Fall Color Trip for 4 days
 

I have never seen Fall colors in my life but this year I would like to experience this. I plan to make a 4 day trip around late-Sept/early-October. The plan is to just rent a car and drive around enjoying the Fall colors and hopefully take some good pictures.

I know there are too many places to experience this....what I am looking for are:
1. seeing the entire spectrum of Fall colors, not only yellow
2. where I can drive around, without too much traffic
3. where i can comfortably complete my target locations in 4 days without rushing.

What places would you suggest for this? Any help is really appreciated!

Z

Check out Yankee Magazine's recommendations for scenic foliage drives in New England. First week of October would be best. We're seeing the beginning. New England has all the colors. You probably should avoid NH's White Mountains because everyone will be there. Get a good road map. The very best is the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer for each state which shows every road, including seasonal, plus locations of waterfalls, covered bridges, etc. You could pick a central location like Concord NH, a small city with a lovely downtown, and do a day trip in each direction. One nice route is drive out Pleasant St which becomes Rt 103 thru Hopkinton, Contoocook, Warner. On the way stop at Gould Hill Orchards for heirloom apples and a nice view. Go thru Bradford, Sutton and up to New London. Take the auto road up Mt Kearsarge to Winslow State Park. Great views from the picnic area, could be very windy. If you want to hike, you can take the steep trail to the top. If it's not a weekend, you might not see anyone. In Sutton take the road up to Musterfield Farm. There's a small farmstand. It's an interesting place if they are having an event.
The Merrimack River is very low this year because of the drought. I went kayaking about a month ago with a friend. What an amazing trip even though it's an area I drive by every day. There are bald eagles nesting near the river, lots of quiet, private beaches to get out on. You can rent a kayak and have them drop you off in Boscawen and take out in Penacook. Might be weekends only now. If you're interested in kayaking, it's a great time and place for a beginner.
If you avoid commuting hours esp Friday afternoons, even I93 in NH isn't bad and provides some dramatic views should you decide to go to the mountains.
From Concord, it's a easy drive to Portsmouth for a great boat cruise. The parking garage is within walking distance of the dock. We have not had problems driving Rt 4 but some Fodorites have. There can be congestion in the area of Northwood antique shops but mid-day, mid-week shouldn't be a problem. Really nice approach to Portsmouth over Great Bay bridges. Rt 1B thru Newcastle is lovely.
There are plenty of quiet roads. A good map will show state highways which will have much less traffic than the interstates. Even in foliage season there's not much traffic past our house!

Although much of New England and New York has beautiful foliage, Vermont and New Hampshire are usually considered the best, especially for late September & early October. Because of the mix of trees, you'll see reds, oranges and yellows covering the mountains. There are so many places in these states. I've lived here for over 30 years and am I still uncovering new places to explore.
Here are a few towns in both state that are in beautiful areas, and would make good bases:

Vermont - Woodstock, Stowe, Middlebury, Grafton, Waitsfield, Manchester.
New Hampshire - Jackson, Wolfeboro, Lyme, New London, Littleton.


It's hard to just list a few towns, since nearly all of these two states are very scenic, except for the heavily developed area around Nashua-Manchester New Hampshire. Some small towns (like Woodstock Vt) will be touristy and busy, but drive out on the dirt roads and you'll see some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere.

We love the Hudson Valley in early October... Usually try to catch the West Point Homecoming Football weekend... it combines an amazing historical site with fantastic Fall colors, a sporting event, and insight to one of our Military Academys... not far from NYC and you could continue north into New England... have fun

Wow, thank you very much for the response guys! Really appreciate it. Shall look up New England, Vermont and New Hampshire.

What about Colorado though? Is that not a good destination for seeing Fall colors? I thought there is so much hype around CO for Fall colors, does it not make the cut for the top five picks for Fall colors in the US?

As mentioned on other similar threads, Colorado colors can't compare to Northeast. Aspens mostly in the mountains, and they are only yellow and they are already starting to change.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-and-where.cfm

Thanks for the help folks. I am almost set with the trip, wanted to have some feedback regarding which dates would be best:

Sept29th-Oct2
Oct4-Oct7th

End of Sept to early October seems to be the best times from what I read on here, so I'm guessing both are about the same?

I'm targeting NH for 3 days, is that going to be enough you think or should I try to extend the time for the visit? What do you'll recommend?

Mid to Southern VT is best on Columbus Day Weekend. Manchester area. It works its way south accordingly. Yankee Mag. has named the 3 best overall places to see the colors. Kent, CT won, much to everyone's surprise.

Your first date is probably good for the mountains in NH, the second date for further south. We've had some cold nights but it has warmed up again. Not much color change yet on Sept 20 in the Concord NH area. An occasional tree, some branches but no big color yet. It was a very dry summer.
Color changing depends on latitude, elevation and temperature. New England is small. You can get over to VT or ME or MA (even CT and RI) as day trips. Concord NH to Burlington VT (almost to Canadian border) is about 3 hours. If you are flying in and headed north on I93, you can see it change as you head north.

It is always hard to predict. Many people say foliage color will be early this year but no one really knows. There is some spot color in western MA (I was just there yesterday) and Vermont now.

The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont has a good foliage festival next week and this would be an easy area to visit if you are in New Hampshire
http://www.nekchamber.com/pages/473/September.htm

Thanks for the help guys! Got my tickets, I will have 3rd, 4th and 5th of October to explore.

Ok I checked out yankee magazine as advised by dfrostnh, here are the predictions:

Vermont Foliage: http://www.vermontvacation.com/fallf...oliage2010.asp

New Hampshire Foliage : http://foliage.visitnh.gov.ns1www.si...dex-flash.html

So this is what I was tentatively planning :

Day 1: White Mountains (10/03)

Day 2: Explore Vermont, driving north to south on Vermont (as suggested by zootsi) (10/04)

Day3: Explore south NH. With Concord as base, explore small towns to the left, town to the right, and one beach if possible (As suggested by dfrostnh, zootsi) (10/05)

Does this sound like a fairly doable plan? Any suggestions? Also, what should I not miss when visiting Vermont?

Appreciate the input, I am super excited about this trip.

another Vermont foliage web site
http://www.vermont.com/foliage.cfm

You can check back or call the foliage hot line when you are actually here.

Sounds good except there is going to be a great amount of traffic in the White Mountains on Sunday 10/03. You might do better to go on a weekday. Expect stop and go traffic southbound from the mountains in late afternoon as everyone goes home. If you are going to drive the Kanc, do it very early. There's nothing much along the way except scenery so you end up in the Conway area with tons of traffic. We live here, we hate traffic so we generally avoid the Conway area. Drove the Kanc Labor Day weekend and it was fine but N Conway was packed with people. It might be nice at 6pm on Sunday but not at noon time. We made a loop from Thornton, across the Kanc and then down to Tamworth and thru Center Sanwich/Squam Lakes area ... think it was 113A. Pretty little towns at the beginning of the mountains. I preferred this route but it doesn't have the elevation and dramatic mountain vistas of the Kanc. We expected heavy southbound traffic on I93 but we left Thornton around 11am and it was not bad at all.

If you go on Sunday, have an alternate route chosen to get back to Concord. Rt 106 from Laconia might be ok. If you get off at exit 20 (Tilton outlet malls area) you can take Rt 3 south to Boscawen, cross over river and Rt 93, take right onto Mountain Rd (rt 132). Depends on where you are staying. Staying on Rt 3 will take you to Concord's downtown Main St area. Rt 89 from VT dumps into Rt 93 just south of Concord and then all the traffic hits the toll booth in Hooksett so it's not uncommon to see traffic backed up all the way to exit 17.

You probably don't want to explore much south of Concord (southern NH is pretty built up) unless you are headed to the quiet SW corner of the state (Peterborough, Harrisville, etc). But that's the day you should go to Portsmouth.

Vermont is great. The farming area along the west side of the state along Lake Champlain is very different from NH. You'll get more open vistas. Green Mountains are much smaller than NH's White Mountains but still beautiful. From Concord to Burlington VT is approx 3 hours. Even though it's an interstate, it's still a pretty ride. You can splurge on lunch at Simon Pierce in Quechee (gorge, great building even if you don't have lunch there), walk around Woodstock (tourist mecca) or head to the Montpelier. Rt 100 is more mountainous. All very pretty.
Have fun!

pick up free Hippo Press newspaper that covers what's going on in Concord, Manchester, Nashua and Portsmouth. You might see an event you'd like to attend.

Am in Killington, VT right now. Not much color yet but it's coming so another week or 2 should make a big difference.

I am going from pa to portsmouth to camden, maine. How can I work in a stop at sugar hill for polly's pancakes???

Polly's is unique but maybe not worth the detour. Haven't been to Parker's Maple Barn in Mason NH but it sounds like a similar experience and could be on your route.

I keep hearing wonderful breakfast reports on the Friendly Toast in Portsmouth.

Maybe Polly's on your return route. Mapquest says 4 1/2 hours from Camden. After pancakes, take I93 south and then your favorite route back to PA. (we head over to Keene, then Brattleboro VT, take I91 thru western MA. Aim for Hartford CT. etc)

I need gluten free pancakes. not everyone has them.

If you come across a church chicken pie supper in Vt during foliage season, these are usually good
We will be on vacation this year when our local church has its supper and will miss it

Although most of you go north, trying going to the Boston Mountains in Arkansas for beautiful color, especially the Bella Vista and Eureka Springs area. Then if you have the time go from Fayetteville, Ark. to Ft. Smith....through the mountains. It's breathtaking with not just the "yellows", but the reds and the orange as well. You won't be disappointed if you are in this part of the country. Not much traffic at all; quite a diamond in the rough.

The Friendly Toast in Portsmouth will do gluten free for an extra $1 except for their pumpkin pancakes. I haven't been to this restaurant, just read a lot of good reports and a friend loved it.
http://www.thefriendlytoast.net/

We will be there overnight on the first. Thanks so much.

You've indicated a looking for color in New England. If you ar not tied to the northeast, there is also a lot of color to be found in the midwest. Wisconsin, Minnesota, etc. have great fall color with a mixture of maples, oaks, elms, etc.

Thanks everyone for the excellent input and for sharing the wealth of information. Dfrostnh, it is awesome to have such great input from someone local, really appreciate it. I’ve looked through the advice, so here is the tentative plan.

Trip timing: 2nd Oct (night) – 6th Oct (noon)

Vermont Foliage: http://www.vermontvacation.com/fallf...oliage2010.asp

New Hampshire Foliage : http://foliage.visitnh.gov.ns1www.si...dex-flash.html

The foliage maps predict that around the 3rd, the northern part of NH, VT and the White Mountain area will be in full swing for foliage, while this a bit early for the Lake area (better around 5th or 6th).

Since White Mountain is on the way to the North, the only option I can think of is to do White Mountain on Sunday. But I’d rather not, since I’ll probably hit heavy traffic as dfrostnh pointed out.

And regarding towns to stay in, I’m not picky about hotels, just looking for a very basic hotel to stay, so any suggestions are welcome.


Tentative Plan:

10/02/10, Saturday –

Arriving at MHT 10/02/10 around 11PM – staying at Concord/Manchester/Other suggestions?

10/03/10, Sunday –

a) do the I-93—113—112 loop (Kanc), stop at Jackson
b) possibly a lake loop around Lake Winniepesaukee, stop at Wolfsboro
c) possibly take 16 to Errol by the Androscoggin River and back to 16
d) take 16—2—3—105, spend night at Barton/ Newport/Any other town suggestions?

10/04/10, Monday –

a) take 100 to Stowe
b) possibly I-89 to Burlington and Lake Champlain and back to 100, possibly Montpelier
c) 100 to Waitsfeld, 125 to Middlebury through Green Mountain and back to 100
d) Possibly 100—11—30--Manchester(VT)
e) 100—4—Woodstock, spend night at Woodstock/New London/Any other town suggestions?

10/05/10, Tuesday –

a) check out New London, Bradford. loop around lake Sunapee
b) continue on 103, check out Winslow State park, 103 to Contocook and Hopkinton
c) check out Contocook and Blackwater river
d) Back on 4—28, loop around Lake Winniepesaukee
e) take 4—Portsmouth—1—101—Hampton State Beach, spend night in Hampton/Any other town suggestions?

10/06/10, Wednesday –

Wake up early, watch the sunrise, take 101 back to MHT, flight around 2PM



Do you’ll think this is doable in the time I have?

Thank you for your help.

I read that the Friendly Toast in Portsmouth was closed for a while over the summer by the Bd of Health after several warnings for filth, rodent droppings, incorrect food storage temps, a frig that wasn't working, dirty restrooms, etc. Ick.

always good to get lots of opinions. Here's a link to chowhound with very mixed opinions of Friendly Toast and Board of Health issues
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/729...s;results_list

I would recommend staying in Manchester since your flight arrives so late. Get an early start in the morning. Make sure you can find your hotel because some of the "airport" hotels are tucked away on side streets off Willow St, near Mall of NH. Rt 101 connects Rt 93 and 293 so if you take the Brown Road exit from the airport it can be confusing. They merge north of Manchester but if you take 293 it travels along the Merrimack River and you can see the old mills on the other side. They are now offices and restaurants. Really great renovation project. In the morning you also get a decent view of what's coming up since there's a couple of spots with a distant view of very distant mountains.

OTH The Concord hotels are right off the exit. There's 3 or 4 now, recently built or thoroughly renovated at exit 13.

I would not take the route to Errol and I wouldn't do the Kanc on Sunday unless it was early in the morning. Otherwise I would flip a coin. Staying in Portsmouth and taking a boat trip to see foliage would be ideal break from driving but it looks like there are limited trips in October. I like the Portsmouth cruise better than Lake Winnipesaukee since there is more history narration.

It was 82 deg yesterday but it looked like more color developed. It's still at the turning stage when you look at a distant view but there's quite a few trees along the road that are in full color. Sumacs are brilliant red. Even this early things are starting to look nice.

zatrams, I'll try and address some of your plans - first off you are doing waaayyy too much driving each day. Because of winding mountain roads, driving can take longer than you might expect from looking at a map.
There are several good hotels right near Manchester airport. The Highlander is a good one, and it's virtually at the airport.
The drive from Wolfeboro to Errol is a very long one. Why go up that far? There is plenty of beautiful countryside in the White Mountains. Ditto for Newport (not the most charming town).
Your drive thru Vermont is also very ambitious for one day. It is doable however. You might want to drop Middlebury & Manchester. Plenty to see in Burlington, Woodstock, Stowe.
The New London-Sunapee area is quite nice, but I'd skip Hopkinton-Contocook. Visiting Canterbury Shaker Village just above Concord might be a better option.
Although Hampton beach will be fairly quiet this time of year, it's not the most scenic area (except for the actual beach) - lots of honkey tonk geared towards teenagers. I'd explore Portsmouth, and possibly York Maine, which has a very photogenic lighthouse.

You can also get weekly reports on the Fall Foliage colors in New York state. They are put out every wednesday New York State Fall Foliage Reports. This will certainly help you to see all the colors Fall has to offer ♥

I live in Western MA and colors are certainly early this year.

I think your 10/4 day in Vermont involves too much driving. i would cut out at least the drive to the Manchester area. From Burlington you could go south on 16 east on 125 over Middlebury Gap and connect back to 100 then south to 4, east to Woodstock.
Color is now what I would call early rather than spot in north central Vt, quite pretty

I agree colors are early in western Mass this year. I drove through yesterday and the early reds are starting to show. Red maples, sugar maples, sumac and poison ivy are all starting to turn red. A little yellow mixed in from some birch.

Still mostly green, but with the dry weather and very cool nights colors will continue to change.

Thank you very much for the excellent feedback, zoosti, dfrostnh and vttraveler. I realize the point about the excessive driving and will modify the plan accordingly and post here.

I wanted to get feedback on one more aspect from you guys. I just booked the Manchester hotel for the first night as advised. Now, initial plan was to make a counter-clockwise loop in 3 days:

from White Mountain NH-North NH-North VT-Central VT-Lakes NH

but with this, I do White Mountain on Sunday as dfrostnh pointed out, which might have a lot of traffic. (Was at Sequoia National Park & Forest in the Labor day weekend, it took ~ 1 hour to find parking at any of the vista points)

So, to avoid this traffic situation (if it is that bad), if I make a clockwise loop in those 3 days, will I miss out on the VT colors? (since it is predicted to appear later than nh)

Thanks.

It's not practical to try and predict colors down to the day. Foliage usually stays peak for about a week or so, and things like altitude, soil, weather, etc is more pertinent than which state you are in. Don't drive yourself crazy - you'll see plenty of color wherever you go in NH & Vt. Just pray for good weather!
Yes the traffic can be bad in the Whites on weekends, but there are plenty of small side roads (many are gravel) that will be free of cars. Get yourself some good maps.

I agree with zootsi that the color won't change that much in a few days--unless there is a big storm and the leaves are blown down (but we certainly hope you don't encounter that).

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

Ok, incorpotating the suggestions, I have an outline. Please let me know if you think this will be doable in the time-frame I have, and without too much driving.

10/02/10 - Arrive and stay at Manchester, NH

10/03/10, Sunday -

a) Explore Portsmouth, Winnipeasaukee and Wolfeboro.
b) York, ME, if time permits.
c) Drive back in late evening/night to Littleton, spend night at Littleton

10/04/10, Monday -

a) Explore White Mountain Trail, Kanc Loop and Littleton
b) Other areas north if time permits
c) Drive back in late evening/night to Montpelier, spend night at Montpelier

10/05/10, Tuesday -

a) Explore Burlington and Stowe
b) Drive down on 100
c) Woodstock if time permits
d) Drive back in late evening/night to New London, spend night at New London

10/06/10, Wednesday -

a) Explore New London and Lake Sunapee
b) Get to MHT by 1PM


This way, I drive less, and also avoid visiting White Mountain on Sunday, avoiding stop and go traffic.

How is this plan, is this doable in your opinion? Please let me know. Thank you.

If your flight out of MHT is at 2:00, arriving "by 1PM" is cutting it too close. You need to plan to be there by 12:00 to allow time to return the rental car and in case you encounter any delays like accidents.

If you are going to see York, you definitely want to do it while near Portsmouth, not from Wolfeboro.
When driving rte 100 south in Vermont, when you get to Waitsfield, turn left onto Bridge street which turns into East Warren Road. Follow this to Brook Road to Warren. It's one of the most beautiful drives in Vermont.
Your plan sounds fine!

Thank you so much for your feedback, really appreciate.

zootsi, yes, I meant York while near Portsmouth. Thanks so much for sharing the tip about Brook road to Warren, will check it out, I look forward to it.

Ok, I have booked the hotels, Manchester, Littleton, Stowe and New London.

Anyone know of any good car rentals at or near Manchester, the standard rental companies at the airport (MHT) are still running at ~ $45/day for the compact cars! Maybe I'll have to priceline it.

I have a question for you'll regarding Portsmouth - there seems to be too many things to see in Portsmouth. Which two should I focus on, the boat tour and walk around the downtown area? I am there mainly for Fall colors, so what will be the best choices for me?

And for York, the beach is the main attraction,correct?

Portsmouth is a small port city with many interesting restaurants and shops. You can take a boat tour if you have the time. York has some nice beaches, and a very scenic lighthouse (Nubble Light). Neither Portsmouth nor York are considered 'fall colors' destinations, although you will see some. By far the best colors will be in the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont.

The BOAT TOUR. Park in the parking garage. You can walk to the boat dock. It's been a while since we've been there but I think you can still walk to the "downtown" Market Square area. Another spot would be to park over by Prescott Park which is on the water and across the street from Strawbery Banke Historic area. From there, drive out Rt 1B thru New Castle ... very old houses and then the fabulous Wentworth by the Sea hotel. There is plenty of foliage along this route.
Portsmouth is a seaport/harbor. It's a small city. Lots to see but not as spread out as Boston. If you take a morning cruise you can have lunch after and then walk around and still have time to drive over to Prescott Park.

Distant views still show plenty of green in the Concord NH area but there is plenty of color along the roadways.

In York, both beach and lighthouse are the main attractions. If the Goldenrod is open it is traditional to watch the taffy pulling machine and buy some saltwater taffy.