new england trip
 

hi. i'm thinking about visiting new england for the fall colors.
is there a particular state or specific area that is a "must" see? and when would be the best time to visit? any suggestion is greatly appreciated. thanks in advance.

There are beautiful fall colors nearly everywhere. Some of the most spectacular can be found in the Franconia Notch area of New Hampshire, and seen from the Kankamagus Hwy. running east from there towards the North Conway area. In the mountains of northern New England, peak colors are the very end of Sept. to very early October. Better to be just ahead of peak than behind. In southern New England, around the Boston area, peaks are generally mid-October. If you haven't been to Boston, it is a great visitors' city and not a long drive to N.H.

Don't know where you are driving from, but New York is beautiful during the Fall!!! Upstate New York near the Adirondocks is spectacular and the Hudson Valley (wine region), Catskill Mountains and Saratoga (race track) is beautiful too!! Check out the I Love New York website.

NH and VT are frequently considered the best states but any place with a good mixture of maple trees, birch, oak, beech, etc will be beautiful. Don't expect a lot of color is areas that of Maine that are predominantly pine trees. A good base location would be mid-Vermont or NH or splitting a week between the two states. The craggy granite mountains of the Franconia area are magnificent but so is the beautiful farmland along the Lake Champlain valley of VT. Expect heavy traffic along Rt 93 in NH and Rt 89 NH/VT. Both have beautiful vistas. If you'd like a feel of old New England, both the Warner NH Fall Foliage Festival and the Sandwich Fair are held on Columbus Day weekend. Driving past any apple orchard that makes cider is a must smell. Foliage colors soonest up north and at higher elevations and seems to be influenced by a good cold night. A recent newspaper article said there is still lodging available but at this time of year, you will be lucky to find availability on weekends. If you come after Columbus Day, aim for southwestern NH, southern VT and western MA but the best place is probably NH's White Mountains first week of October. Fly into Manchester NH. If you like rolling hills, head to VT. If you have time, do both.

thank you everyone! this is great info. i'll be flying into boston or new hampshire. I have a week to spend, from the info here, looks like there is lots to see. i'm excited!

This month's "Yankee" magazine has the "Best of New England". There are some neat things in there which might help you plan your trip.

http://www.yankeemagazine.com/thisissue/index.php