Mack's Apples in our old hometown of Londonderry is spectacular in the autumn!

Fantastic Fall Foliage in New England

Rick and I drove a breathtaking route through New Hampshire and Vermont during the best season of New England, the fall foliage season. Here are our secret finds from that remarkable trip.

We always fly Southwest into Manchester, New Hampshire. With 12 gates, it has the amenities of an international airport but it’s super convenient and easily accessible for beginning your trip in the New England region. Our flight arrived at 9 pm, so we stayed at the airport and left for our journey the next morning.

We headed up to Lincoln, New Hampshire and made a stop at Dunkin’ Donuts before driving the exquisite and remarkable Highway 112, called the Kancamangus Highway. The Lincoln Wood Trail, 5 miles east of Lincoln, was horribly busy, but we heard this hike is a delight.

The Hancock Overlook, Sugar Hill Scenic Vista, and the Graham Wangan Overlook are great pit stops for foliage photos over the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

 

 

 

As we drove, we found numerous spots where cars were lined up on the road or pulled into an actual trail parking area. Stop at any and take a lovely walk through the sugar maples. Otter Rocks, Greeley Pond Trailhead, and Champney Falls Trailhead are just a few. We stopped at Sawyer River Trail on the left side of 112 and wandered through the trees to the Swift River.

 

We also stopped at Sabbaday Falls for the short walk to the falls and then drove to have a picnic by the Lower Falls. This is not a walk. There are picnic tables or you can just sit on the rocks by the river and enjoy the captivating scenery of the surrounding mountains.

Bear Notch Road cuts from Highway 112 up to Highway 302. You need to drive this winding road for the canopied foliage. But you don’t want to miss out on driving Highway 112 into Conway. We drove UP Bear Notch from 112 for a bit and then drove Bear Notch DOWN from 302 the next day.

Before you arrive into Conway, stop at the Albany Covered Bridge. It is a fun bridge to photograph.

 

Rick and I delighted in our stay at Samuel O’Reilly House in Conway. Making friends at the fire pit and eating breakfast around the big wooden table the next morning was a treat. Room #2 had a balcony to the river and we slept soundly with the windows open.

 

We walked to The Met for afternoon coffee and Elvie’s Pizza for dinner from our B&B.

The next morning, we visited Diana’s Bath off of 302, the Cathedral Ledge Lookout off of West Side Road and River Road, and photographed the Swift River covered bridge just north of Conway.

Our journey continued up Highway 16, 302, and 3 to arrive into Bethlehem.

Along the route, drive Sawyer Road

Hike 1/2 mile to Ripley Falls

Hike an hour up to Arethusa Falls

Drive the splendid Zealand Road off 302, an enchanting road with an overhanging canopy of trees and walk the Sugarloaf Trail by the creek.

Mulburn Inn is a stunning B&B run by Mary where Cary Grant and Barbara Hutton spent their honeymoon. Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio visited here and Thomas Edison installed the newly minted oven into the home. We stayed in the Washington Room.

 

We drank a flight at Rik Lis Brewing, sitting in their outdoor terrace.

The gorgeous red covered bridge over the Pemigewasset River is a great photo op, but this wonderful bridge can only be viewed if you pay to go in to the Flume Gorge. Lost River and Polar Caves are another excursion which is similar to Flume Gorge. Forged by the powerful forces of water and wind, glaciers pushed rocks, tumbling them into jumbled mounds. Lost River is more of a climb up the boardwalks by the waterfall pouring over the boulders with a few crawl through spaces like the Lemon Squeeze. Flume Gorge is more of a walk, while Polar Caves allows you to crawl in and out of boulder crevices without the water feature. You may just enjoy hiking all of the “roots and rocks” trails around the region which are all free.

 

We loved a short visit to view the Frost Museum because we love Robert Frost, the poet, who lived here for 20 years. 158 Ridge Road, Franconia

Hike up to Artist’s Bluff. This is a short 1.4 mile walk up to a stunning hilltop that overlooks Echo Lake, and the fall foliage here is exceptional. Park at Echo Lake Beach parking and walk across the street to the sign OR park across from Cannon Mountain Base Area and follow the sign up the hill.

As you leave Bethlehem, drive up to the covered bridge in Littleton.

We headed over to Vermont into the Stowe area by taking a route through Johnson, Vermont. Then we headed down Highway 108 through Smugglers Notch which was phenomenal. The winding county road with massive granite boulders complete with a canopy of incandescent sugar maples was striking and breathtaking. It was one of our favorite paths in our entire trip.

 

Stowe is a sweet, touristy town. Sound of Music fans, we had to visit Maria von Trapp’s grave at the Trapp Family Lodge outside of the village. Their splendid view to the mountains is very reminiscent of Salzburg, Austria where they originally lived.

Highway 100 through the entire state is an enchanting drive through villages and sugar maples and is a must do when you are in Vermont.

If you love ice cream, head over to Ben & Jerry’s in Waterbury, and make a stop at Grist Mill for apple cider donuts which are made fresh as you watch.

Hike 1/2 mile to Bingham Falls, located on Highway 108 and hike up one mile to Moss Glen Falls, situated on Highway 100.

 

The Gold Brook Covered Bridge is 2 miles south of Stowe on Highway 100 and the Morristown Covered Bridge is 2 miles north of Stowe on Highway 100.

Take a look at the following B&B’s in the Stowe area:

Stowe Meadows

Stone Hill Inn

Timberholm Inn

Moose Meadow Lodge

Rick and I drove south down 100 to Pomfret through the cute village of Warren. We popped into the Rochester Cafe in Rochester where Robert Frost ate.

Taking Cloudland Road south from Pomfret to Woodstock will take you along cute roads lined with fall colors, rolling hills and quaint farms. A legendary stop along this route is the farm located opposite “Elm Grove Farm” on Googlemaps, often referred to as Sleepy Hollow Farm. It’s a great little photography stop that captures one of the most photogenic farm properties.

 

If you want to take a slight detour, we were surprised by the unexpected beauty of Dorset and Manchester, Vermont. Charming, clean, upscale, and bouggie, we were enamored by the winding roads and cute shops, and we popped in to Hildene, the estate owned by Robert Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s son. One can view the Pullman train which he rode in when Robert was president of the Pullman Company.

Take a look at the following B&B’s in the Dorset area:

The Inn at Manchester

Ormsby Hill Inn

Drive Highway 100 up to 100A to visit the President Calvin Coolidge Historic Site and Gravesite. The president was raised and sworn in at this location amid the rolling hills of phenomenally colorful trees.

Highway 4 into Woodstock and Quechee was another charming drive that we highly recommend.

Take a look at the following B&B’s in the Woodstock area:

Jackson House Inn

Woodstock B&B

Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm in Quechee was our choice. Built in 1793, the creaking, uneven original wood floors were quaint and our delicious breakfast was exceptional.

We stopped for covered bridge sightings in Woodstock. The Middle Covered Bridge is right in town and the long, red Taftsville Bridge is just east of town on Highway 4.

 

Another stunning drive is from Sharon down to Norwich and then down to the Windsor-Cornish Covered Bridge over the Connecticut River.

On your way into Keene, New Hampshire, make a stop in Rockingham to visit the Vermont Country Store and the Kissing Covered Bridge next door.

We loved Bridges Inn at Whitcomb House in Swanzey, New Hampshire. Susan compiled a list of 7 covered bridges in the area. We drove to them all in one hour in the late afternoon when the sun was perfect for photo taking.

Driving into Londonderry the next day, we took Highway 124 to Jaffrey and in to Rindge. The captivating road was backlit with a staggering number of sugar maples popping in color.

Londonderry was settled in 1719 and was our home for 5 years. It was an idyllic time where we felt like we lived in a Norman Rockwell drawing. The apple cider and apple picking at Mack’s Apples on Mammoth Road is a definite stop.

 

One could make this a longer trip and add Maine into the first part of journey. We took a day trip to the coast, stopping at the Nubble Light House in York before taking Highway 1 up the coast to Ogunquit Beach. Park at Obed’s Lot on Cottage Street. Heading towards the water, take a right on the sidewalk to the Marginal Way signpost. This is a stunning coastal walk of 1.5 miles, overlooking the craggy Maine coastline and clear green water of the Atlantic Ocean. Everyone eats at Barnacle Billy’s when you emerge into Perkins Cove.

 

Kennebunkport up Highway 1 was our next stop after clam chowder at Maine Diner in Wells, Maine. You can park in town and walk the sidewalk for 1.5 miles along the coast to reach Walker’s Point, the Bush compound.

Take a look at the following B&B’s in the area:

Anchorage by the Sea – right on the coast

Meadowmere Resort

Kennebunkport Inn

Juniper Hill

New England is one our favorite locations because we lived in the area and literally fell in love with our region of the U.S. Winding lanes, brilliant sugar maples, rows of apple trees, quaint villages, and lively friends made this a special home for us.