fran

Can you help me plan a fall foliage driving itinerary. We would fly into Portland ME and fly out of Albany NY. We would like to include a day or two on the Maine coast. We will have a week to do this.

fran

Anyone out there?

sharon

Definitely spend a few days on the Maine coast, then be sure to drive across NHampshire & Vermont to New York's Adirondack's then south to Albany. If you're shooting for peak foliage, you'll need to wait til October.

Dan

We usually go in the first or second week of October. From Portland you can go South to the York/Kenebunport area or North to Bar Harbor /Arcadia national Park area. You'll definitely want to cross Maine and go into the White Mountains in New Hampshire on the wonderful Kankamungus (spelled way wrong) highway. You'll then want to see some of Vermont and then head to the Berkshires, where you can catch the highway in West Stockbrige or Lee Massachusetts to Albany. You can go from the Kank to Route 7 and south through Bennington, Lenox and Stockbridge. Some consider rt 7 too crowded in foliage though, so you can go south sooner through the central part of Massachusetts. I'm just not sure of the rd. RT 4 maybe?

MikeS

As the pevious poster said, you can go North or South from Portland airport. If you go to the north area reccomended by Dan, you'll have a little more driving to do. So go to one of these areas, then head to the Kancamugus Highway in NH and hike the Flume near Franconiaa Notch State Park (easy walk). Then take a few minutes and gaze at the old man in the mountain natural sculpture (look with binoculars, it's perfect ). I would then drive toward Woodstock Vermont and spend a day there. You really have to spend time in Vermont.
You can either keep going west toward the Adirondacks and make your way to Albany from there, or drive south to the Berkshires and then go to Albany. I would reccomend going to the Berkshires because there are more quaint towns like Williamstown and Stockbridge. Your plan to fly into Portland and out from Albany is excellent thinking.
There are many beautiful areas in Southern New England such as Cape Cod, RI and Litchfield CT area. You only have so much time though. I've spent many years leaf peeping in New England. You'll have a great time anywhere. Here's hoping you have sunny weather.

fran

Thanks, everyone, who responded. We are actually going to reverse the trip and fly into Albany NY and fly back out of Portland ME. We will arrive Albany late on Oct 6 so will overnite there, and we have to fly out of Portland on Oct 12. Can you give me specific suggestions of what towns to stay in, keeping in mind we want to end up on the Maine coast for at least two nites. Thanks, Fran