This is for all you N/E Free Republicers...

Rt. 91 straight up from MA to ME is a beautiful ride in the fall, with lots of great towns, rolling green pastures, fabulous foliage and little arts and crafts things and stores off each of the exits. Make sure you know the season though, when leaves are at peak in CT they are long gone/down for the Winter in most of Maine by then.

Kidd is spot on with last block on traffic, liberals, political apathy, urban squalor and traffic jams. We live in CT and cannot wait to get out!

I have lived in southern NH for 30 years. The fall is the busiest tourist season. You will want to time your visit to the last week in September for the White Mountains. If you are going to go to the central part(lakes region)of the state, you will want to come the first week of October.
Columbus Day weekend is the busiest, but that is actually PAST peak foliage in the mountains.

I would recommend coming up the last week of September/first week of October and stay in Jackson, NH. at The Wentworth. It is just south of Mt Washington outside of North Conway, NH. I have stayed at this inn/hotel multiple times. From this location you can see all the White Mountain sites within a 1 hour drive. It is also the most picture perfect towns in New England. North Conway has all the outlet shopping if you are into that. However, it is too busy to stay in.

Soviet Red Hampshire? Ick. As suggested above...Blue Ridge Parkway, especially the southern end. You can’t beat western North Carolina for leaf peepin’...nicer people, nicer weather, not nearly as expensive. Keep in mind that they just added ‘Masshole’ to the Oxford English dictionary...there’s a reason for it. The area is also crawling with presidential candidates, and if you get caught up in any of the associated traffic jams...well, good luck. (Full disclosure...I am in soviet Red Hampshire, and have worn my nails down to a nub clawing to get out.)

If you are flying in, look at flights into Manchester, NH. instead of Boston. Southwest, Delta, US Air, United all fly into MHT. From there, the White Mountains are a 1 1/2 to 2 hour drive depending on your destination. Jackson would be about 2 hours.

Also, NH has no sales tax. There is an 8% rooms and meals tax. That is why there are so many outlet type shopping places. NH state liquor stores prices are comparable to wholesale prices in the rest of the US.

I would also recommend the drive across the Kancamagus Highway. This is a twisting turning 2 lane road through the White Mountain National Forest from Conway, NH to Lincoln, NH. I would then stop at the Flume State Park and ride the Cannon Mountain Tram. Stop at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods for lunch(do not stay there). I would also drive to the top of Mount Washington or take the Cog railway up from Bretton Woods.

All of these things could be done as day trips from Jackson. However, some of these points might be better reached from the west side of the Presidential range mountains by staying in Lincoln/North Woodstock or Franconia/Sugar Hill. I personally like the little village of Sugar Hill on the back side of Cannon Mtn because it is not so busy.

Kankmangus Highway in NH. I would add just wondering around the smaller routes. Much better to not know where you'll wind up.

Wikipedia on Kankamagnus

Berkshires also beautiful. Good to pick a place that's beauiful even without the leaves ... then the leaves are icing on good cake.

Mt. Katahdin also awesome .. far north, but awesome I would try NOT to get stuck, though, where everyone else and their entire family is. That's why I recommend a couple days just picking off the beat and path highways.

Every place above suffers from some of that problem ... SO, do both. The trees are just as beautiful 20 miles from any of those places.

Lots of little rivers and trails in Jackson/Conway NH (again, though, ask the locals where the leak pee-ers (just kidding) ... where the leaf peepers ....AREN'T.)

Walking amongst the turning trees, rather than staring at them with a hamburger from 5 miles away ... well you want to do both, but I'd spend 80% in and amongst the trees, then step back to look where you were.

Also thanks for your service.

Have lived in NE most of my life. Anything I can do to make your trip better ... just say the word.

Redconsidering everything I just said, I'd do Jackson NH area first, Berkshires second ... Bershires is a little more FiFi high class, probably you'll be able to smell the liberals, ruining the fine scent of the trees, so -> Jackson - book a hotel there early, spend an evening at the wildcat inn for local entertainment. You're in the Presidential Range there, Jackson is 10 miles or so from Mt. Washington *which you can actually drive up, though during leap pooping season is probably over crowded) ... So ... final answer is ... Jackson area, mix Kankamangus with a lot of off the beat and path stuff.

I was going to make a joke about you being military and wanting to be in the 'presidential range', i.e within firing range of ... , but these days that would probably get me arrested. That's just a joke, for you NSA types out looking for home grown loonies. I don't want anyone hurt.

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