Am I too late for fall foliage?

[pam wickett]

We are flying into Bradley in Hartford Monday<BR>night October 9. We realize it's late in the<BR>foliage season but work(that darn four letter word)will not allow us to get away any sooner. We will be in NE until Sunday.<BR>The only places I have really researched is<BR>route 2, the Berkshires and the middle of Vermont. Are we too late for Vermont foliage? Should we stick further south? Does<BR>CT also have rolling hills of color, hiking, biking, canoeing? We just want to be outside and enjoy the color and cool weather. I had planned on staying in the Killington area for two days with a day trip to Burlington and another to the White Mountains. Would we be wise to stay there the whole time. Are the Berkshires a day trip from there? Am I being overly ambitious with my time? I would GREATLY appreciate any input. I have been researching this for a month and still not come to any final conclusions. I am having a hard time guaging distances and time involved to do things. Thanks so much.<BR>Pam <BR>Please Help!!<P>------------------<BR>

[Guest]

Pam:<P>You are on a good track and the timing is good! You will hit a time when you will see the peak somewhere along the way, most likely. My wife and I will be in central Vt. at that same time and will be coming back on Sun. 15th, also. Hartford is your best arrival and departure airport!<P>Leave Bradley Field and drive 20 West to Rt. 8, turning north to Mass. Take the backroads to Stockbridge, turning left on Rt. 23. Do not miss the Norman Rockwell museum. That is a great place to start a New England journey.<P>Take Rt 7 north, as the Berkshires are tremendous, towards southern VT. Might want to go to the top of Mt. Greylock, depending on the foliage. Drive through Williamstown, MA and see the beautiful colors on the campus of Williams College. <P>Central VT will be much better than Rt. 2 in MA. Go over and take 100 north. Venture either west or east,to places life Grafton, or West Arlington and Manchester, a good spend the night point. Don't miss Weston, a super browsing spot, and Plymouth for its historical significance. Woodstock is one of the most beautiful villages anywhere!<P>When you return south, go to the Sturbridge area and Northeast CT, the "Quiet Corner" of the state. Get on the side roads and you will be surprised at the beauty. The sturbridge, Putnam and Woodstock corridor, and the surrounding areas, are very nice. We always find the colors there, and in Central MA, very good just after Oct. 1.<BR> <BR>I love to help others enjoy fall in New England. Have been going up from Augusta GA, for about fifteen years, every October. I wish this message could be longer to give you more helpful information for making the most of your trip. There is no place like New England in the fall! <P>Enjoy!!<P>Kerry<P>Choices in central VT are unlimited. Get on the back roads, the "packed dirt" ones, and you will be totally captured with the natural beauty of VT. When you return to CT, go to the the northeast corner of the state, the "Quiet Corner." Sturbridge, Woodstock, Putnam, and the general area and side roads, are a beautiful secret missed by most travelers. <P>

[svmoderator]

Pam,<P>Kerry gave you good advice, and for the most part in Vermont you'll find good color from Killington south. As he said, Woodstock and Plymouth are wonderful, and along that Rte. 4 corridor to Woodstock and Quechee (don't miss the Quechee Gorge), you should still have good color at the time you are visiting. Killington is about 3 hours driving from the Hartford airport if you drive direct...you can turn it into a lovely day trip if you take the more circuitous and scenic routes, although I-91 is very scenic as far as vistas, you just don't see any of the little towns and quaint houses and shops along the way.<P>If you did a day trip to Burlington and headed north a bit from Burlington to the Champlain Islands, you ought to see some good color remaining there, the islands get their color later, because it's warmer at night throughout the fall than in other inland areas.<P>If you want to go to the White Mountains, you can take Rte. 4 to I-91 north, then head to Exit 17, Wells River, and take Rte. 302 across to Rte. 2 and the White Mountains. That will be a fairly long day, you might check the New Hampshire color in that area just before going...<P>September Yankee magazine had an article about the Vermont gaps and the foliage...it was actually about viewing foliage, I think it had Maine, the Vermont gaps along Rte. 100 north of Killington, and the seacoast. It was an interesting article, and it gives driving directions to get the views from three scenic Vermont mountain gaps.<P>Hope this helps with your trip planning, enjoy your visit!<P>Susanne

[Guest]

Your timing is perfect for cental and <BR>southern Vermont. It will be chilly if<BR>you are from the south. There has been<BR>light snow in early October, but it does<BR>not last. Color will be slightly past in<BR>the north but just right from Manchester-<BR>Bennington and into Mass. You will need<BR>reservations. They have been booked at <BR>a lot of the better places for a few months<BR>already. Plan on buying lunches to go if<BR>you can...there are many, many lovely places<BR>to throw down a blanket alongside a babbling<BR>brook. Routes are all easy and well marked.<BR>If you make it to Bromley Mt. (near Manchester) be sure to ride the Alpine Slide<BR>for the most wonderful views of all. Happy<BR>traveling. Sue

[Guest]

If I can give you more information or help, my Email is kerrygough@aol.com. Be glad to!

[Guest]

What would be a good place to stay if we wanted to avoid the "touristy" areas, yet be close enough to them by car in case of cabin fever?<BR>Any suggestions on finding a vacation rental for about $400-500 a week or less?<P>Is the second week of October really too late for the foliage in "full bloom?" (Sorry, couldn't resist the oxymoron)<P>Please, email me if you don't mind at WriteSophia@hotmail.com<P>Thanks in advance, Sophia<BR>

[Geri]

I live in NW CT and we typically have peak color Oct. 14th. We seem to be right on schedule this year. Just a little color now. We also own land in VT. You are going at an excellent time. Route 9 Wilmington to Bennington is beautiful. I avoid Route 7 and all the crowds. Get the Vermont Atlas and Gazetteer map book and the Adventure Guide to VT and get on those gravel roads! Try not to just spend days looking out the car window. Go for hikes and long walks, kick the leaves with your feet, throw them in the air. Peacham is another beautiful quaint town (not much there, just beauty). The Victory Bog and the Burke region are gorgeous. Burke Mountain condos are a good place to stay along with other little inns in East Burke. I avoid the main roads and big towns like Woodstock and Killington. You will just meet "city" folks. Lose yourselves and let the beauty absorb you. Vermont needs to be done at a slow pace. No need to see every "tourist" attraction. Those are not the places that will leave you with those very special memories.

[svmoderator]

Sophia, there's information on Scenes of Vermont, check the home page and then go to Lakeside Cottages.In the Northeast Kingdom, lakes are beautiful and probably one of the least expensive vacations you can take. In the Kingdom, there are hundreds of lake front properties, some of which are for rent. Average cost for a family of four is about $400.00 per week. If you can't find anything in our Lakeside a family of four is about $400 per week. If you can't find anything in our Lakeside Properties forum, check out <A HREF="http://www.travelthekingdom.com." TARGET=_blank>www.travelthekingdom.com.</A> If you don't want to go that far north, try Harvey's Mountain View Inn & Cottage in Rochester, 802-767-4273. OR in Brookfield, Birch Meadow Farm Cabins and B&B, 802-276-3156 or <A HREF="http://www.bbhost.com/birchmeadow." TARGET=_blank>www.bbhost.com/birchmeadow.</A> See how these work out, and let me know if you need more info.Susanne