was Portland, Maine. I figure I can drive wherever the foliage is best once I get there. My question is how do you plan your lodging for a fall foliage trip if you don't want to stay in hotel chains. All the guidebooks say book your lodging early, but what happens if I book northern Vermont trip and the peak foliage is in Connecticutt at the time? My sister recommends booking a hotel chain stay so that I can cancel it and then booking a bed and breakfast stay closer to my trip. I just wonder what the availability is going to be at the time that I determine the location of the peak foliage at the time of my trip.

rizzo0904

What week are you coming? That will help to narrow down where the peak foliage is likely to be.

Portland is a nice town. There is lots to do...spend a day there.

Your sister is right that the hotels fill up early. I would make reservations now so that you have a place to stay. Then you can cancel them later. But I need more info to help you.

Anonymous

If you tell us your travel dates we'll help you play the odds. I personally favor choosing a place that's central to the average peak for your dates but handy to a highway that can get you to places that usually peak earlier and later.

You sister's strategy of booking a B&B as your travel date approaches is likely to fail, since so many other people would have the same idea.

tracys2cents

The popular spots fill up but there are lots of mom-and-pops and out-of-the-way B&B's in New England, if you're not too fussy you can always find something, especially weeknights. Fall is busy but not as busy as summer, the chains tend to fill up with tour groups but the smaller places, you can probably book something now and find something closer to the peak about two weeks ahead of time, cancelling your first spot. As long as you don't mind a drive..you can always find something within 30 minutes or so, and who could mind a nice drive at this time of year?

As for planning ahead, well, if you're fixed on Rangeley Maine or Conway NH and nothing else will do, then yes you need to book way ahead. But if you're at all flexible, don't panic.

mrjanto

My travel dates are Oct 8-13. I'm flexible on destination, seeing peak foliage is a high priority. I'd like to stay at one better bed and breakfast while I'm there but it looks like I'd have to book early for that. The rest of the time, I'd be content with whatever is available. So I feel the best bet to get a nicer place is to book in advance in southern New Hampshire or Vermont after the Portland stay. Ideally I'd like to spend one day in Portland. Spend the next night (9th) in southern Vermont. Spend the next 2 nights in Northern Vermont and spend the last night in central New Hampshire (Conway?). Is this reasonable or will I just always be on the road trying to make it to my next destination? Will I have time to do something each day besides drive?

Anonymous

Northern Vermont will almost certainly be well past peak by your travel dates. Four different places in 5 nights is indeed to much running around, anyway. Since "leaf peeping" consists mostly of driving, there's no need to relocate so much. For those dates, I'd recommend that you just book in southern or central NH, or perhaps two nights in NH and two in VT. Since your travel dates start on the Sunday night of Columbus Day weekend, the height of foliage tourist travel, your choices for accommodations are probably going to be very limited.

mrjanto

Thanks for the advice. I always spend too much time driving on my trips and regret it. I need to spend more time seeing things while I'm there.

Lena456

We had really good luck leaf peeping last year by booking into a not too expensive Marriott 10 miles outside of Boston and using that as a base for day trips. We got to see more foliage than we had expected and there was no problem making the reservation a few weeks before we went up there; I don’t know if this was unusual for that time of year but it worked for us.

Carol
Editor - Lowfares.com
http://www.lowfares.com

bm

I would suggest staying in the White River Jct VT/Lebanon NH area for the NH/VT portion of your trip. It's a central location for daytripping to Southern Vermont and the Monadnock Region of NH. Try Woodstock or Quechee, VT as well. It's a fairly easy trip back to Portland from there.
Hope you have a great trip!

dfrostnh

Except for last year, peak foliage in central NH and VT is usually around Columbus Day weekend. I think BM's advice to pick someplace in the White River Junction/Lebanon area is excellent. If foliage is early you can drive south. If it's late you can head north. Go with your first night or two in Portland and then drive thru the White mountains as long as it's not the holiday Monday. If you drive on Monday, expect heavy traffic and backups when everyone is heading south/home from the weekend. For example, our son came south from Lancaster NH today (Monday of Memorial Day weekend) and avoided heavy traffic by crossing over into VT, taking Rt 91 south and then east to Concord NH area. We drove over to the Woodstock VT area on Sunday and saw very little traffic. OTH Friday had heavy traffic northbound the entire day made worse by an accident on Rt 16 in the Conway area and heavy rain in the Plymouth NH area.
I'd like to recommend the VT Atlas and Gazeteer which you will be able to get at any bookstore in New England. It is oversized but contains every road and location of waterfalls and covered bridges. We have one for NH and Maine as well. Use this guide to find the side roads most people miss. We used it to find a lovely perennial nursery near Woodstock. We made a loop back to Woodstock traveling mostly on gravel roads thru beautiful horse farm country. I doubt if CT will have peak foliage that week. If it is, well CT is only 2 hours down the interstate. Keep in mind that peak foliage is going to vary even within a 10 mile radius depending on elevation and type of tree. A lot of VT and NH is hilly. Even the same tree is not breathtakingly beautiful every year. Enjoy the search. I bet you will end the week seeing a lot of great foliage and won't be able to decide which location was the best.

mrjanto

Thank you everyone for the great advice. I like the idea to stay in Lebanon area, but I will be leaving Portland on the holiday Monday and I thought I would plan to go through the White Mtns on the way to Lebanon. So if I want to avoid the White Mtns that day, what sightseeing things do you recommend that we can see in between viewing foliage en route to Lebanon area?

Cvechko

Good luck hitting the dates exactly. We have gorgeous fall foliage in WV, especially in the Canaan Valley area. While you can hit date of the peak within 2-3 weeks, you can never predict months in advance when the peak will be.

hersey

We are planning on a trip to Vermont this fall also and was planning on the 3-13 is this too late for foilage? Also I have checked into purchasing the Vt Atlas and Gazeteer before we come there and was looking on ebay for it and there is a 1996 edition there, do these really to out of date?

We were in Alaska in 2000 and had that year's milepost and it was a godsend and that is why I was interested in this VT atlas when I saw dfrostnh's post about it.

hersey

I think that it would help if I put in the month that we are planning on coming- it is Oct. 3-13

Pat2003

hersey, October 3-13 is an ideal time to be in Vermont. Don't buy a 1996 edition, just a good map is sufficient for visiting this beautiful area

bm

Regarding the 1996 map..don't get it. In 96-97 Vermont implemented state-wide enhanced 911 which led to a lot of road naming & road name changes. An up to date map is best.