mid-september foliage help
 

we only have the weekend of 9/15-19 to attempt any new england foliage viewing. one idea was to fly into BOS or MHT and head up to the white mountains, but even then, i'm not certain there will be much color.

i'm looking for suggestions on where we might be able to get a glimpse of some color change and some cool crisp air at that time of year. i wish we could go about a month later, but schedules mandate this particular weekend only.

should i just scrap the foliage idea and save it until next year? a few years back we visited vermont/montreal/adirondacks the first days of october - VT was green, montreal was turning, and the adirondacks were perfect! so i know some driving around and searching is necessary.

thanks in advance.

Frankly - you are a little too early. Ideal is late Sept. begining of October in your areas listed. I live outside the Adirondacks and go out every weekend. :)

http://www.foliage-vermont.com/foliageinflash.htm
http://www.visitnh.gov/fall-foliage-new-england.html

In my opinion, Manchester is the better airport to get a jump start to heading north. And a much easier airport to negotiate. Plus you are very close to 93 the major route north for both Vermont and NH. Even though it has been a cool summer predicting foliage right now is impossible. A good site to check out is: http://gonewengland.about.com/
On the left is a link to the foliage section with hints and other links. The farther north the more likely to see foliage at that time. Good Luck!

NHSandy, i'd rather fly into MHT, but there are no direct flights available. We are traveling with a 3 year old and a 5 month old, so i'd prefer shorter flight times! (we are avid travelers with the kids, so i'm not worried about the rest of the trip, just the flight.)

budgetqueen, thanks for the links. i've seen some things that point to some fall color available in the adirondacks and white mtns at that time, but of course, you never know and there's no sure thing.

do you think we are better to wait until next year, instead of going too early?

Budget Queen is right - too early. Whether you postpone your trip depends on how important it is to see to you to see the foliage. The Adirondacks and the White Mountains are spectacular at any time of year, so I don't think you would be disappointed even if there isn't much color. you might get lucky with the foliage - who knows! Don't miss the journey up Mt. Washington!

thanks molly. we have seen the foliage twice now, but have never been up to NH. we'll just have to see what is available now at this point and then make a judgement...if you say it will be beautiful either way, then that makes me feel better!

On the good side, it might not be too crowded at Storyland in Glen that week while later on the roads will be clogged with leaf peepers. Your 3 yo might like it a lot. If you don't won't to go all the way to the White Mountains you might visit Charmingfare Farm in Candia NH. I haven't been but a friend likes to take her 3 yo granddaughter for wagon rides. It's near Manchester. The nights should be cool and September is the time to enjoy the last of the warm days. If you take some back roads, you have a chance of seeing small flocks of wild turkeys.
We've had some very cool nights and there are a few trees that have started to change, but they look very stressed and are losing their leaves without showing much color.

Don't wait until next year; go when you can,avoid the crowds and most of the bugs,enjoy the red apples and orange pumpkins and have a great time.

September is a great time to visit the lakes regions of Maine or even the coast. Indian summer!!

dfrostnh, thanks for the pointers on storyland and the farm. the farm sounds like a neat experience; we don't really have that in florida! and also, i'm sure your "warm days" are pretty cool compared to what we're used to, so the change would be great.

cheapbutnice, the imagery of the red apples and orange pumpkins is great. know of anywhere in NH to go apple picking or something of the like? when we were in VT, we passed a sign for raspberry picking, but we were too early and they were still closed. we'd love an activity like that.

clarkgriswold, the lakes region looks great too. we thought of maybe stopping somewhere along the way to take in some of lake winnipesaukee, but with the kids, it's sometimes tricky. i thought maybe visiting castle in the clouds (the grounds) for some great views and scenery.

thanks for all the info!

just bumping up to see if anyone has info on apple (or other fruit) picking in NH in sept.

thanks!

I went to NH, VT and area around that time a year and some trees have leaves changing colors. Nowhere near peak, but some color. Not only do you need to go north in latitude, but you need to find a higher elevation for the best chance to see leaves turn color.

Even without the full display of autumn color you can enjoy the scenery.

Mid September is apple picking season in NH, and there are many PYO places throughout the state.There is nothing like a just picked NH macintosh on a crisp fall day! Try this link:
http://agriculture.nh.gov/pdf/public...-Own_Guide.pdf

Sorry that I can't supply apple picking locations in NH.I somehow got hooked on the Middlebury area of VT and have still never ventured over to NH.Maybe it's not Norman Rockwell seasons but the maple syrup/mud season of the spring and pre & post leaf peeper seasons are my favorites.

zootsi, thank you SO much for the PYO link. awesome!

ncgrrl, thanks for the info on the elevation as well as latitude. that's why i was thinking white mtns...

cheapbutnice, one of these days i'd love to visit during maple syrup season as well. too many vacation ideas, too little time!

Trees are already turning in Ontario Canada. By mid-September, it should be perfect in the Muskoka area. Lots to see and do, plus cheaper Canadian dollar.
Usually you have to wait until Thanksgiving in October (Canadian date) for the peak viewing, but leaves are turning early this year :-(

me again.

just wondering if anyone had a foliage report yet for NH. i'm guessing the leaves are not at their peak for sure, but just wondering if they are even STARTING to turn at all in the white mountains.

thanks in advance..

Here's the current report site thanks to Yankee Magazine. It shows not much happening as of today, but at this time of year things can change quickly; we're expecting some very cool nights, which should move things along.

http://www.yankeemagazine.com/foliage/map/tool.php

thanks anonymous, after i posted here i remembered the yankee foliage link. looks like leaves are starting to turn in the berkshires and parts of new york, so maybe that will be a better option for us.

In the Concord NH area there is an occasional tree that has turned but nothing spectacular. The trees look like they are on the verge of turning. In backroad swampy areas, there is more color. Still, the weather this weekend was fabulous. There are a lot of events taking place (Hampton just had a seafood festival) and it might be a lot more fun to be here before the crowds.