A New England Fall Road Trip
I am a fall girly. I mean through and through the most basic version of a autumn lover. I adore all things fall. Warm pumpkin spiced coffee, apple picking at orchards, horror movies, haunted houses, knit sweaters and most of all….. foliage. I have lived in the south for 6 years and have missed these fall fundamentals so so much. The childhood memories come flooding back as soon as the first leaf turns. As I am currently a travel nurse in New England during the most nostalgic and wonderful time of the year I decided why not see some of the most beautiful fall foliage in the country (or world honestly)? Soo… of course the inner traveler in me did some (arguably too much) research on the best hikes, views and sights to see in Vermont and New Hampshire. Now to be completely transparent I work a lot so I not only had to manage to get 4 days off but had to get four days off during peak foliage which was difficult, but hey that’s life! Regardless, I personally think this trip was perfect. It was a magical 4 days of colorful drives, glorious hikes, cozy fall lattes, warm sweaters and honestly felt like an adventure but also a Gilmore Girls fall episode. Disclaimers: New England during the fall is a very popular destination. Be prepared for crowds no matter what, hard to avoid but if you can travel during the weekdays it’s honestly not bad at all (this is what I did). I think this guide will be very effective in helping anyone plan a New England fall foliage trip and I hope anyone reading this has a great time!
PEAK FOLIAGE:
The age old question of anyone who wants to see the New England colors is “when should I go?” This is a very very difficult answer as the peak can change every years but regardless every year the burning colors soar over the mountains so vibrant and beautiful. From what a few locals up in VT and NH have told me a safe bet and general rule is any time from the first - middle of October. I personally traveled there the 8-12th of October and found it to be the perfect peak time. Again, these colors depend on a variety of variables such as drought, wind etc. There is also so many websites and weather forecast predictors that will tell you when the peak is supposedly going to happen. Examples include: Yankee Magazine, Dig, and Maine.gov! In my opinion from visiting its better to hit the peak later than earlier. So anytime from October 1-the 15 or 16 would include some peak colors for sure!
TRAVEL:
If you are flying in and are set on Vermont or New Hampshire I would suggest Portsmouth or Burlington but if you are wanting to stop in Boston or are trying for a more budget friendly flight Boston Logan International Airport is a larger airport and significantly cheaper.
I personally would suggest driving if you can… and for sure at least renting a car from the airport as this trip requires a lot of driving and personally the views are just stunning along every mile. I drove from Boston to Woodstock, Vermont for the first leg of the trip. The drive is pretty painless once you exit the initial Boston traffic and the views start getting pretty incredible very early on. A good fall playlist, a coffee and I could have drove for hours!
Turo, Zip car and the big boss rental car services such as Hertz and Alamo are all options! Also be sure to check out your personal credit card rewards and options as some offer great rental car deals!
WOODSTOCK, VT:
Woodstock may just be the most adorable little fall town on can visit, oh wait… every single small down in New Hampshire and Vermont could qualify for that type of claim. But, none the less this town is a must see during the fall. The town is filled with history, covered bridges, independent farms on rolling hills, small shops and restaurants. I personably spent the first day of my trip here and absolutely adored it. Here are my recommendations!
To do/ to see:
Visit the iconic (and wildly instagrammed Sleepy Hallow Farms)
Visit Jenny Roads Farm (also mostly just a beautiful picture)
Middle Bridge
Tattsville Bridge
Walk downtown ( pleasant street & central street)
Buy some fresh maple syrup from Sugar Bush Farm
Hikes:
Quechee Gorge
Mt. Tom via Faulkner Trail
Ottauquechee river trail
Lincoln Gap via Long Trail
Eats:
(Breakfast& Coffee):
Mon Verte Cafe
Soulfully Good Cafe
Skinny Pancake
Chef Brads
Woodstock Scoops
The Village Butcher
Melaso Bistro
Worthy Kitchen
STOWE, VT
If you have seen any pictures of beautiful small town fall back drops it’s probably Stowe. This small quaint town is beyond stunning and filled with beautiful colors as far as the eye can see as well as Mount Mansfield the highest peak in Vermont!
To do / see:
Cold Hallow Cider Mill (THE BEST!!!) (You must get hot cider and a donut)
Stowe Coffee Co. tour
Stowe Church View
Ride the Stowe Gondola Sky Ride up Mount Mainsfield and have a coffee, drink or apps at the top!
Bear Ponds Bookstore
See Gold Brooke Bridge (haunted ??)
Drive through (very slowly and stop a lot) through Smugglers Notch Road!
Alchemist Brewery
Tour the Original Ben & Jerry’s
Walk through Main Street, visit the shops (such original art and pieces)
Visit the beautiful horses or go for a carriage ride through the trees!
Eats:
Black Cap
Cafe on Main
Woodland Baking & Coffee
Doc Ponds
Cork Restaurant
The Bench
Hikes:
Stowe Recreation Path (Very easy)
Elephants Head (Difficult)
Stowe Pinnacle (Moderate)
Mt. Elmore (Difficult)
Barnes Camp Loop (Easy)
Franconia, Conway, Bethlehem (Franconia State Park/ White Mountain National:
So in New Hampshire my two days spent here were exclusively hiking so all my recommendations are primarily hiking based! BUT you just get a honey caramel latte from Maia Papaya!
Frankenstein Trestle (Views of the Conway Train) (easy, short—directly uphill)
Mount Willard (moderate, 2.5 hours)
Middle Sugar Loaf (Must see for sunset!!) (I don’t know if I was just tired but felt difficult to me lol) but my favorite hike of the trip!
Artists Bluff (Easy) VERY busy
Flume Gorge (Easy)
Mount Pemigewasset (Moderate)
WHERE TO STAY
Woodstock:
budget- Hotel Cooliage, White River Inn & Suites
moderate- Village Inn of Woodstock, 506 on the River Inn
luxury- Woodstock Inn & Resort, Blue Horse Inn
Stowe:
budget- Innsbruck Inn at Stowe, Mountainside Resort Stowe
moderate- Little River Inn, The Lodge at Spruce Peak
luxury- The Topnotch Resort
Franconia, Conway, Bethlehem, Littleton areas:
budget-Riverbank Motrel& Cabins, Green Granite Inn
moderate- North Conway Grand Hotel, Golden Gables Inn
luxury- Stonehurst Manor, Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa
The total oxymoron of this trip is that it’s impossible to time perfectly. If you are flexible and not too concerned about price I would suggest booking right before you go so you can ensure the perfect dates but if you don’t have the luxury I would suggest booking ASAP for next years. It’s bizarre how quick these places not only fill up but hike the price up prior to peak season. The most budget friendly and still practical way of seeing the peak is to book in advance for Oct.1-15 dates.
I hope this guide gave a bit of insight to the people wondering how to view those beautiful and iconic color sights! I personally think this trip is a absolute must do for all fall lovers. I have traveled within the US quite a bit including state parks out west and the peak foliage here is a strong contender for my favorite trip in the US for me!
If you have any questions at all, are looking for more detail or want me to create a individual personalized itinerary for any trip you plan to go on please reach out as I would love to help!
Thank you so much for reading and stay tuned for more adventure, travel nursing and lifestyle blogs.
*DISCLAIMER*- ALL PICTURES IN THIS BLOG ARE MY OWN. This post is not sponsored in any way.
