My wife and I would like to visit the Maine coast in late April and then move inland to New Hampshire and Vermont. Can anyone advise as to the weather at that time?

April in New England is known as "mud season". It's usually too warm for snow and any remaining snow is melting.

The weather could be winter-like or spring-like, or both within the same week or few days.

While there may be early bulbs in bloom, the trees will still be barren.

April is an excellent time to visit for low rates on accomodations and because there will be no crowds, but it's not nearly as pretty as later on.

Note that many places along the coast of Maine are seasonal and don't open until Memorial Day. And, B&B owners often vacation (elsewhere) in April.

There is no good answer to this. Last year I visited our very Southern Maine place the middle two weeks of April. When I arrived there was a snowy Nor Ester and was wearing my boots and mittens. When I left 2 weeks later, I had bought light clothes at KMart just because it got to 80 degrees! After I left it got cold again. You just never know but have to prepare for both.

As the previous two posters have said, end of April can be any kind of weather. In NH I usually figure mud season to be mid-March, around town meeting time, but of course it can happen later. Basically, the frost is coming out of the ground. Some years aren't bad, some are. If you're flexible, I bet you could have a great time at lower rates. Keep in mind some schools will be on vacation in late April. There may be skiing in some places but it all depends. Spring is my favorite time of the year esp when the leaves are just coming out. Apple blossoms in our area are generally mid-May.