Ashi

Hi,
I plan to be in White Mountain in the Morning of 10/10. Is it too late for the Foliage? If so where should I go?
I and fighting back on the 10/12. Any recommendations?
Thanks,
Ashi

FlyFish

You mean the White Mountains of NH, right? If so, that date should be just about peak foliage south of the notches and at the low to moderate elevations, maybe a bit past peak further north or higher up. If you're interested in a short hike that's well worth the effort, drive up through Crawford Notch on Rt. 302 and park at the old train station (now an Appalachian Mountain Club facility) on the left at the head of the notch. Pick up the A-Z trail that crosses the railroad tracks heading west and bear left, following signs to Mt. Willard, in a few hundred yards. (You can get more detailed directions at the train station). After a very casual hike of less than an hour you'll come out on the cliffs above the Notch with what is generally regarded as the best view for the least effort in the Whites. It is spectacular. Then continue north on 302, pick up Rt. 3 west in Twin Mountain, then I-93 south through Franconia Notch (sans Old Man, sadly) and thence back to Boston (I assume that's where you arrive/depart from).

Dreamer2

You should be able to see plenty of "foliage." A little more detail would be helpful. Are you flying in/out from Manchester? Where are you staying? Perhaps the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods? If you have time, the Kearsarge Indian Museum off Rt. 89 in Warner, NH would be a nice detour with pretty foliage on your drive north. Less of a hike than that described above, and more of a "walk" through a groomed forest trail, is Lost River in Lincoln, NH. You could also take the gondola up Loon Mt for some nice views.

Ashi

Hi,
I am flying in on the night of the October 7 to NH Manchester, and spending the 8 and the 9 in Main cost and Acadia NP. Then I plan to drive to the White Mountains to see some foliage. I have a flight back on the morning of October 12.
Haven?t booked my Hotels (inn) in NH yet.
I never had been in this side of the world so I will appreciate any advice.
Thanks
Ashi

FlyFish

As (I hope) you're already aware, that's a lot of driving, particularly in New England where the major roads tend to be north/south rather than east/west. Anyway, if you look at the map you'll see that there are basically two major roads back into the White Mtn. area from Maine - Rte. 2 (to the north) and Rte. 302 (to the south). I strongly recommend you use Rte. 2 - Rte. 302 brings you in through North Conway and you definitely do not want to be going through North Conway on a fall weekend unless you really like stop-and-go (mostly stop) traffic.

Rte. 2 will bring you in through the Shelburne birches, a particularly scenic area. From there you can take Rte. 16 south through Pinkham Notch, with great views of Mt. Washington and the Presidentials - then you can head back north on Rte. 302 as described in my earlier post (finishing up on I-93 south takes you straight back to Manchester). That route will encompass all three of the major notches (mountain passes) in the area. I'm afraid you're likely to run into a bit of traffic wherever you go, but that should avoid the worst of it.

The Mount Washington Hotel is north of Crawford Notch by about 15 minutes or so - it's a magnificent place, but a bit on the expensive side. Less pricey, but still very nice, is the Franconia Inn in Franconia - about the same distance north of Franconia Notch just off I-93. You had best book something soon - fall weekends in that area fill up early. You may want/need to run your trip in reverse - hitting the Whites in mid-week and saving the less busy Maine coast for the weekend.

Ashi

Hi,
Thanks for the Help!
I will run the reverse Idea with my girlfriend.
Originally we thought its better to be in White Mountain Sunday night and all Monday compare to Thursday night and all Friday.
Don?t you agree?
Ashi

FlyFish

Ashi, my choice would be to start in the Whites and then do the Maine coast. As I mentioned above, the first part of October is prime time in the mountains and you can avoid the worst of it by not also being there on a weekend. I also just realized that Columbus Day is celebrated on the 11th, making it a long weekend for many. Let me emphasize again that you need to get your lodging reservations as soon as possible. While there will be some effect on the coast as well, I don't think it will be as much of a problem for you there in terms of traffic and lodging. Also, I don't know where you're flying in from, but you can be in the White Mountain area in about an hour from the Manchester airport on good and easy to follow roads, which is a consideration after a long flight (unless you just plan to stay near the airport, of course). The part of Maine that you're planning to visit will be a few hours at least from Manchester.

Ashi

Hi,
Yes based on your advice we will do the "reverse" option. Thank you!!
Does sleeping in the first night in Jackson or Glen look reasonable?

FlyFish

Hi Ashi. By "first night" do you mean the night you arrive or the next night? If you mean the first night, I wouldn't recommend going that far - if you follow (in reverse) the route I recommended that means you'd have something like 2 hrs. of driving and would pass through both Franconia and Crawford Notches in the dark. It would be better to stay either close to Manchester or perhaps go as far north as Plymouth/Ashland (on I-93) or Laconia (just off I-93 on Lake Winnepesaukee), saving the best mountain scenery for the next day. If you're talking about the second night, then the Jackson/Glen area would be about right, leaving you plenty of time for liesurely sightseeing with stops to explore the mountains (perhaps taking the tram up Cannon Mountain, on the west side of Franconia Notch or visiting the Flume) on the way.

Ashi

Hi,
Sorry I meant the second night.
Here is my ( revised and reversed) Plan
First night - Manchester
Second night - Jackson
Third night - Between NH and Main (maybe Bangor maybe betlham)
Forth night - Bar harbor
Fifth night - Manchester.

Should I book somtiong for the third night or jest drive and find somting on the road ?
Ashi

FlyFish

That looks like a pretty good itinerary, Ashi. You should be able to make the Bangor area, or even all the way to Bar Harbor, easily enough from Jackson and there are likely to be lots of smaller motels available, so if you don't mind staying in a place like that you should be OK without reservations. Since your Jackson to Bangor day is pretty much a "driving day" anyway a very scenic detour would be to take Rt. 17 North from Rumford, then loop through Rangeley on Rt. 16, rejoining Rte 2 around Skowhegan. It will add a couple of hours to the trip, but it's very beautiful (sometimes referred to as "the Switzerland of Maine") with a high probability that you'll see one or more moose.

Ashi

Great. Any recomendation on places to stay at JAckson or glan ?
Thnaks Again
Ashi

FlyFish

The Bernerhof Inn in Glen is a very picturesque Victorian place with a good restaurant - at least it was good several years ago when I was last there. There are numerous Inns in Jackson - the ones I'm familiar with and which have good reputations (though I haven't actually stayed at any of them) are Eagle Mountain House, Dana Place Inn, Inn at Thorn Hill, and Christmas Farm Inn. If you Google up Glen or Jackson you'll be able to get emails or phone numbers for them and there'll be several others to choose from.

Also, don't forget about the Mt. Washington Hotel (if you can afford a splurge). It's located about 30 min. north of Glen, so would fit in with your itinerary and it's really a special sort of place.

Dreamer2

The Lodge at Jackson Village is very clean and comfortable. Not particularly "charming," but very conveneient, and perhaps a bit more reasonable than some of the others.

Ashi

Hi,
Do you mean the covered bridge motor lodge ?
Ashi

FlyFish

I believe Dreamer2 is referring to: www.lodgeatjacksonvillage.com

Dreamer2

Fly Fish is correct.
But I have stayed at the Covered Bridge, Ashi. It's not quite as new and nice, but it did include a decent breakfast. Seemed to market to a European customer base.

Ashi

well I called the Lodge and its fully booked. Also many of the places will not exept resevation for 1 night ( and friday)
I will keep looking but at this point its rather "a place to stay" and not a nice place to stay
Thnaks guys,
Ashi

FlyFish

I was afraid that might be the case. The town of Twin Mountain is between Franconia and Bretton Woods on Route 3 and has a number of smaller less-glamorous places that may have vacancies and may not have the multiple-night stay policy. Here's a link: www.twinmountain.com/lodging.php. Similarly, the towns of Gorham and Randolph, which would be a bit further beyond Jackson, may also have some places.

dfrostnh

The lakes region is just below the mountains and would offer more options. A drive through the mountains is an easy day trip. Check for vacancies in Meredith, Wolfboro, Center Harbor. Even Laconia, a small city, would be okay. Even if you have to go as far south as Concord, you are still only an hour from the mountains and the foliage will probably be better. There are small mountains in nearby towns, such as Warner and great views. Of course, the dramatic granite cliffs are further north but not that far away.