Interested in this for another time -- New Englanders, if you could choose any timeframe for the best weather and foliage in VT, Maine, NH, what would it be since Oct. 10 seems late?

October 10 itself is not too late, per se. Oct 10 to start a 2 week trip is though.
In NY, N of Albany, beautiful colors (eg the first brilliant sugar maples) start to come into full glory anywhere from Sept 26 to Oct 5. That great color lasts until ~10/10 or 10/14 depending on the weather. One strong rain storm after the leaves change and a lot of them will drop....

My own preference is on the early side of what pundits call peak..

I agree with J62. You can study Yankee Magazine recommendations for foliage trips. jeff “foliage” is married to a Vermonter, lives in Salem MA area and is an avid photographer. His website is helpful https://jeff-foliage.com/
we look out our window at sugar maples and red maples etc and can never decide when it is peak. Color looks different depending on how the sun hits it and looks best seated in a porch chair, walking thru woods or otherwise taking the time to notice the subtleties. We get some sneak peaks very early when swamp maples turn red, the ones bordering a swamp or pond.
i think my end date would be October 15 and maybe a foliage cruise out of Portsmouth NH.

{New Englanders, if you could choose any timeframe for the best weather and foliage in VT, Maine, NH, what would it be since Oct. 10 seems late?}

Well I am now a transplant no longer an official resident, but I know... Every year is different for the when and where of "peak color" for fall. And yes usually just a little bit earlier would work. But depends how far south or north you are, for example, say in VT and NH.

Back to the OP, I'd get the car in Boston, drive to Western Massachusetts (Amherst, Northampton, up into the Berkshires). Then short drive north to southern VT, going in at Brattleboro. If the timing is right the drive across to Bennington from Brattleboro is stellar. Continuing some kind of a loop up into VT then over to NH, back down to Boston. I didn't include Maine or Arcadia because I think staying more inland and more south is a better fit.

How did your trip go? Am doing a similar one. Any advice on places to stay etc?

snorkel3 ~ Welcome!! What kind of trip are you doing? What states and which towns are you looking for places to stay?

Yes, please start your own thread. The original thread was started 14+ months ago.