People Who Live Or Have Been To The New England States

Marc08EX

Marc08EX

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Hey fellow geekers!

Anybody live in the New England states or has gone there? I need your help and I'm hoping you could help provide some assistance.

I'm planning to do a fall foliage driving tour and I'm currently in the research phase. Of course, I'm seeing the driving suggestions from the "www.discovernewengland.org" website. But I'm curious if anybody has any suggestions on some nice back road drives that will feast my eyes of the foliage beauty the northeast has to offer. Any small towns, cities or must see places to visit you'd recommend?

Thanks for your help! I'm looking forward in hearing your suggestions.
 
Very nice! As someone who used to live in Boston - the best advice I can give is book your accommodations ASAP. Fall is the busiest time for hotels/B&B's etc because so many people come for the foliage. It's also tricky since you can only make educated guesses at when the peak colors will be.

New England is a big place - do you have a rough idea about what parts you'd like to visit?
 
See my sig line. NH here. PM me with your questions.

In general Leaf peeping season varies between northern New England and Southern New England due to temp variances.

Most Vermonters will see full blown foliage mid to late September.

Personally my favorite time of year in New England is early October. Still warm during the day, cooler nights and weekends and the colors a vibrant.

Stowe VT is nice, western NH or MA, York ME, or the sea coast. Most will agree the Kancamangus Highway near the white mountains is a must see.
http://www.kancamagushighway.com

But as stated earlier, plan ahead.
 
Hey Marc I was born and raised in the Finger Lake region of upstate NY. Fall around the lakes are absolutely stunning! Heck you can even take in some great wine while your there, many great winery's around all the lakes.

The mountains of N.C. are great in the fall also. Fall is a big tourist season on the east coast so plan ahead.
 
Western/central MA has some of the nicest roads in terms of driving and scenery. Drove my sister back to Umass Amherst in mid october and it was beautiful. Besides looking at scenery I'd reccomend going to boston for sure, and visiting some towns on the north shore if you like the oceany craftsy type feel.
 
paul_g said:
See my sig line. NH here. PM me with your questions.

In general Leaf peeping season varies between northern New England and Southern New England due to temp variances.

Most Vermonters will see full blown foliage mid to late September.

Personally my favorite time of year in New England is early October. Still warm during the day, cooler nights and weekends and the colors a vibrant.

Stowe VT is nice, western NH or MA, York ME, or the sea coast. Most will agree the Kancamangus Highway near the white mountains is a must see.
Kancamagus Highway in NH: Welcome to the Kancamagus Scenic Byway!

But as stated earlier, plan ahead.
Click to expand...

I love the Kancamangus highway - such a nice road to drive any season (except during a snowstorm!).
 
Angus said:
Very nice! As someone who used to live in Boston - the best advice I can give is book your accommodations ASAP. Fall is the busiest time for hotels/B&B's etc because so many people come for the foliage. It's also tricky since you can only make educated guesses at when the peak colors will be.

New England is a big place - do you have a rough idea about what parts you'd like to visit?
Click to expand...

Hey Angus, thanks for the reply!

Thanks for the heads up about booking ahead. I was honestly going to just book on the fly when we're there. Like I'll try to find a hotel wherever we end up each day.. But I guess I have to plan ahead. I just don't want to be pressured to reach a certain destination each and every day. I don't know what each stop/town/city has to offer or how long we're going to stay at each stop.

Here's the tentative drive I'm planning to do:

map.png


I'm just curious if there are any other back roads I need to take in order to see AMAZING fall foliage.

paul_g said:
See my sig line. NH here. PM me with your questions.

In general Leaf peeping season varies between northern New England and Southern New England due to temp variances.

Most Vermonters will see full blown foliage mid to late September.

Personally my favorite time of year in New England is early October. Still warm during the day, cooler nights and weekends and the colors a vibrant.

Stowe VT is nice, western NH or MA, York ME, or the sea coast. Most will agree the Kancamangus Highway near the white mountains is a must see.
Kancamagus Highway in NH: Welcome to the Kancamagus Scenic Byway!

But as stated earlier, plan ahead.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply Paul! I appreciate your suggestions. The Kancamagus Highway looks very promising. Thanks so much for this suggestion.

We're planning to do this drive mid October. Please see the route I'm planning on taking. Would you have any routes to suggest?

dad07 said:
Hey Marc I was born and raised in the Finger Lake region of upstate NY. Fall around the lakes are absolutely stunning! Heck you can even take in some great wine while your there, many great winery's around all the lakes.

The mountains of N.C. are great in the fall also. Fall is a big tourist season on the east coast so plan ahead.
Click to expand...

Thanks a ton for your reply Tim!! I'm planning to start from NY and head to Hartford, CT as our first stop. Which highways/roads would you suggest to take in between these 2 points?

Thanks for the heads up about planning ahead. I was honestly just planning to book hotels on the fly like I said earlier. Good thing you guys told me to book ahead LOL!

04accord said:
Western/central MA has some of the nicest roads in terms of driving and scenery. Drove my sister back to Umass Amherst in mid october and it was beautiful. Besides looking at scenery I'd reccomend going to boston for sure, and visiting some towns on the north shore if you like the oceany craftsy type feel.
Click to expand...

Which highways/cities did you go to when you said western/central MA? Did you see lots of foliage? Where's the north shore?




Thanks for all the replies once again!
 
Lived in NH for 40 years and agree with the other posters that the Kancamangus highway is a great ride up north. At the west end near 93 Loon Mountain Ski Area has a 4 person gondola that they operate during leaf season that is a must do -- small restaurant at the top where you can have lunch. Another great place to visit is Shaker Village just north of Concord (only a short drive off 93)--very interesting and they serve authentic Shaker meals at lunch time. On the eastern end of the Kancamangus is North Conway--tons of great shops and places to eat. Not far from North Conway is the Cog Railway which is a great ride up the mountain or if you're brave you can drive up the auto road to the top of Mt Washington (the weather observatory there recorded the highest wind speed ever in the US)

When traveling around in NH any of the Common Man restaurants are great places to eat--there is one in Lincoln near Loon. Any of the Newick's restaurants are great places for inexpensive fresh seafood if you like that-reasonable prices on Maine lobster also. If you're coming through MA and see a Legal Seafood they are also great places to have seafood but a little more expensive (their Rhode Island Calamari appetizer is a must try).

Canterbury Shaker Village

The Common Man family in New Hampshire

Ride NH's longest scenic gondola skyride at Loon Mountain, NH

Newick's Lobster House

Scenic Attractions - North Conway NH.com

https://www.mountwashington.org/visit-us/

Good advice from Angus--it's busy during leaf season so plan ahead. If you're going up 91 through VT not far from the intersection of 91 and 89 is Woodstock, VT--great little town to visit.
 
ski2 said:
Lived in NH for 40 years and agree with the other posters that the Kancamangus highway is a great ride up north. At the west end near 93 Loon Mountain Ski Area has a 4 person gondola that they operate during leaf season that is a must do -- small restaurant at the top where you can have lunch. Another great place to visit is Shaker Village just north of Concord (only a short drive off 93)--very interesting and they serve authentic Shaker meals at lunch time. On the eastern end of the Kancamangus is North Conway--tons of great shops and places to eat. Not far from North Conway is the Cog Railway which is a great ride up the mountain or if you're brave you can drive up the auto road to the top of Mt Washington (the weather observatory there recorded the highest wind speed ever in the US)

When traveling around in NH any of the Common Man restaurants are great places to eat--there is one in Lincoln near Loon. Any of the Newick's restaurants are great places for inexpensive fresh seafood if you like that-reasonable prices on Maine lobster also. If you're coming through MA and see a Legal Seafood they are also great places to have seafood but a little more expensive (their Rhode Island Calamari appetizer is a must try).

Canterbury Shaker Village

The Common Man family in New Hampshire

Ride NH's longest scenic gondola skyride at Loon Mountain, NH

Newick's Lobster House

Scenic Attractions - North Conway NH.com

https://www.mountwashington.org/visit-us/
Click to expand...

THANK YOU so much ski2!!! This is exactly the kind of suggestion I'm looking for. I wouldn't have known about the gondola and the small restaurant at the top of the ski area.

For Mount Washington, is it very dangerous to drive? Would you suggest taking the cog railway instead?

I appreciate your response.
 
The auto road (about 8 miles) is not dangerous just have to take your time as there are no guard rails most of the way. You an also take a guided tour so you don't have to drive up if you want. But, the Cog Railway is a very unique and enjoyable way to get to the top and they give you an hour up there to tour the visitor center and weather observatory.

Make sure you drop down 93 to Lincoln to pick up the Kancamagus as 302 going across is not as scenic.

If you do go to Franconia Notch state park there are a number of very easy short hikes just off the main road that are very nice--they are pretty well marked from the road. The Flume Gorge area is one of the best and family friendly.

Forgot Mt Washington highest wind speed was surpassed by 3 mph in 96 so it's the second.
 
ski2 said:
The auto road (about 8 miles) is not dangerous just have to take your time as there are no guard rails most of the way. You an also take a guided tour so you don't have to drive up if you want. But, the Cog Railway is a very unique and enjoyable way to get to the top and they give you an hour up there to tour the visitor center and weather observatory.

Make sure you drop down 93 to Lincoln to pick up the Kancamagus as 302 going across is not as scenic.

If you do go to Franconia Notch state park there are a number of very easy short hikes just off the main road that are very nice--they are pretty well marked from the road. The Flume Gorge area is one of the best and family friendly.

Forgot Mt Washington highest wind speed was surpassed by 3 mph in 96 so it's the second.
Click to expand...

Thanks!! I'm planning on taking the Kancamangus Highway from Lincoln to Conway like paul_g suggested.
 
Marc08EX said:
Which highways/cities did you go to when you said western/central MA? Did you see lots of foliage? Where's the north shore?




Thanks for all the replies once again!
Click to expand...

Id say any back roads around Northampton/Amherst off 91 should be great for foliage. I was coming west towards Amherst not sure exactly which roads I was on but they were beautiful. The North Shore is the coastal towns north of boston, Id suggest Salem, (where the witch trials took place), Rockport, Marblehead, Manchester by the sea, those are 'touristy' towns but are really nice.
 
Have lived in NH all my life. Have hiked 23 of the 48, 4,000 footers all in the White Mountains. Been going up there since I was a kid. I go up Rte. 93 to Franconia Notch, then as I see your map, I take Rte. 302 through Crawford Notch. Absolutely incredible views. I do this trip several times a year. Then you can go south on Rte. 16 till you hit the Kanc. Then go back west up the Kanc. To Rte. 93, one big circle. You may see moose on any of these roads. Have a great trip.
 
04accord said:
Id say any back roads around Northampton/Amherst off 91 should be great for foliage. I was coming west towards Amherst not sure exactly which roads I was on but they were beautiful. The North Shore is the coastal towns north of boston, Id suggest Salem, (where the witch trials took place), Rockport, Marblehead, Manchester by the sea, those are 'touristy' towns but are really nice.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions!

idriveblackcars said:
I'm also a New Englander. Some great roads for fall driving in every state.
Click to expand...

Any specific roads you'd recommend besides the map I showed?

mtnbiker said:
Have lived in NH all my life. Have hiked 23 of the 48, 4,000 footers all in the White Mountains. Been going up there since I was a kid. I go up Rte. 93 to Franconia Notch, then as I see your map, I take Rte. 302 through Crawford Notch. Absolutely incredible views. I do this trip several times a year. Then you can go south on Rte. 16 till you hit the Kanc. Then go back west up the Kanc. To Rte. 93, one big circle. You may see moose on any of these roads. Have a great trip.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions!

JeffM said:
White mountains with out a doubt.
Click to expand...

Thanks, JeffM!
 
I lived in Chocorua about 10 miles south of the Kanc for ten years before moving to Florida. I would reccomend 95 to Spaulding Turnpike ,16 North to Ossipee,25 West to Wolfeboro. Wolfeboro is the oldest resort town in America, maybe check out the Wolfeboro Inn. Take 2 lane road out of town north through Tuftonboro and Moultonboro getting some great views of Lake Winnipesaukee. Go East on 25 back to 16 in Ossipee and the north approx 15 miles to the Kanc. Take the Kanc northwest to 93,north to302 and then down through Crawford Notch back to North Conway.I would definitly stay in N Conway for a night, the village is great even if commercialized over the last 50 years. From ther get over to Maine.Fryeburg is next town over. Whatever you do,do not miss theKanc, and if you can avoid the weekend it is best. The scenic overlooks are fantastic. It has been 12 years since I have seen the foliage,I get back to see family at least once a year but this is on my list
 
Interesting how those of us who have lived in NH show so much enthusiasm for the state!! I hated to leave and thinking about it makes me want to move back!!!
 
Southwestern CT area. Fall foliage turns near the begining of October , late september, I think your plan is good
 
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