markpy

I know this is late planning, but wonder if anyone can help with 12 day itinerary to New England (New Hampshire, Vermont, Canaan, Ct.). Will be staying in Canaan Ct. for 2 or 3 nights visiting friends. No kids, enjoy hiking, relaxed dining, antiquing. Possibilities include flying into Montreal, stay for a couple of nights, drive to Stowe, Vt., but then I'm uncertain where to go from there. I appreciate all suggestions.

taconictraveler

I'd consider going north from Canaan to Great Barrington which has good restaurants and some antiques. Then north to Williamstown which has three good museums in the area: the Clark, the Williams College Museum of Art, and a few miles away, Mass. MOCA, in North Adams.

I woukd then keep going north to Vermont, maybe across Route 2 to Route 100 which goes north thru Vermont, or over to route 91, north along the Conn. River, and choose some of the lovely towns in VT or NH. Hard to go wrong. Others can, I hope, give you good local restaurants and hikes. Have fun.

Dukey1

I would second the idea of using Vt. Rte 100

Ackislander

Bring your passport on the chance that if the weather is lousy in VT or NH you might want to go to Montreal,

If you are driving a US rental car, you might want to leave it in Burlington and take the bus. If it is your own car, get a free Canada insurance card from your company at home. Otherwise, all the advice so far is excellent.

Dukey1

If Montreal is not an absolute, are you willing to fly into Burlington or even into Manchester, NH?

azzure

If you're talking about early October, it might be tough to get hotel reservations as that is prime "leaf peeping" season.

Vttraveler

You don't say exactly when you plan to visit other than October. Peak foliage in north central Vt (Stowe) would usually be the first week in October. Foliage peaks later farther south in the state.

Vttraveler

Also, flying into Montreal and then driving to the US would probably be expensive. Lots of people find air fare to Burlington with car rental there to be more affordable.

markpy

Thanks for your recommendations. I'd prefer to fly into Montreal (2 nights stay), simply because of nonstop flight availability. So doing some mapping online, seems Stowe would be about 2 hour drive from Montreal. So with just one more stopover (for 2 or 3 nights) before heading to Canaan, where would you suggest? I prefer larger hotels as opposed to B&B's. Great Barrington will be visited from Canaan, so I prefer not staying there.

Ackislander

Sorry, I misread your Montreal bit.

It is a couple of hours to Stowe, depending on the border crossing, but that sort of misses the point. The reason you go to VT or NH is to drive the little back roads. You could get from Burlington to Stowe faster on the interstate but it wouldn't be the same as going through Smugglers Notch.

I agree with Azzure that you had better be on the phone tonight looking for lodging. It will not be easy, I think unless you are both lucky and easily satisfied. I did a trip report about traveling to the area in September last year -- not peak season -- and not being able to find a room within fifty (50) miles of Stowe on a weekend.

Finally, are you going to drive from Montreal to Canaan, then driving back to Montreal to leave the car and fly home?

dfrostnh

I nominate either Manchester NH or Portsmouth NH for a 2-3 day visit. Both have a lot of great restaurants to choose from and if you get some rainy weather, there will be other things you can do. About halfway between them on Rt 4 is Antique Alley in Northwood NH with a bunch of antique shops. You could do a short detour to Flagg Hill Winery and Distillery for a tasting. Both cities have large hotels. Portsmouth would give you a better choice of casual seafood restaurants. Manchester has a better choice of ethnic restaurants.

You can do a stop along the way for some hiking in the White Mountains or do some easier, smaller mountains further south. i.e. If you take I89 from VT to NH (interstate but pretty drive) get off in New London NH and head to the state park in Wilmot. There's a nice drive up Mt Kearsarge with a picnic area and views at the top. It won't be as spectacular as Mt Washington but is very nice. You can hike the rest of the way to the top. Or go up the mountain from the Warner side. To continue your drive, head to Warner and then take Rt 103 to Concord NH stopping off at Gould Hill Orchard for apples and scenery. You can get back on I89 or continue to downtown Concord NH then either Manchester or Portsmouth from there. If you decide on Portsmouth, do not follow gps directions to take Rt 101. This is a limited access hwy that is mostly boring even if the foliage is colorful. Take I393 to Rt 4 which goes thru Antique Alley and then continue to Portsmouth. The most scenic part is from Durham past Wagon Hill Farm and then over the bridges that go over Great Bay. If the weather is good, check the schedule for Portsmouth Harbor and inland rivers cruises.

MainerGirl

In Vermont, head to Stowe or Burlington. Both have great foliage opportunities and great restaurants. There is lots to do including hiking, shopping, and eating.

In NH, head up to North Conway area or Lincoln area. Both are near the White Mountain Nation Forest. For scenic drives, head down the Kancamangus Highway, go to the Highland Center in Crawford Notch, and the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. Some great easier hikes with great foliage views are Mt. Willard, Lonesome Lake, Zealand Falls, and Arethusa Falls.

Portsmouth and Mach are larger towns but their foliage won't be that great compared to the mountains!

My blog post of great easy hikes in White Mountains, NH: http://thefreelanceadventurer.blogsp...mountains.html

My blog post about hiking to waterfalls in Stowe area: http://thefreelanceadventurer.blogsp...s-vermont.html

My blog post about great fall hikes in New England: http://thefreelanceadventurer.blogsp...milyhikes.html


Have fun and safe travels!

markpy

As usual with planning, there have been slight modifications. I decided to bypass Montreal, so am taking your advice and flying into Burlington, VT and driving to Stowe for 4 nights. I noted Manchester VT is pretty much halfway between Stowe and Canaan, but noted above that Manchester NH was recommended by dfrostnh. My questions: Is 4 days too long for Stowe (I was able to get hotel reservations)? And for hiking White Mountains, is Manchester VT (instead of NH) a reasonable option?

Vttraveler

I would think you could find enough to do in Stowe including going over to the Burlington area if you are interested in that. Shelburne Museum and Shelburne farms are both good destinations. And if you have your passports with you, you could drive easily drive into the Eastern Townships of Quebec

Manchester, VT would have hikes in the Green, not White mountains. It does make sense as a stop along your way to Canaan.

Ackislander

Have you got a place to stay in Stowe?

dfrostnh

It's almost a three hour drive from Manchester VT to Franconia NH. Too far unless you want to get up at 5am. It's the long drive back that would be a killer.

There are other places you can hike that would be closer to Manchester VT like Mt Monandnock area and Mt Sunapee. I actually like these areas better (I'm not hiker). Check to see if there's a hawk watch in the Monadnock area while you are here. It might be too late in the season.

markpy

Thanks, have reservations in Stowe and Manchester, VT, still need somewhere between Manchester and Canaan for 2 nights. Thinking of Lenox, MA which is only a short drive to our final stop of Canaan. Any hotel recommendations in Lenox?
Travel planning is not so easy. Maybe I should try a travel agent next trip, but I enjoy the researching part and your advice has been so helpful.

sandragoodlife

Mark - since your staying in Manchester VT be sure to visit the hiking trails behind the Equinox Hotel. The hotel has a nice map that details the trails - from an easy 1 mile loop around the pond to the more difficult trek up Mt. Equinox. Not into hiking? you can take the toll road up to the top of Mt. Equinox, stroll around the top and enjoy the view.

Also the Lincoln family home, Hildene is worth a stop - the house is open to tour and the grounds are outstanding...with lots of trails for walking. There is also a refurbished Pullman railroad car and goat dairy on the property.

Sunday - the town of Dorset has a great farmers market - we love to visit and get fresh produce, maple syrup and honey. It's held all year round - in the winter it moves into the JD Adams building.

Enjoy your trip and especially Vermont.