NH / VT Base to tour both

My wife and I are to visit the area in October. We will be visitng Washington DC and Boston first and then having stayed South of Boston 5/6 nights would like to base ourselves in NH or VT for another 5/6 nights to tour both by car (and possibly Maine coast). I know it%26#39;s a lot to get in such a short space of time but would welcome suggestions on which area to stay, ideally one base but open to ideas.

NH / VT Base to tour both

It is a lot to get in in a short time, you may need 2 bases, especially if you want some time on the Maine coast.

To take in New Hampshire and Vermont, you could base yourself in the upper Connecticut River Valley (the river is the border between the two). From here you can easily explore Vermont%26#39;s Northeast Kingdom, a beautiful, unspoiled corner of the state, and the northern White Mountains in NH. I would recommend a good map of the area. DeLorme makes the best maps of New Enlgland, and they have a website. I%26#39;d also recommend ';An Explorer%26#39;s Guide to New Hampshire'; as an excellent guide book. It has a very good section on this area.

You%26#39;ll need a good portion of one of your days to work your way over to the Maine coast. Do you have any thoughts on what part of the coast you want to head for? Keep in mind that Maine is a very large state-actually as large as the other 5 New England states combined-so you need to focus in on one region.

Just traveling from New Hampshire over to the coast you will see a lot of western Maine, a very pretty area made up of mountains, small towns, and loads of lakes.

The coast of course is stunning. For scenic charm Camden, Maine-';where the mountains meet the sea';- is fabulous. The view over the harbor from Mt. Battie should not be missed.

If you get pressed for time, you might consider the New Hampshire seacoast. It%26#39;s a very nice area, and Portsmouth, NH is a great town, with wonderful restaurants. It would save some drive time.

NH / VT Base to tour both

Northbound.

Thanks for the early reply. We were thinking of travelling coast road to Bar Harbor area and then back inland for New hampshire and Vermont. The suggestion of what area to stay is welcome but I%26#39;m presently working off a 16 yr old Rand McNally - any suggestions re towns etc? I did read with interest your reply to other post from Enya re tour and will take up your suggestion. Any knowledge re something similar in Vermont?

If you are planning to see Bar Harbor and than travel back to VT might I suggest you take Route 2 West. This route will take through some great small towns, into the northern part of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and finally into Vermont%26#39;s northeast kingdom. If you stay on this route it will even take you Vermont%26#39;s state capital of Montpelier [the only state capital without a McDonalds.]

This is really a very scenic drive and will take up most of your day. I could recommend some sweet detours, but you%26#39;d want to stay at least one night on route.

Don%26#39;t worry too much about you 16 year old Rand MacNally, things up here don%26#39;t change all the quickly. You can pickup a more recent hightway map at a local gas station once you on the road.

A good spot for reaching the Western White Mountains and into Vermont is Littleton NH. There%26#39;s a new Hampton Inn there getting rave reviews. Haven%26#39;t stayed there yet myself, but since aging bones are making the tent and sleeping bag seem less than desirable as the cold rolls in, my husband and I are looking at it as a base to explore the area ourselves. (long range retirement planning).

I defer to vtmom, and perhaps others for their expert knowledge in Vermont.

Thanks very much for the advice to date - we have been busy planning and we will be leaving Hyannis on Monday October 2 am before arriving Nr Littleton Wed October 4. That leaves a couple of nights to travel up the Maine coast - any ideas what is realistic bearing in mind original plan to Bar Harbor + any suggestions of areas to stay?

You could travel as far as Bar Harbor in one day, if you stick to the highway. Up Rte 95 to Augusta, then over to the coast and Bar Harbor. It would be a long travel day, about 5 hours.

If you want to take your time meandering up the coastal route, you could plan to overnight in the Mid-coast area. Camden is particularly nice. Lots of great choices for inns and restaurants, and beautiful surroundings.

From Mid-coast you could easily head up to Bar Harbor and still have most of the day to enjoy Acadia Nat%26#39;l Park and the environs.

The drive to New Hampshire from this part of the Maine coast will take up at least half a day. You would head west on Rte 2. This is a scenic route, taking you through many small towns, and the mountains in Western Maine.

If you really want to squeeze Bar Harbor in, you%26#39;ll end up with a couple of long driving days (4-5 hrs) but it%26#39;s doable. If you want more downtime, you could stick to the southern Maine coast (Ogunquit, Kennebunkport) then pick up Rte 302 West from Portland (about 2 hours to NH from there).