New England Fall Colors trip planning
 

Hi there,

I have a class in Convent Station, NJ that I'll need to be at by October 23rd, 2006.

My husband and I are planning to come out at least 10-14 days beforehand to see the fall colors. My husband loves his photography hobby and we both love to bike (road and mountain biking) and hike. We don't want to do TOO much driving, but really want to see as much as we can in the time that we have and in an easy,not too quick pace. A side trip to New York City would be fun too as long as we are so close.

I'm assuming we're going to fly into and out of Newark, NJ (from Sacramento, California) because that will be the closest airport to my class, and then renting a car from there - most likely renting bikes rather than bringing our own.

Any comments, suggestions of "must see" or itinerary ideas would be most appreciated.

thank you!
~Melinda
Auburn, CA

You probably won't see too many fall colors in the NJ area in early-mid Oct. It varies year to year, but this fall we didn't get the colors until the end of Oct (I'm in Boston). You might try Vermont if you're looking for foliage that time of year.

How about flying Southwest Sacramento to Manchester, NH. Get a one-way car rental, drive around southern and central New England (distances are not that great and you could easily lodge in one or two locations), do the activities you both seek, and then drive to NJ.

Fly home from either New York (LaGuardia) or Philadelphia on Southwest.

I think Gail gave good advice - try to arrange to fly into Manchester or maybe even Bradley in CT - which will get you closer to north/west and drive from there (Manchester likely the better option) - then as time gets closer make your route depending on weather - b/c foliage is so dependant on warm days/cold nights it is iffy to tell where will be the best yet, although you might want to check out farmers almanac and see what they are predicting? - the further north the better options, and mid-vermont (Middlebury/Burlington area might give you the best possible foliage and into Western MA maybe....then onto NYC and depending again on weather, sometimes the foliage along the Merritt Pkwy is great.

We absolutely hate the drive from NJ to NH. If it's a weekend, expect lots and lots of traffic. My niece lives in Hoboken and took the bus up on her last visit. I didn't ask her how long it took. In most years (except last year) the foliage is beautiful around Oct 10/Columbus Day weekend in central NH. You could rent bikes in Concord NH. There is a bike path. The mountains are only an hour away for hiking but there are closer, easier hikes. Visit Yankee Magazine's website at www.newengland.com for suggested driving routes and also a trip planning forum. A frequent poster there is also a photographer. Some ski areas offer mountain biking trails. A popular area near Concord NH is Bear Brook State Park. It's really not too early to make reservations because the foliage season is extremely popular for tourists.

The Hudson Valley in New York is a long closer to New Jersey than Vermont or New Hampshire....and it's great foliage country, along with the neighboring Bershires in Massachusetts.

Just want to say thank you to all of you who replied so quickly to my post. I love the idea of flying into RH and then driving down to NJ after our tour. I would have never thought of that. Now just to figure out all the stuff in between!