Driving Route near Calais

[sharan]

Good morning all,
I am trying to map out a route that includes the back roads around Woodbury, Cabot, Maple Corner etc. I have heard y'all talk about them in years past but I don't really know which ones are the best for great foliage. I have also heard Phil talk about Tebbets Rd but I'm not sure where that is. I am using the DeLorme atlas. A good starting point for me would be the intersection of 232 and Rt 2 as we plan to visit the Owl's Head Overlook. I know we won't know until nearer to October what the foliage will be like in that area. My plan for that area is October 8th. I would just like to wind back and forth on those back roads and see all there is to see! Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[ctyanky]

Sharan: the areas you are choosing: Calais, Adamant, Maple Corners, Woodbury, etc. are amazing places to drive around. I have been through there with Charles (ixl), bm and Phil in different foliage years. If you look on your map, you will notice numerous criss-crossing back roads that can get very confusing so I would recommend having a set plan in place so you don't lose out on the gorgeous scenery the roads offer by trying to figure you way around the areas. Cabot is great! Some roads I would highly recommend driving are Cabot Plains Road and Cloud Brook Road. They are very clear on the map and quite drivable with incredible longs views and rows of maple trees. Another road is Ducharme. I "think" it is in Cabot.

I will get out my Jimapco this evening and get some more back roads in the Calais area for you to find that are awesome. Carol (abby) and I are staying in Marshfield (near Plainfield) for a weekend just before you get out there on the 8th so we will definitely update you on the foliage there.

Last season, Charles took me on a ride through back roads around some beautiful lakes and ponds in Woodbury and Adamant. You can spend days in that area! I can't wait to go back there and explore during my trip there this season!

Tebbets Road is great and there is a barn built over the road that is fun to photograph. There is an adorable country store in Maple Corners that you should stop at! Maple Corners is sweet, that's all I can say about it!

Stay tuned.... I'll be back with more. Hopefully Phil or someone can do a route for you as well. CT

[ctyanky]

P.S. To get to Tebbetts Road, look on your map and find route 14. Turn left on Maple Road (intersects with Foster), then Dog Pond Road and then to Tebbetts. Sorry forgot to mention that.... it can get confusing as Maple Road may not show up on your Delorme but it does on my Jimapco........

[sharan]

Thank you CTANKY! I am glad you clarified Tebbetts Road.. My Delorme Atlas shows a short road that runs north of Ducharme road and I didn't really think that was the same one. I am considering ordering a Jimapco.
I have Cabot Plains Rd on my list. Do you know if there is an apple orchard on that road?
I have already warned Abby that I may have lots of questions to get ready for our upcoming trip. We have been to Vermont and New Hampshire five times in the last 11 years and I have always relied on info from this forum and have never been steered wrong!

[ctyanky]

Dear Sharan: You are quite welcome! First, I need to make a correction in my post. Cloud Brook Road is in Barnet, not Cabot. That's why I wanted to check my Jimapco when I got home this evening. I've been on so many back roads over the years, I get confused! Phil and bm have the roads down pat so they are ultimately the best resources!

Garland Hill Road in Barnet, along with Cloud Brook, are back road winners in my book. A couple of years ago, bm and I did a day trip and Al Utzig followed us. We were all in awe of the long views of these roads so I hope that if you are in the area during your trip, you can take these roads. I plan on taking Carol there the first weekend in October.

Anyways, back to your Calais post. One year Phil and I took County Road out of East Montpelier thru Calais and Woodbury all the way up to route 14. It was divine. You can stop at Morse Farm in East Montpelier for a maple cremee too! You are so close to Worcester too and route 12 which should be gorgeous. The Worcester Range is one of my favorite drives in Vermont!

http://www.morsefarm.com/

There is an orchard in Cabot, Burtt's Orchards, http://www.burttsappleorchard.com and it was a fun stop for Charles and I (even in the rain!).

As I mentioned, Charles took me on a "pond photography adventure" in Woodbury but I can't remember the name of them. Most of the dirt roads leading to them were very navigable, but he also took me on some scary, sketchy roads which I won't recommend!

If you have any more questions, just ask. Hopefully some others will chime in here about these beautiful areas in Vermont. I think the Jimapco would help you a great deal by the way.

P.S. You are correct, the short Tebbetts Road off Ducharme is not the one where we all have been to see the barn over the road.

CT

[sharan]

Yes, its the "scary, sketchy roads" I am afraid we will end up on! I see all those ponds in the area around North Calais. I won't attempt those. Is there a covered bridge and old schoolhouse along Cabot Plains Rd? And is there a fire tower somewhere near Lake Elmore?
CT, I agree that you are a wealth of knowledge. Abby, you are also and many others. I would still be driving on paved main roads if it weren't for all the info on this site!

[Utah Baker]

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Cabot plains road is a must, here is a photo I took in 2010, I think Carol posted a similar one from last year. Beautiful area.

[Utah Baker]

For some reason I have to touch the photo to view the whole image on my tablet, if others are having trouble viewing it. Or click on image.

[Utah Baker]

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Another from Cabot Hills Plain road.

[ixl]

Last year I drove all over this general area. There are a bunch of images in a gallery on my website and I include descriptions of all the images and roughly where they were taken. It should give you some nice ideas.

Not sure I could really provide a route map as again, I criss-crossed everywhere.

If there's a specific image in there with a description that doesn't make clear where it was taken, tell me what it is and I can provide you a more detailed location.

[Andy]

Howdy Folks: A couple years back we set up a "Sticky" thread for Great Driving Routes. If we keep these topics in that thread, all this valuable information will be much easier to find and will, hopefully, give us a pretty comprehensive "one-stop" shopping thread for these routes. Thanks

[sharan]

Thank you Utah Baker and IXL for the beautiful pictures. Cabot Plains Road is for sure on my agenda. And I hope we can drive the Stannard Mt. Rd this year also.
I think I read somewhere about Cabot Rd from Cabot to Woodbury. Anybody have any info on that road?

[ixl]

Thanks abby. I actually showed the gallery to someone at Vermont Life who recommended that I submit some photos for their fall edition. They didn't use even one. Starting to wonder about my taste and skill as I can't seem to get any actual recognition for any of my shots outside of my friends.

The Dolloff Ponds are just south of the southern tip of Lake Willoughby and easy to get to. Just take Dolloff Pond Road off route 5, northwest of West Burke.

[ctyanky]

Charles: I totally agree with Carol. I think you are an outstanding photographer. I have seen you in action and how passionate you are when trying to find the right spot, the right lighting, the right angle to shoot. Your photos are worthy to be published so go above and beyond VT Life and as Carol said, don't give up! I'm sure your photos were in the forefront of the competition and they just picked a few out of hundreds of entries. I have gone over your site so many times and loved the photos so much I have shared your link with many. Everyone was like "WOW, this guy is awesome!"

What I like about you as a photographer (and dear friend), is that not only are you talented but you are also humble about your work. You promote your work but never are pushy about it. I know some day, I will see your Vermont scenes on a magazine cover or book. So please keep trying so I can be proud to say, "I was with that guy one day in Vermont while he was out photographing fall foliage, and damn, he IS good!"

[ctyanky]

I think I read somewhere about Cabot Rd from Cabot to Woodbury. Anybody have any info on that road?

Sharan: In answer to your question above: I "may" have been on the road from Cabot to Woodbury but can't remember! But it looks like a paved road through some nice scenery so why not give it a try while you are out in that area? If you look on Cabot Road you will see a small road heading north called North Road that travels past some lakes. Not sure if you can see the dashed lines after North Road ends on your Delorme but the dashes signify a seasonal road. This is where Charles (ixl) took me last year. Well, the lakes were beautiful as you can see on his website BUT the road was really rough and washed out and I was holding on for dear life. I didn't like where we were headed but Charles assured me we were fine and not to be such a wimp. So I complained a little more and then shut up so he wouldn't make fun of me, but I was praying he would turn around and eventually we did AFTER he got the shots he wanted (in the drizzle). It was quite an adventure! The lakes around the Woodbury area are gorgeous, but my advice is to stay on the paved roads or dirt roads that are navigable!

Charles: If you are reading this, I still adore you but please don't take me into these sketchy areas this season!