Posted on 04/15/2022 5:27:49 PM PDT by Mean Daddy
While visiting my son and family in 09/2019 (near Peterborough-home to the “quaint” Jack Daniels Motor Inn), hiked Mount Monadnock. Was a beautiful day and the 360-view at the top—spectacular!
Make. Sure. You. Have. Reservations.
I-81 and I-84 are the way to bypass the urban concentrations of the BosWash megapolis. I-81 and I-84 meet in Scranton, but don’t let that put you off.
If you went North to South, you would get good foliage longer.
Chappaquiddick can’t be reached by bike from Oak Bluffs…ferry needed.
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The foliage turns from north to south, and from inland to the coast. At any particular point the transition from moderate to peak to post-peak is only about two weeks, so a week can make a difference.
The State of New Hampshire has a foliage tracker which will give you a pretty good idea, at least for New Hampshire, what areas are going to have the most color when. You can check out last year’s progression by moving the slider. Pretty much every year is going to be similar in timing.
https://www.visitnh.gov/seasonal-trips/fall/foliage-tracker
Because the progression is basically north and west to south and east, I would NOT go up the coast first. Better to head up Western New England into the interior and then head east to Maine and then down the coast, you’ll be following the color.
The White Mountains of New Hampshire will be at their peak right around Columbus Day, and it should be good a week either side of that. Central Vermont is probably about the same. Also the Connecticut River valley in Massachusetts is beautiful, but I don’t know when it hits peak, not that it has to be at the peak everywhere. You could easily find out.
Coming up from New York I would come up through Connecticut taking Rt. 84 to Hartford, then head up 91 north, into Massachusetts, and continue up the Connecticut River valley. Once you leave Massachusetts the Connecticut River is the border between Vermont and NH, running up the Vermont side. You could take 91, visiting Vt. towns along the way, and can easily cross over into NH pretty much anywhere, although there are only a few major east-west roads. I would consider picking up US Route 302 in Vt. and then heading east which will take you over to Franconia. Franconia Notch is one of the highlights of the White Mountains. From there you can take Rte. 93 south through the notch until Lincoln, then take the Kancamagus highway, Rte. 112, east to Conway. The Kancamagus is a scenic highway through 4000 foot mountains. Alternatively you can stay on 302 and come down through Crawford Notch, also ending up in Conway. At this point you’re just a few miles west of Maine. You can continue on Rte 302 into Maine, generally southeast to Portland, and then follow smaller coast roads down through New Hamphsire’s 13-mile coastline into the North Shore of Massachusetts. Gloucester and Salem have plenty of history. There’s also a little-known place called Hammond Castle in Magnolia that’s worth a visit. It has a view of the Reef of Norman’s Woe, from the Longfellow poem the “Wreck of the Hesperus.”
From the North Shore of Mass you can take Rte. 128/I-95, bypassing Boston, to the Massachusetts turnpike west to Sturbridge, where there’s a recreated 18th century NE village, akin to Williamsburg, which I went to twice as a kid and enjoyed it. At Sturbridge you can take 84 back through Connecticut to the NYC area and continue south.
Book early, and good luck.
Not yet. f you want grand resort hotel, the Mountain View Grand in Whitefield, NH.
For foliage Peacham, VT, Calais, VT and in between.
Roughly follow the Bailey Hazen Military Road if you want.
Old Stone House Museum in Brownington, VT.
For cheaper lodging, the Lancaster Motel, in Lancaster, NH. Recently renovated in art deco 50s decor.
Has a bar and ask for where to smoke cigars if that's your thing.
Has a walk in humidor too.
Indeed. I took the ferry to Chappy.
And, if you get warm, then go to Bartlett’s Falls in Bristol! Being surrounded by mountains, the foliage is stunning! There is a little brewery there that is friendly.
Going out on Lake Champlain is lovely.
PS Love Fire and Ice and Mr Ups.
Lots of AirBnBs too.
I would start by going west first out towards Frederick MD then hit Sharpsburg and back towards Gettysburg.
Everyone else gave you great ideas about what to hit up north from there.
I suggest you stop in Newburyport, Ma. Pretty little town with lots to do.
Kangamangis (sp) highway in Northern NH is a must if you want the most beautiful scenery in the world. Maybe a trip up Mount Washington to the weather observatory is always fun. There’s other tourist venues along the way to Maine.
Check out the Woodstock Inn and Brewery in Woodstock, NH up in the White Mountains.
A Great place to stay and right next to the entrance of The Kancamagus Highway.
https://www.woodstockinnbrewery.com/
Here are some interesting out of the way places.
Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge MA,
Hildene, the Lincoln Family mansion in Vt. (Abe’s son)
Deerfield VT, historic villiage site of French-Indian War Massacre.
USS Constitution on walking tour around ‘Bastun’ (I realize this is in Boston, but there are some other interesting places to see there in the area, too. Paul Revere’s home, tombs of John Adams and john Quincy Adams, and several presidential libraries)
Sturbridge Village and Mystic Seaport are fun if you have kids who are interested in (or should be interested in) history. There’s also the Shelburne Museum in Vermont. You can also see the houses of sculptors Daniel Chester French and Augustus St. Gaudens if that’s your thing. Art museums in Williamstown and contemporary art center in North Adams. The Lenox/Stockbridge/Lee area in the Berkshires is supposed to be nice as well. Edith Wharton’s estate in Lenox may or may not be open (money problems).
When I last visited Vermont, I also liked Junior’s Italian restaurant in Colchester. I read that they are now in Burlington and Winooski as well.
But I miss the Dog Team Tavern, which was torched by its owner before he committed suicide. That event was even discussed here on FR.
The ONLY two things I miss about that depressed area are Lupo’s in Endwell and Nirchi’s Pizza (the original grocery) on Pine Street. They used to have a two-week wait list for pizza before New Year’s Eve.
During leaf peeping season, the Jack Daniels will be booked. Motels are few and far between in the Monadnock region. Keene has several and the Manchester/Amherst area has many but not much where the leaves are brightest.
“Maybe a trip up Mount Washington to the weather observatory is always fun. “
Mt. Washington summit in October. Now there’s a roll of the dice. Could be 60 degrees and sunny with 15mph breezes, could be 15 degrees and socked in with 60 mph winds.
Consider my experience one August. Eighty eight degrees and sunny at the base, sixteen degrees with hail at the summit. The experience was amazing. My Huskie loved visiting the top. I found myself noticeably short of breath.
I would not go back.
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