Fall Road Trip in New England | Best Places to see Fall Foliage

Hey guys, welcome back to my channel. My name is Chelsea, and you're watching my channel, Chelsea Explores. In this video, I am going to give you your ultimate guide to checking out all the beautiful fall foliage in New England. On my channel, I like to post videos on tips and tricks on where to go, what to do, and what to see at places you visit. I like to give breakdowns on the entire Tenerife, hidden gems, and the best places to eat. But for today's video, we will be embarking on the journey through the beautiful landscape of New England, specifically in the fall time. Tons and tons of people head to New England during the fall season to chase those epic colors that are bright yellow, bright orange, and red. These vibrant hues are so spectacular to see in person, so you are not going to want to miss a single minute of this video. Don't forget to hit like and subscribe, and follow along for many more adventures ahead. I'm going to take you on an 8-day road trip starting from Boston, taking you through the stunning views of New Hampshire to the rolling hills of Vermont, and ending in the beautiful mountains of the Adirondacks. So let's get into this New England Fall Foliage Road Trip. Let's start with what to know and my best tips for planning your trip. Typically, the fall colors peak in the last week of September and the first week of October, so if you are trying to plan a trip in advance, that is going to be your best time to book a fall foliage trip. The longer you can wait to plan your trip, the better, and here's why. As you can imagine, it's extremely hard to predict the exact week that the colors of autumn are going to peak around the area, so if you can be as flexible as possible, that will help you immensely. You can actually check fall foliage trackers online. I'm going to link a few different websites in the description box below that will keep you updated throughout the year as to when they think the peak will be, so if you look at that every single week and start planning your trip based on that peak time, that is going to help you get the best colors for your photos. Another tip for planning your fall foliage trip is if you want to try to hit the colors at peak, you want to take your road trip from north to south. Colors begin to get brighter and brighter in the north and then it works your way down south. However, there is a caveat to being flexible and planning your trip last minute. Rental cars tend to get booked like crazy. It's kind of a catch-22 on whether you need to book your trip in advance versus last minute because you are risking no hotels being available and no rental cars being available if you choose to book extremely last minute. For our trip personally, I was checking the fall foliage trackers very consistently and we ended up booking our entire trip in the month of June for visiting in October and we still didn't hit it at peak time, but we got some incredible colors still. And to be honest, if you aren't like a crazy photographer and are trying to get the perfect Instagram photo, it's going to be beautiful regardless, especially if you're from a place like San Diego like me where we have no fall colors, it's going to be incredible. And I think it's best to hit it early before everything peaks versus late when all the leaves fall and are brown. For our trip, we just didn't want to risk paying the higher prices and risk not having a rental car that would fit all our stuff because we were bringing our baby, so we decided to book in June based on when the fall foliage trackers recommended that it would hit peak and overall turned out pretty good. You'll see all the videos. Now let's talk about weather. Weather can definitely range from hot to cold during this time of year, most likely going to lean towards the cold side. However, the first two days of our trips, we were hitting the high 70s, which was not expected and not at all what I packed. So definitely make sure to check the weather prior to arriving and potentially even pack one or two cooler outfits. However, by the end of our trip, it was rainy and cold and we did need our puffy jackets. The mornings, regardless though, were cool and crisp. It wasn't until the afternoon that it got warm. So if you plan on doing sunrise or sunset hikes, it will be cold. Price. Okay, let's talk about price. We already hit on this a little bit. It's going to be expensive. Everyone is planning to see these fall foliage leaves just like you. If you are trying to save money, then I recommend going with friends and splitting an Airbnb, splitting a car, or maybe even camping during this time of the year. But that wasn't an option for us. So we tried to find a good balance of affordable Airbnbs. And one way that we personally like to save money is by finding Airbnbs that have kitchens in them because we eat the same exact breakfast every single day. So we would purchase our food items and cook in the hotel and then eat out for lunch and dinner or just dinner. I wanted to give you an exact breakdown of what we spent on our trip for my husband and I and our one-year-old son. So our rental car was $550 and actually when we got there, we ended up going with a minivan. They let us get the bigger car for the same price. And it was incredible to have that much space. Maybe makes me want to buy a minivan. Flights for two adults was $725 round trip from San Diego to Boston. We booked all of our Airbnbs for all of our stays, which was a total of eight nights of stays. The total cost came out to $1,675. Like I said, we didn't book anything fancy for our stays. I will also link some of the Airbnbs below because actually some of them were really, really cute. One of them was like a glamping resort. One of them was right along a river at a little resort like Mom and Pop Inn. Absolutely adorable. And then we did stay in just a few apartment style Airbnbs. So total cost, not including any activities or food, eating out or food purchased from the grocery store was $2,950 for two adults. Another question that I got often when planning this road trip is, is a car necessary or could you see some of the main highlights without a car? A car is absolutely necessary. A lot of the locations are spread out. Plus I would say half of the beauty of going on this trip is the driving part. There are tons of long drives that you're going to make and it's so beautiful to see the leaves along the way. All right, enough of the like little details. Let's get into the fun part and go through the entire itinerary for visiting the fall leaves in New England. Okay, day one is going to be your big travel day. I highly recommend flying into the Boston International Airport as this is going to be a great central location for getting to wherever you want to go within New England. It's a large airport. So flights into this airport are going to be cheaper and they will have more rental car options. Now we chose to land at night. So we actually decided to pick up our rental car when we landed and then just stay in an Airbnb right outside of Boston for the night before starting our road trip. But if you land in the morning, then you can always start your fall road trip a little bit early. So let's get into day two, which is the real beginning of your road trip. And you're going to head from Boston towards Conway. Today is going to be a mix of activities and relaxing. Your first stop will be Mount Willard hike. This is a beautiful hike that is about 3.1 miles round trip and offers incredible views down below. After your hike, you're going to go to Mount Washington Hotel and enjoy a drink or dinner and a drink on their back porch. The Mount Washington Hotel is nestled amidst the rugged beauty of the White Mountains. It was built in 1902 and is a historic hotel that exudes timeless charm and sophistication. It offers guests a luxurious retreat in the heart of nature. Now, if you're heading here for the drinks and dinner, you do not need a reservation to have that on the back porch. But I highly recommend a reservation as it was extremely crowded when we arrived and we were blessed enough to have one family leaving and we took their spot. But I do recommend coming here at sunset time and watching the sun set behind the mountains while sitting on the porch, having your little cocktail and some appetizers. Plus, if you have a kid, they do have a kids friendly meal with some little coloring things that they could use. Now, where to stay on night one, I recommend the Merrill Farm Inn. This is such a cute little resort that is super family friendly and was actually decently affordable for the time of year. It's located right along the river. They have a playground in the central grassy area and every single morning they serve breakfast at the dining hall, which honestly reminded me of church camp. And it was so cute in a little cabin and the food was delicious. I truly wish we could have spent more time at this inn because they had so much to offer. But it was on to the next activity, which brings us to day three. Today you're going to begin your morning by taking the scenic Conway train ride. This one is great, especially if you have kiddos that love trains. Adults are $36 and kids are $17. We chose to do the Conway Valley train, which I thought was a perfect length, especially for having a kid. It's about 55 minutes long and it takes you back in time on this heritage rail excursion through the beautiful leaves of New Hampshire. You'll meander along the picturesque valleys of the Saco River and pass by the charming villages and scenic farmlands. If you are going to do this train ride, I highly recommend booking premium seating up top in the dome area. It's going to be beautiful with the arches above the train to look out. It's a bigger window than on bottom and the tickets really aren't that much more expensive. There is limited parking next to the railroad station itself, so make sure to allot some extra time when arriving. You are now going to start your journey through the Kankamangas Highway towards Lincoln. The Kankamangas Highway, otherwise known as the Kank, is a 32-mile highway, windy drive from Conway to Lincoln. It takes about 45 minutes if you were not to make any stops along the way. However, it truly can be an all-day adventure. Pretty much every mile, you can find a stop that either offers waterfall views, a hike, or just scenic river views. Also, make sure you fuel up beforehand as there are no gas stations along this route. And you should definitely buy the self-guided audio tour to listen to along the way from Get Your Guide. I have linked the audio tour down below. It's like $8 and it's going to provide you so much information on this highway and direct you on what stops you should make along the way. Some stops that I personally recommend making that are both family-friendly and scenic would be the Albany Covered Bridge, which makes for some great photos and a beautiful spot to sit by the river and have a picnic. These are those classic bridge photos that you're going to see in the magazines, in blogs. They're so cute and stunning. Next, I would say to stop at Sabaday Falls. This is a short 10-minute hike, but parking can be difficult to find here. It's a beautiful hike though, mostly shaded, and it's going to offer some stunning views of some falls. Lastly, my best tip for you though is to leave some time for those random pull-offs that you're going to want to make along the way. Regardless of where you stop, this route driving through here is going to be insanely beautiful. And if you do have time, I would recommend you do the Flume Gorge. However, you do need a permit ahead of time to enter that area. So make sure to book that online ahead of time if you choose to do that. You're going to end your night at the Lumen Nature Retreat, which is, again, so, so cute and affordable. It's like a little glamping resort. So if you're up for community bathrooms and shared spaces, this is going to be your spot. They have different options from glamping tents to little cabins to like safari-style tents. Our little cabin had a mini kitchen, a little living room area, and a bed. This was perfect space for us and all we needed. We set up our pack-and-play in the little living room area for our child. And then, of course, it had gorgeous views, a giant window to look out at of the grassy field in front of us. Plus, even though the bathrooms are a community bathroom, they are actually quite luxurious and offer pretty much everything you could need. The bathrooms and showers were beautiful. They had q-tips, face wipes, and everything you could want. So it really didn't feel like you were camping. Day four. Today is the day you will work your way towards Stowe, Vermont. On your way out of town, I recommend doing the Artist Bluff Trail to get your day going. It's a fairly easy 1.5-mile round-trip hike. The very last part is steep, but it is only a short, steep section. At the top, you will see beautiful overlooks of Echo Lake. There are lots of options on what you could do during your drive today, but if you're for some classic New England fall stops, then I recommend stopping at the Morse Family Farm for pumpkins and maple tasting. Maple tasting is very popular in the fall here, and this is a great place to stop and try some out. Nestled in the picturesque countryside of New Hampshire, the Morse Family Farm is a charming destination where visitors can immerse themselves in the beauty of rural life. You can take a self-guided tour here or a paid tour and see how a maple syrup is made, or just head into their little shop and do a free maple tasting. Finish off by having some maple ice cream while exploring the property. Your last stop you should make this evening is at the Ben and Jerry's original location. This place gets packed, though, so if you are looking to take a behind-the-scenes tour, you will need to book your tour online ahead of time as they did not have any available when we arrived on site. However, you can still visit this place and just look around. You can order ice cream from their outside stand, you can go to their Ben and Jerry's ice cream graveyard, and there is a cute little playground for kids. While on your drive to the Ben and Jerry's, I recommend listening to the How I Built This Podcast that Ben and Jerry themselves are on, and they talk about how they built this Ben and Jerry's company, and it's a very fascinating story, so definitely recommend that podcast. Okay, day five is your day to do all the popular fall things in Stowe, Vermont. This is the place, again, that you're going to see those magazine-style photos. Start your morning off by walking around the cute downtown area and having breakfast at Butler's Pantry. There is also a nice little paved walkway you can take through the downtown Stowe area. Make sure to visit the staple locations like the viewpoint of the famous white church and the covered bridge Stowe sign. Once you're done exploring this cute little downtown area, head over to the Cider Mill, another popular location on a fall New England trip. Everyone recommends that you get a cider donut, and this is the spot to get it. Here, you can watch donuts being made and taste some of the freshest apple cider, as well as pick up any souvenirs you may want. This place gets so crowded, but it's a definite must-stop, and don't worry, the line goes quickly to buy your donuts. You're going to finish off your evening by visiting the Von Trapp House and Brewery. Now, this place was way larger than I expected it to be on arrival, so if you have more time or extra days, I would say spend some time on the Von Trapp property. You have to get a permit to get onto the property, but you can purchase it right there on site. I think it's like $7, and you can explore the property and all the winding trails that they offer throughout the hills above it, and it looks absolutely stunning. If you want to just see the property and the house from the outside, you can drive all the way up to that top and look at that area, but then you're going to want to drive back down the hill and check out the Von Trapp Brewery. Again, this is a great spot for families, and if you want to sit outside, you're going to need a reservation. It's a giant grassy area. They have large lawn games for kids, yummy food, and of course, great beer. Now, we're wrapping it up here on day six. You're probably getting tired. Now, if you're a coffee lover like me, then on your way out of town, you're going to want to stop at the Coffee Bar Coffee Shop in the Red Barn. It's a cute little spot to grab some coffee, and you can walk around the property and drink it with some gorgeous views. Now, here is where you can choose to go to other places in New England, or you can head to the Adirondack Mountains in New York, which I know is technically not New England, but definitely a place I think you should add to your bucket list. You're going to head to the Adirondacks via your car on a boat ferry. All you got to do is put into Google Map how to get from Stowe, Vermont to the Adirondacks, and it will put in you taking a boat ferry. This was such a fun way to get over to the Adirondacks, and it only took about 45 minutes on the water. Plus, you were able to get out of your car well on the boat and look at the views around you. Today is more of a driving day, but again, the views and leaves are beautiful all along the way. So, find a good podcast, a good music station, and just enjoy your time in this crispy fall season. Day 7 was supposed to be a big day of hiking for us in the Adirondack Mountains, but unfortunately we were hit with some hard weather, so we did not get to do those big hikes. One of the most popular hikes in the Adirondacks is the Indian Head Trail. It's a very long hike, and you do need a permit in advance for it, but the views from the top are stunning, so I've heard. Other places that were on our list that we really didn't get to make it to because of the rain was Lake Placid and Mirror Lake. You can take a boat ride on Lake Placid, and the views at Mirror Lake look stunning based on pictures. And I will say, a lot of the pictures you see online do look like that in person. Maybe the colors aren't as vibrant because they've been edited, but overall, I would say it's pretty realistic. And that wraps us up to Day 8 to complete your trip. Here you're going to head back towards Boston. Along the way you can make some fun fall stops, potentially in Saratoga Springs or Albany, New York, before returning your rental car and flying out of the Boston-Logan International Airport. Alright guys, I hope you found this detailed New England fall road trip helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below, and I would love to help you out. There are tons of places to visit in New England during the fall time, so you really can't go wrong with what you do. I've linked a ton of resources in the description box below, so make sure to check that out. And I hope you have a blast chasing those fall colors. Please don't forget to like and subscribe, as it always helps my channel out, and we will chat next time. Bye!