chazman

For years I have promised my wife a trip to see the New England Fall Foliage and now we have the opportunity to be in Boston around October 2-3. Either before or afterwards, I would like to spend 3-4 days touring northern New England. I would really appreciate any ideas on routes, itineraries and lodging.

volcanogirl

We stayed on Cape Elizabeth at the Inn by the Sea near Portland, Maine one October, and the colors were absolutely amazing up there.

bm

You'll want to head north. Mid Vermont/NH would be your best bet. Woodstock VT is about 2hours from Boston (assuming no traffic) and would be a good place to base your stay. If you get to Woodstock and foliage still has not hit "peak" yet, you can take day trips north.

Hubster

White Mountains National Forest. Take the Kancamagus Hwy, the Loon Mtn tram, the Mt Washington Auto Road or Cog Railway, visit the historical Mt Washington Hotel. Check out Attitash Mtn Lodging, just outside N. Conway.

Word of warning: if your traveling during the week the roads will be quieter, compared to the traffic and crowds on the weekend.

dfrostnh

Right after would be my choice. Once you get north of Manchester NH, even the scenery on the interstate looks pretty good. Keep in mind Vermont tends to be more hilly with some beautiful open farmland, whereas NH has the beautiful White Mountains (Rt 93 cuts right thru). I suggest to combine leaf peeping with another goal. Visit some specialty shops for some early Christmas shopping, find local cheeses, visit wineries, or whatever. Yankee Magazine usually has some suggested routes on their website. You could take a foliage cruise on Lake Winnipesaukee in NH (mountains in the distance) or Portsmouth NH (coastal). You might hit Portsmouth first for one night (it's only about an hour or so from Boston) and then head inland for 2 or 3 nights.
Both Woodstock VT and Conway NH are beautiful but keep in mind they could be the places jammed with visitors because they are so popular. I live on a quiet country road which doesn't see much extra traffic during foliage season yet only a few miles away the interstate is bumper to bumper during certain hours esp. Sunday afternoons. It will really help if you are coming mid-week.

djkbooks

I would also recommend after. Head for the White Mountains of NH, or the Green Mountains of VT.

Our favorite routes (that early in the foliage season) are Routes 2 and 302. In both directions!

Dukey

Rte 100 in Vermont.

adnil1962

The White Mountains in NH - drive the Kangamangus Highway and stay in the quaint town of Jackson.

chazman

Thanks djkbooks and Dukey for your favorite routes. What segments do you suggest for Routes 2 and 302 in NH and Route 100 in VT?