schnauzer

To get over my post holiday blues I have started to think about my next trip. I would like to come to the USA, in particular the east coast to see the autumn colours and also I would like to see Savanah and perhaps Charlestown. My lovely friend Sue has also asked me to visit her in Portland Oregon with a side trip to Seattle.

Like Australia the distances are huge and I need help with driving vs flying and which direction I should follow.

Research has told me the colours are anywhere from last week in September to 3rd week October and that year by year this is changing. I am thinking of flying into Portland first then heading to opt 1) Seattle, then Savanah and working my way north. Would I then fly from Charlestown to Vermont? For some reason I fancy Vermont. Or opt 2) Portland, Seattle, Vermont then south. Should I add Boston? And of course have always fancied Montreal and or Quebec.

I would be looking at no more than three weeks total. I have looked at an Inn to Inn walking tour, has anyone done this? I am very open to suggestions as it it early days. Hardly over the jet lag!

Can anyone give me some help? Would driving from Charleston to New Englad be too far for that time frame?

Thanks in advance
Schnauzer

Gretchen

The fall foliage in New England is stunningly beautiful, with the number of red maples, in particular, that are in their forests. Hillsides look like they are on fire!!
Is this for this year? If you go to New England, reservations and early ones will be a must.
Charleston to Vermont IS a hike/distance, and through a lot of metropolitan centers. But there is also a lot to see enroute, if you want.

suewoo

And be aware: there's very litle fall color along the coasts. The presttiest trees grow in coller climates.

Charleston to New England is a long drive through some urban trafficy areas.

schnauzer

Great...responses already! Thanks... It would be for next year. Is flying from Charlestown to Boston a good idea?

AAFrequentFlyer

Take the train from Charleston to Boston. You will get to see much of the countryside and folliage along the way without worrying about driving.

And if you do have the time, take the train from Boston to Seattle. That route will showcase the country in every which way. The train trip will take about 2-3 days from the east coast to the west coast.

Get a roomette, don't care about the delays, and you will experience US in a way that even driving can't replicate.

www.amtrak.com

Have a wonderful trip!

schnauzer

Could I catch the train from Seattle to Savanah? Am I correct in thinking I should do the south after Portland and then the north? I am thinking weather wise....

garyt22

If you have the time, consider flying into Portland to visit Sue... then head north to Seattle... You could then train across a portion of Canada on the Rocky Mountaineer... then fly from Calgary to Montreal or Quebec... fly to Boston and drive south along eastern America for two or three days and end up in Atlanta for the flight home... Its a very aggressive schedule covering thousands of kilometers but it can be done... have fun!

AAFrequentFlyer

Yes you can. You will need to connect 2-3 times. Seatlle or San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C. or something similar. The trip will take few days but you will see/experience the country.

nytraveler

No - I would do the south last - otherwise it can still be get unpleasantly hot when you get there.

And sorry, I would not do trains, Amtrak is not very pleasant for longer trips - always late, poor food and not even a place to shower for days at a time - unless you keep getting off to see specific areas. And while there are some parts of the route that are pretty - there are a whole lot that are noting special.

I would do the northwest first - and then fly into Boston and tour New England from there by car - then head south - by train if you want. It is certainly possible to drive all the way - but you will have to skirt several major cities (no, you won't have time to visit NY, Philly or DC) and spend a lot of time from traffic.

Keith

The fall colors in Michigan's Upper Peninsula are spectacular.

irishswampyankee

I would fly from Seattle or Portland to Boston, then drive west along Rt 2 in MA out to the Berkshires, then head north into VT along Rt. 100 which is a lovely drive. You could then choose to drive back to Boston through VT/NH and fly to Charleston/Savannah or fly there from Burlington, VT. I suspect there would be an expensive drop-ff fee to leave your car in a different place than where you got it. I believe it is only about a 4 hr drive from Burlington, VT to Boston along Rts 89 and 93. The drive from Boston to Charleston/Savannah along Rt 95 is nasty, loaded with traffic and trucks and not at all scenic and you would again have a drop off fee for the car. I don't do trains either. They can be unpleasant and expensive overnight. Just my opinion.

HappyTrvlr

To help you plan, the airports you can use to get to Vermont are Boston; Burlington, Vermont; Albany, NY and a little farther south, Hartford, Connecticut. I travel to Vermont frequently and have used all of them depending on which part of the state I want to travel to first.
You can also take Amtrak from New York City's Penn Station to Albany, NY and some trains go up into VT. This is a beautiful ride along the Hudson River. You can have a rental car delivered to the Albany train station.
As mentioned in another post above, Rt.100 in Vermont is a beautiful drive.

Ackislander

I would make a brief trip to the Pacific Northwest, then fly to Montreal. Take the bus across the border to Burlington, Vt.

Rent a car there and follow the color south along the mountains all the way to Asheville, NC. Visit the Great Smoky Mountains, then head out of fall color into summer again by driving to Charleston and then Savannah. You may find it more advantageous to fly back to the West Coast from Jacksonville, Florida, than from Charleston or Savannah

None of this inland route exposes you to the urban congestion of Interstate 95 or the Boston to Washington Corridor.

If you like this idea, I can provide more specifics of routes and sites along the way. You won't even need to book ahead south of Massachusetts until you get to Charleston. Well, perhaps on the weekends.

schnauzer

I can see there are heaps of different options available to me. Interesting that I should do Savanah at the end. If I was to fly between major cities is three weeks going to be long enough to get a good idea of the places I have mentioned. Of course that sounds like one of "those" questions, so maybe I should ask how long do I need to see Portland, Seattle, Vermont, maybe Boston, Nantucket, Savanah and Charleston? Not rushing but not dawdling either.

I think I need to do a lot more research and come back and ask some more questions. But anymore tips, ideas and general info is most appreciated.

Thanks Schnauzer

Ackislander

I think a week for the Pacific Northwest and with friends.

Ten days down the Appalachian Mountains for the scenery and color with a few side trips to historic and natural sites.

Two days in Charleston, day and a half in Savannah.

You don't have time to see Boston or Nantucket and the fall color and Charleston and Savannah stuff and Portland/Seattle.

Dukey1

You are not going to see a lot of fall colors in the southern US and even in parts of the mid-Atlantic in late September or even at the beginning of October. North of New York, maybe.

LATER in October you'll see more color...from the train? No, since it doesn't go anywhere near higher elevations between Charleston/Savannah and New York.

The traditional "peak" of Fall colors in New England is around Columbus Day in early October and even then it can be very dicey depending on how much rain has fallen, etc.

There are "color monitors" on the web for Fall Foliage that you can check.

opaldog

I think that nytraveler has a good plan for your trip. I live in Massachusetts so I think that Boston would be a nice city to visit. I love it. I would also mostly avoid trains, as I would also avoid driving the Interstate 95 corridor down the east coast. It's a mess! Colors peak in NE the beginning to mid October, keep that in mind if it's the colors you are looking for. I love the coast of Massachusetts, which would include Boston. It's not the foliage tour, but after Labor Day, much less crowded.

schnauzer

I have had a chat with my travelling chum and she doesn't want to go to Montreal or Quebec but mentioned New York if we had any extra time. I am thinking 10 days through New Hampshire and Vermont, will this be enough time to get a good look at foliage, covered bridges, some walking, cute towns and a general overview. We really only want a total of three weeks. One week in Portland and Seattle with travel time. Leaving us 2 weeks for the rest. Should we just stick with a couple of nights in Boston instead of New York. We have both been before - NY but donkeys years ago.

Lonely planet has offered some quite good driving itineraries and the foliage forum also. Research continues.....

Anymore suggestions are welcome. Also does anyone have good suggestions for which towns to stay in for the foliage etc. we don't want to be on the move every couple of nights, so only 2/3 places max. Or does that make for too much driving each day? The distances don't look huge... but ...

I have thought of Waitsfield, Waterbury or Stowe, any comments? or perhaps Lincoln in New hampshire. We want a B and B, with character.

Savanah and Charlestown may have to wait for another time.

Gardyloo

In the west autumn color is as much a function of elevation as latitude - autumn comes earlier the higher up the mountains you go (well, duh.)

I think limiting your time to New England and Portland/Seattle is a good idea given your limited time. Savannah and Charleston are gorgeous, but to me they're better experienced in the spring than the fall. Charleston in the spring takes your breath away.

You'll be pretty lucky to see much autumn foliage anywhere in the west before the first of October, with the exception of high altitude in the Cascades or Rockies, or Alaska. And there the colors will be mainly yellows - only the vine maples go red-red like their cousins in New England.

However, Portland and Seattle have some terrific areas close by where the early autumn is pretty wonderful. In Oregon, the Hood River Valley, which runs from the (awesome) Columbia River Gorge up to (equally awesome) Mount Hood, is orchard country, and late September will still be harvest time. (Just imagine this picture in yellows and reds instead of pinks - http://gardyloo.us/20100509_85a.jpg ).

The same goes for the mountain passes and east slope of the Cascade mountains in Washington, where the apples will be red and ready - http://gardyloo.us/20101017_50s2.JPG

I would fly from the east coast to Portland; it's inexpensive and your schedule is already a bit crowded.

In terms of fave places from which to venture out to see fall color in New England, we're very big fans of Portsmouth NH. The city is very walkable and lovely, and it's convenient for excursions into New Hampshire or Maine, while still being only a short drive from Boston.