mbsings003

We have planned a day's drive from Boston to Bar Harbor (stopping in Freeport for lunch - Haraseeket Lunch & Lobster), overnight, then 1/2 day through the Park Loop Drive, and 1/2 day's drive to the White Mountains; next morning to the top of Mount Washington then onto Vermont, the Black Bear Inn near Williston to overnight, then a day at the Shelburne museum, overnighting in Woodstock/Quechee, then to our 6-day stay in the Boston area. While barely a glancing touch on the area, we may not have the opportunity again. comments?

emalloy

When do you plan to do this trip? It is rushed, but doable. Have you considered what bad weather could do to your plans-like rain or snow?

china_cat

I think its too much. I believe you have yourself driving from 4-6 hours every day, not counting activities such as driving the park loop road, or going up Mt Washington.

Is it physically possible? yes. But it doesn't look like much fun to me.

If you are planning to drive up the Mt Washington auto road, let me caution you that the drive is a bit draining. Its very narrow, and can be foggy making it impossible to see the oncoming traffic. We did it once, and after finishing it, I would have been miserable if I had to make a 4 hour drive to Vermont.

but thats me. Others enjoy time in the car more than I do. Oftentimes people post New England tours and I always think its too much, but I recognize that other people have a different style than I do.

I would reduce the driving by eliminating either Vermont or Maine. Do Maine and NH, or NH and VT, not all 3 in 4 days. If you can't increase the time in Maine, I would consider going only to Camden rather than all the way to Bar Harbor because its still very nice, and knocks off a couple of hours of drive time. I love Acadia, but a half day there is barely worth it.

dfrostnh

I agree with China Cat's suggestion to drive only as far as Camden then take the auto road up Mt Battie. Wonderful view overlooking Camden harbor.
I think Boston to BH in one day is too much driving on I95. If it's raining, I would do something else even walking around in bad weather in Portland's Old Port district.
I would not do Mt Washington unless the weather was clear all the way to the top. Keep in mind that weather conditions at the top can be completely different than at the base.
I would not stay in Woodstock after spending all day at the Shelburne Museum. You should check road conditions before your trip. Vermont has done an amazing job since the flooding but there are still bridges out. How long a drive is in from there to Woodstock?

The trip is do-able as long as you don't mind so many miles. We usually only do I95 from Portsmouth NH to Brunswick ME. There are so many other things you could do without driving so far from Boston.

panecott

I just did the same trip in the opposite direction, starting in NY. NY to Vermont; Vermont to Jackson,NH; NH to Bar Harbor. It was a lot of driving, and I had more time than you.

I agree with China-cat's suggestion to eliminate ME or VT, or not go as far north as Bar Harbor. Or can you cut out a day or two from Boston? These are places to relax and take it all in, rather than just breeze through.

I did the Mt. Washington Drive and didn't really find it that daunting, but it was a nice clear day. I don't think I'd bother doing it in the fog or clouds, however. Lovely views from the top that you'll want to enjoy.

yk

If you think you'll never return to this part of the US, then I guess it's doable.

Boston -> Bar Harbor is 6 hours drive minimum. I personally don't think it's worth such a long drive if you're only going to spend 1/2 day there and only doing the Loop Drive. Acadia National Park is lovely (we just spent 9 days there) but you can see the same sort of granite seashore/cliffs/ocean along the coast - there's no reason to drive 6 hours there for that.

china_cat

I think the day we drove up Mt Washington we had no idea how foggy it would be. It was a perfectly nice day at the bottom, and I can't remember there being any forecast or indication that it wouldn't be clear at the top. It may have been clear when we started out.

Anyways, Pannecott and dfrost are both right...the drive is not so great if its not clear, the weather at the base and at the summit may be quite different. But also, it may change at any moment, so even after you commit to going up, a cloud may blow over the top and you are encased in fog.

We got all the way to the top, and it was very harrowing. And still cloudy. We hung out at the top for maybe an hour, but couldn't see anything. Finally we started back down. And shortly after we left the summit, the clouds blew off, and we had pulled over to one of the turnouts. We had a tremendous view out over the Presidentials.

I'm glad we did it, it was gorgeous. But I remember being drained afterwards. What I don't remember is how long it took. I'm thinking it was at least 30 minutes, but it seemed like forever.

TerrMys

I'll agree with the general consensus that your itinerary is definitely too rushed, particularly if you want to avoid interstate highways and really get a feel for New England. But have you considered eliminating, say, 2 days from your stay in Boston? This would allow you to see all your planned sights at a more reasonable and enjoyable pace. Heck, I'd probably add another 3 days to your itinerary if I could.

Anyway, if the 6 days in Boston are set in stone, then you're going to have to prioritize Maine or Vermont.

If you want to save your Vermont plans, the easiest cut to make is to get rid of Bar Harbor; I know it hurts to cut Acadia, and it's truly a unique place, but there are spots that are *almost* as good within a much shorter driving distance. I also strongly recommend the Mt. Battie view in Camden, as well as Pemaquid Point Bristol and possibly Marshall Point in Port Clyde, time permitting.

Even with the elimination of Bar Harbor, your first two days are still pretty darn hectic. A more drastic option is to limit yourself to the NH seacoast and the southern coast of Maine (Portsmouth, Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, Portland, maybe Freeport...). Although the scenery here doesn't really compare to the mid-coast and downeast of Maine, there's still a lot to do along the water in some great historic towns.

If you don't want to cut out the Maine scenery, you're gonna have to lose some of the Vermont scenery. My suggestion would be to forget the Shelburne Museum and focus on the eastern edge of the state, maybe tracing a route through villages like Peacham, Waits River, East Corinth, Chelsea, Tunbridge, and Pomfret down to Woodstock.

At any rate, I would be careful not to shortchange the White Mountains. There's a lot to do and see, particularly in Crawford Notch and Franconia Notch State Parks. A single morning is not enough time to experience the mountains. I agree that Mt. Washington is a must-do if the summit is clear, but the drive up and down the mountain will eat up a sizeable chunk of your itinerary.

mbsings003

Thank you so much, this will add a lot to our discussion. We are definitely used to interstates, not slower highways - though my driver does like to drive (I mean my husband, ha!) and is not daunted by the prospect, I've gotten the feeling from reading up that the driving is neither speedy or straightforward. We will be there from Oct 13 - 24. The Acadia and *almost* as good is an appreciated perspective.

TerrMys

If those are your dates, have you thought about reversing your itinerary and starting with Vermont and ending with Maine? You will see more color in Vermont on the 13th than you would on the 17th, and I think the opposite is probably true for the coast of Maine.

dfrostnh

Color is coming on strong in northern NH right now. By the time of your visit it will be past peak in the Concord NH area, south of the White Mountains. I think reversing your route as TerrMys suggests is a good idea. Also, when driving north via I93 or I89 there's some pretty nice scenery as the mountains get closer (instead of leaving them behind as you head south). You won't see a lot of mountains on I89 but there's a turn not too far west of Concord NH where you'll see some smaller, nearer ones.

If you made Woodstock your first night, you would have some time to make stops along the way or cut Woodstock and go directly to Williston and spend day 2 at Shelburne. You would have time to stop in Woodstock for a walk around town and lunch.

mbsings003

I am so glad I found this site. Thank you for sharing your experience and amazing insights. I will definitely check on the reversal idea! A circle is a circle, shouldn't matter which direction we drive it.

suze

That's such a short time. I agree with the suggestions of either NH/VT or NH/Maine not all three states in four days.

Certainly it can be done if you like driving most of the day every day. Vermont is actually my favorite of the states, but for your proposed plan out of Boston, I think I'd leave it out, and do just the NH/Maine parts of your itinerary.