Hello everyone.
We are landing in Boston at approx 13:00 hours on a Friday in September. We are heading north for the the foliage.
Could you please advise where you would recommend for the first nights stop on route. We do not want to stop in Boston for the start of our holiday because our last night must be there for an early flight home to the UK.
The route we are thinking of for the 14 days is:-
New Hampshire
Maine
Vermont
Finish in Boston for the last 3/4 nights.
We want to do a Whale watch and visit a state park to try and see some Moose.
Thanks
First stop from Boston
My advice would be to skip New Hampshire on your way north from Boston. Only a tiny slice of New Hampshire is on the ocean. The prettier parts of the state are further inland, in the mountains.
Your first night could be in York, Maine. The Stage Neck Inn is a nice place to stay right on the water there. York is made up of several small towns, one of which has a little restored village that dates back to Colonial days in America. That%26#39;s a very nice area to take a stroll.
After York, I%26#39;d slowly drive up the coast the next day, visiting some of the coastal towns between York and Portland. Then spend a night or two in Portland. It is Maine%26#39;s largest city but only has about 65,000 people. The Old Port area has some brick roads. Exchange Street has book stores, art shops, a Christmas store, and coffee houses. Part of the waterfront there is still very much a fishing port area. One can see the daily catch. Portland is known for its many good restaurants. Fore Street is one. Street and Company is another. Hugo%26#39;s is said to be good.
While in Portland, or the day you leave there, be sure to visit Freeport which has turned its village houses and shops into an outlet area, anchored by L.L. Bean%26#39;s huge flagship store. If lodging prices seem a bit high in Portland, you could even stay at a less expensive motel or B%26amp;B in Freeport and use that as a base to explore Portland itself. Freeport and Portland are only about a 20 minute drive apart. The Azure Cafe in Freeport is a wonderfully creative Italian bistro open for lunch and dinner.
After Portland a nice drive up the coast should include a stop in Camden, Maine which is a sailing town. It has a very sheltered harbor, nice shops, and restaurants. Just to the north of town there is a drive up Mount Battie from which the fall foliage views are incredible.
A night in Camden would be nice but you could also just spend a few hours there and continue on up to the Acadia National Park region on Mount Desert Island. Lodging is plentiful and varied in Bar Harbor. From there you can hike, bike, kayak, whale watch, sail, take the Lulu Lobster boat, and any number of other things. I%26#39;d plan at least three nights there.
From Bar Harbor I%26#39;d head inland and then do and see all the fun things in New Hampshire and Vermont before heading on back to Boston.
The peak color of fall foliage is usually around mid-October in coastal Maine. It will be slightly earlier inland in Vermont and New Hampshire. Even if you aren%26#39;t visiting at the peak, you will see plenty of color.
First stop from Boston
When in September will you be coming? As Bonniemaev pointed out, peak foliage is generally in October, from early October up north and inland, to mid October and later further south and toward the coast. If your travel plans will be for two weekes entirely in September, I would follow Bonniemaev%26#39;s suggestion about the coast first. If you do the coast for 5 - 7 days, and then head inland from Bar Harbor, across NH and VT for the second half of your travels, you will get to see some very nice color up north. However, the rest of your trip will only begin to hint at what you will see up north. That said, fall is a beautiful time to be in northern New England, so it is a win-win.
If your travel plans begin later in September, finishing in October, I would consider heading north through NH and VT first. By the end of September, say the 25th on, the colors willbegin to intensify up north, right on through the first week to 10 days of October. Through the beginning of October the colors will increase as you move south, and gradually toward the coast. So if you started be heading north and inland, you could work your way toward the coast during your second week.
I heard a person once describe the perfect fall foliage drive this way: ';Begin in Canada at Hudson%26#39;s Bay the first week in September and drive 50 (maybe 100) miles south every week.'; I think that is a good indication of how the colors change and progress from north to south. Also, the colors will change earlier in the wetland areas - marshes and the like. So even if the forests are green, you will pass all these specific areas of intense color through much of September, before the real show begins.
So, if you leave from Boston and head north to NH and VT, I would suggest a route the goes up I-93 from Boston to Concord, NH and then up I-89 to Burlington, VT. The drive to Burlington is about 4 hours from Boston. It may not be the drive you want to take after sitting in an airplane for 6.5 hours and being all jet lagged about 12 hours after leaving home in the UK. But here are some rough time markers for the route starting at the airport in Boston:
Concord, NH - 1 hour
Hanover, NH - 2 hours
Montpelier, VT - 3 hours
Burlington, VT - 4 hours
Between Boston and Concord, NH is pretty much suburbs. As you get away from Boston, it gets pretty and lush in places, but nothing special as a place to stop. If you are just trying to get away from Boston, you could fins a hotel anywhere along the route and get a good night%26#39;s sleep.
Concord is the state capitol, and has a pretty downtown that is nice to explore. So, not a bad place to stay and spend a fews hours the next day. But things get interesting from Concord north along I-89. You could look for an inn or B%26amp;B in Warner, New London and other nearby towns, just a half hour beyond COncord. If you can drive that far after landing and renting your car, I%26#39;d shoot for New London, a lovely town with several lakes, and the large Lake Sunapee nearby.
Other than that, I would make the next destination Burlington. The largest city in Vt, it is still small with a large pedestrian mall in the center of town. It is right on Lake Champlain, a beautiful setting. Along the way, you may consider stopping in one or more of the folloowing: Hanover, NH, home to Dartmouth College; Queechee Gorge and then on to Woodstock, both in VT and a bit off of I-89; Montpelier - the VT Capitol.
After spending a couple of days in Burlington, work your way back across VT to St. Johnsbury, crossing into Littleton, NH. This will bring you into the White MOuntains. A series of roads circle around and through the Whites. All offer spectacular sights. After a few days here, head east from Berlin (the locals pronounce it BER lin) on Rte 2 to Bar harbor, and then follow Bonniemaev%26#39;s route in reverse. The roads across VT and NH are all two lane roads. They can be slow but scenic. There are many specific suggestions for places to see and things to do along the way, but this should give you a general sense of direction.
As for moose, seeing them in the north country, especially on some of the routes I have suggested, should be a likely occurrence. You do not need to go to a state park to see them. Moose roam very large territories and can turn up just about anywhere. The good times to see them are early part of morning and dusk. You may also want to talk with the locals and ask them where to go.
Moose look like docile creatures, but do not get too close. If they feel threatened, they will charge you. They are big animals and do not back off. Be very observant when driving, especially at night. They may dart out of the woods to cross the road, or may stop in the middle of the road and stare you down, even as you approach at 60 mph. They are tall, lanky, top heavy animals. If you hit them broadside with your car, you will collapse their legs and their bodies will fall right in on you through your windwhield. Collisions with moose are almost always fatal for the moose, sometimes for the humansand destructive of the vehicle. That said, they are magnificent animals and a real treat to watch. Do go looking for them.
Whale watch in Bar Harbor is great. Bring warm clothing. As cool as it may be at that time of year, it will be 20 degrees colder at sea.
bonniemaev and NextStopls thanks for all the information you have given us. It it is certainly of great help.
NextStopls, we are arriving 21st September and leaving 5th October. With regards the foliage would it make any diiference if we stayed in Boston at the start or end of our holidays?
We know there are lots of info on Whale watching but do either of you 2 have any suggestions on the best trip?
Once again many thanks for the time and effort taken to help us two Brits.
As for staying in Boston at the beginning or end of the trip, I don%26#39;t think it will make much difference to the foliage. Things don%26#39;t change dramatically in two or three days. Every year is quite different from the last. Some years the foliage isn%26#39;t really all that spectacular because of a late frost, an early frost, a hard rain storm, or other things. Somewhere along the line, you are sure to get a decent show of color. Even here on the coast, where it is said to color last, we have quite a bit of color by the end of September. The various kinds of trees color at different times with the sugar maples usually turning red first and some of the yellows coming in much later. Then it all seems to turn rust, which has a beauty of its own.
I once was lucky enough to see peak foliage in upstate New York and in Vermont on a very good year. It was overwhelming. Truly overwhelming. After two days, I longed for a more subtle color and headed for the blue of the ocean.
I%26#39;ve done a whale watch boat out of Bar Harbor in September and it%26#39;s a mixed bag. It is indeed very cold out on the North Atlantic. When the boat gets up to speed, the wind chill is painful. I had the luxury of choosing a very calm day so that at least I didn%26#39;t get the experience that others have had of being surrounded by folks that are actively seasick, if you know what I mean.
The whale watch boats go out ten miles into open ocean to Mount Desert Rock where the whales tend to hang out. We simply saw a number of tails. It was neat but not awesome. The best part for me was the view of Mount Desert Island as we left harbor and came back. Acadia National Park has a range of mountains. It makes a stunning view from the water. I%26#39;ve now lived here long enough that I could identify each individual mountain and fondly recall a hike on each one.
I%26#39;d agree with bonniemaev about the color and timing. You will be arriving at a perfect time for colors, and will be able to adjust your travels for two weeks according to the actual situation on the ground. But I would bet that, at that time, you would have great colors, whether technically peak or not, from the Canadian border down into the Lakes region and Monadnock region of NH and well over to the coast.
Boston either way does not matter much. With the flight from UK, you might be happier with less to do once you arrive. Just let a hotel shuttle take you to the hotel, and do the car rental the next day. I figure you will be arriving late afternoon or early evening, say between 5 and 8PM, which is 10PM to 1AM UK time. Add a half hour to an hour for customs, etc., another half hour to get your rental car, and you will be hitting the road pretty late for just having arrived from the UK, unless you are by nature a night person. On the other hand, if you go ahead, rent the car and push yourselves a bit, you might find the time zone adjustment a bit easier the next day. You%26#39;ll start to shift to local time. So, it%26#39;s your call.
As for whale watches, I%26#39;ve done the whale watch out of Bra Harbor twice and was absolutely enthralled, and would do it again, even though I was one of the actively seasick on one of the cruises. I thought the boat actually goes about 25 miles out, but whatever, you are on the open ocean. It gets colder and rougher. If you are at all prone to queasiness, take dramamine before boarding. It worked perfectly for me when I did.
