Need help on foliage drive planing

[jcmaxwell37]

Dears all,
It has been a while since I'm here gathering infos. Now my tentative itinerary is as following:
Oct 5, arrive JFK 3PM and start moving on 6PM
Overnight at motel in Danbury, CT for the first night in USA
following schedule is TBD

new-england-fall-foliage-map.jpg (117.62 KiB) Viewed 16542 times

I have got this route from lonely planet website and look very suit my need but I won't follow exact or all of the route. I will have 5-7 days on the road and I want to include this following place, added to the route above:

1. Green mountain, and VT 100 http://goo.gl/maps/8g9TJ
2. Covered bridge of Northfield
3. Optional NEK http://g.co/maps/te5xt

Now I'm a little bit worried because I have read many color reports recently and afraid that it may already gone on 2nd week of Oct. I need some advice on how far north should I go for at that time. As the trip is flexible, route can be change day by day and if the color still there, I wish to go as far as Stowe. I also not so sure that as the trip start from the south, will it be too early for the place in CT or MA? I am not so sure for an elevation.

After the trip I'd like to visit Boston for a pleasure.
Thanks in advance

[ctyanky]

jc: I am hoping you get A LOT of responses from others on the forum about your route. In a nutshell, DON'T start in CT where I live! Although we are a few days early already down here, we won't peak until just before Columbus Day Weekend with the higher elevations in the NW corner of the state in about a week.

I'd spend your energy focusing on Vermont and where you want to go in NH! If you have time to travel through CT back to NY, let me know and I'll give you the best back roads and hot spots to see!

Skip Lake Candlewood in Brookfield! You need to be on a boat to enjoy the foliage. Also I would recommend Mt. Greylock's drive up to the top if you have time - it is unbelievable and there is so much to see in the Berkshires, I wouldn't know where to start, but the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge are worth a stop. I would also recommend the Mohawk Trail route 2 on your way back to CT and NY and it will be awesome just before Columbus Day Weekend. It is in the southern part of MA.

Kent, CT is gorgeous but the back roads there are what you want to see so I can help as well. The traffic on route 7 will be unbearable so that is why I said back roads for that town. Geez, how much time do you really have? Start north and work your way down.

Ok, after walking in the cold for 1/2 hour I have another idea. Boston is too sweet to miss! After VT and NH take route 7 down to North Adams, MA, drive up Mt. Greylock (call ahead to make sure it is not cloudy or the summit is not clouded in) and then take route 2 east (Mohawk Trail) and then the Mass Pike (90) east into Boston. The towns of Concord and Lexington are not to be missed. You need 3 days to enjoy one of the most wonderful cities in New England. Then you can head back to NY. In the alternative, you can drive through CT to NY. I think you will need the others to help you with your northern routes before doing this scenario.

Others will chime in real soon! Stay tuned! Have a superb trip!

[snowboarder]

I'm new to this but after what I have found out, I'm quite sure you are planning
this whole thing backwards.
Land in NYC and first just drive up north as far as needed to find peak. Around
Oct 5th it will probably be Stowe or something like that. Spend all your time
around this area + move down back to NYC around VT100 and follow the color.
There is no point moving the opposite direction to mother nature.
Forget Boston, enjoy what's really special, you might just be lucky to come
for one of the best foliage seasons...

[jcmaxwell37]

Thanks to abby, ctyanky and snowboarder. Your advice are truly invaluable.

Before I have read lonely planet, I planed to go as far north as the leaf still there and then coming down south. But after I have read all your advice, I maybe stick with my first plan.
5 Oct, drive as far north as my body can bare, I plan to stop near Brattleboro, VT (I dont know why I choose this... hehe) any cheap motel.
6 Oct again drive north as far as the leaf still there, stop at any of these: Stowe, Montpelier, St J.
7 Oct loop drive in the area
8 Oct start heading south little by little on local road, VT100
.
. (I want to spend on the foliage hunt alone upto maximum of 7 days)
.
11 or 12 Oct end my drive somewhere (probably Berkshire or Kent as per ctyanky recommendation) and head to Boston

I have added Boston as a city trip to get a break from the leaf also visiting friend there.

Thanks in advance

[ctyanky]

jc: as you move closer to your return dates/locations I will help you with the Berkshires area and/or Kent. I would suggest you get to North Adams for the drive up Mt. Greylock and then take the Mohawk Trail route 2. Or take 7 south to Stockbridge and Lenox. You have a couple of choices. I will follow the foliage there and make up some back road tours for you. Also near North Adams is Williamstown. A magical place and gorgeous. Keep me posted! (I would skip Kent to do the above areas in a heartbeat). Enjoy Boston! I lived there and LOVED the historical areas and I'm sure your friend will give you a great tour!

[ixl]

In looking at your map, you have a lot of driving on route 7. This is a great route on the west side of the state to get to places quickly, but it's not the most scenic (in my opinion).

I'd qualify this slightly -- the bottom part of route 7 between Bennington and a little north of Manchester offers amazing views of both the Greens and Taconics and is a lovely drive when they are in full bloom. Above Manchester, yeah, it's pretty dullsville for the most part.

Those coming up from the south should not underestimate Route 22 in far eastern NYS. It's a lovely road.

[ctyanky]

I second you Charles on that part of route 7. The views you have mentioned have always amazed me, even when I traveled up there in winter. Per your suggestion, I have taken route 22 on several occasions and it is great. As a matter of fact, I'm hoping to take 22 when I hope to go up to Manchester to drive up Mt. Equinox the first weekend in October. Route 22 has great foliage and farms, really lovely.

[jcmaxwell37]

Dear ctyanky, mmvt and ixl again thanks for your reply.

ctyanky: I'd love to take your recommendation for North Adams, Mt. Greylock and the Mohawk Trail.
mmvt: I do agree with you that NEK may already pass the peak already, that's why I want to check how far north should I go up that time. I'd take your advice on Killington/Woodstock, I saw an old thread about this area and it is very lovely.
ixl: thanks for sharing your experience

About the motel, as I never travel to these area before (and at this time of year) Is the reservation very required? walk-in possible?
I used to travel on the other part of the state where I just drive until I found a good cheap one with no problem at all.
As my plan is not fix at all, making a reservation is a little bit hard for me.
I have no idea on how serious or a chance to get a room as walk-in customer in this area?

Thanks in advance

[ctyanky]

jc: I'm a bit nervous about your lack of reservations. What do others think? This is Vermont's highest season and most places are booked solid and there are 2 and 3 night minimums. However, there may be condos available in the ski resorts. If you call the Chamber of Commerce in the towns where you think you might stay, they sometimes keep a running list of vacancies in the area. Mid-week will be easier for you; weekends are scarce to say the least. I know in Waitsfield, that is the case where the Chamber knows what inns have openings. I would hate to see you end up sleeping in your car! brrrr! Perhaps if you know of some area ahead of time where you will stay for a night you can book something? I'd be curious as to what the forum members think about this and maybe they have some recommendations....

I'll get some stuff together about your travels to Greylock and the Mohawk Trail this weekend as I think I am heading to the Berkshires Saturday or Sunday.

Good luck!

[jcmaxwell37]

Dear ctyanky and abby,
Thanks a lot for your advice and yes of course it is much better to reserve a hotel
I will try to fix the route as much as possible and secure the accommodation.

As Internet is the only way of motel reservation for me right now, I hope that when im hit the road there will be a lot of hidden motel that doesnt advertise over the internet and has a spare room for me

For the worst case scenario, i will avoid sleeping in the car for safety reason, i will drive a hundred mile to find a cozy place to sleep.

[snowboarder]

JC, try chains with good cancelation policy, most will allow for the evening of the day of arrival
which helps with flexibility.
I changed my reservations several times and it's getting hard to find anything on the weekend
days, but try Best Western in Stowe and Hampton Inn in Rutland. Also think about Quebec,
we found an amazing looking new modern hotel there, much cheaper than VT.

[autzig]

I couldn't agree more about making hotel reservations. On one of my trips to Vermont, I think I found the last room in the whole state. I don't think there are many hotels that don't use the internet for reservations. If you don't have a reservation, you may have to drive more than 100 miles to find a place to sleep.

I know this is a Vermont forum but consider traveling the Kancamagus Highway from Lincoln, NH to North Conway. It has a well deserved reputation as one of the most scenic roads anywhere, especially when the autumn colors are at peak.

Al

[ctyanky]

jc: I hope you are in the process of securing lodging somewhere! Anyways, here are some links for you for the Mohawk Trail which starts in North Adams,(I'm assuming you'll head down route 7 from VT) and Mt. Greylock in North Adams (get detailed driving instructions from the link, gps can be confusing) and a must stop on the Mohawk Trail is Shelburne Falls.

The Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne should still be nice as the warm weather in Southern New England is upon us for the weekend and part of the beginning of next week and I'm sure they will still maintain it. The Mohawk Trail is celebrating a 100 year anniversary and the foliage should be fantastic! There is a tight hairpin turn at the beginning of the climb so be sure to pull in even though it will be on the left, be careful, the views are supreme! This will be a nice drive for you before you head to Boston. If you have time on the way to Boston on route 2 if you choose, find your way to Concord and Lexington towns. The perfect New England towns with greens and white steepled churches and numerous historical sites. The Old North Bridge is wonderful in Concord. Enjoy VT and let me know how you made out with the rest of the trip above.

http://www.mohawktrail.com/driving-tours.html

http://www.shelburnefalls.com/

http://berkshires.org/

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/ma ... nd-se.html

[jcmaxwell37]

snowboarder: Thanks for the tip, I usually stick to a chain motel because it is cheap. I'll do my best on reservation and try not to cancel.
autzig: Thanks for advice on a route, sounds nice I'll check it out.
ctyanky: Thanks again and again for good tip and interesting place to see. Your route sounds so great that I want to leave for VT this weekend

I will try to finalize my plan within this weekend and may ask for your comments too.
Thanks in advance

[pwt54]

If you are staying in Brattleboro the first night, then I would drive route 9 west to route 100 north in Wilmington village. Then drive route 100 north to the Stowe area. Route 100 changes color earlier because it's in the mountains. You should do it as soon as possible. Find a place a palce to stay. It might be hard to do. Stowe has the most rooms in the area, but it is also the most popular place to visit. The Montpelier/Barre area is another place to try. You could stop in Waitsfield on you way to Stowe and check.
You need to take route 12 south from Montpelier to Northfield Falls for the covered bridges. Look for the Cox Brook Road on the right, just before the store. There are 3 bridges on that road. After viewing the bridges, turn around and drive back to route 12. Turn right and drive a short distance and look for the Slaughterhouse Road on the right. There is another bridge there.
Go back to route 12 and turn right and continue route 12 south to Bethel Village. Look for route 107 west on the right side. Routes 107 and 12 combine here for a few kilometers, then route 12 breaks off to the left. Turn left on route 12 south and drive to Woodstock. You can check out Woodstock if you want. But then drive route US 4 west to Killington or Rutland to look for a room. From that area you can drive route US 7 south to Massachusetts and Connecticut.
If you want to wander around in Vermont a little more, you could drive route US 7 south a few kilometers and look for route 103 east and drive that across the state .