Planning New England Trip

We are planning a trip to New England - arriving in boston 21/9/06 for 15 nights. Plan to take in Boston, Cape Cod, New Hampshire, Vermont and maybe the Berkshires. We have heard that fall may arrive late this year due to recent rain, and are unsure which route to travel. We need to be in Boston near to, or at the end of our trip to catch up with friends. Need suggestions - should we start with the Cape and then travel north or vice versa? .

This is our first visit to New England so would be grateful for any comments and %26#39;must see sights%26#39;.

Many Thanks

Planning New England Trip

Hi SusCie ... To start when in New England you are never out of reach of Boston unless you are in very northern Maine and even then it%26#39;s within a day%26#39;s drive. Speaking of Maine I am curious as to why you seem to be leaving Maine off your list? In my opinion the Maine is the prettiest NE has to offer.

Now regarding where to start! Since you are arriving on Sept 21st my suggestion would be to start on the Cape. In late Sept Northern NE%26#39;s foliage would be far from peak. Last year NH and VT%26#39;s foliage season was late. I%26#39;m in Southern NH and we weren%26#39;t peak until maybe Oct 20th. With leaving Boston around Oct 5th or so you may totally miss the foliage. Don%26#39;t let that affect any decision you will make and late Sept in NE is beautiful and the weather at that time of year is wonderful with warm days and cool nights. The crowds are smaller except on weekends.

If I were doing the trip I would head to the elbow of the Cape for a couple of days, then up to Boston for a couple. After that take Rt 2 (The Mohawk Trail) towards the Berkshires for a drive through trip the head up Rt 7 to Bennington, VT and up to Rutland, VT From there head east to Woodstock, VT for a night. After that cross into Lebanon, NH for a side trip to Hanover (Dartmouth College). Then take Rt 89 to Concord, NH and up Rt 93 to Woodstock, NH for a couple of days. From Woodstock, NH do side trips to Mt Washington and then either drive the Auto Road to the summit or take the Cog. Another day drive The Kancamangus Hwy to North Conway.

From here head back to Boston for another couple of days before leaving New England. That is all doable in the two week window you have.

For an alternate suggestion drop the Berkshires and Vermont and add in Portland, Boothbay Harbor, Camden and Bar Harbor, Maine. They are all a straight shot of RT 1. That will allow you the experience of the beaches of Cape Cod, the mountains of Northen New Hampshire, the rocky coast of Maine and the great city of Boston and all it%26#39;s history. Now that would be how I would do New England in two weeks.

No matter what you decide you%26#39;ll have a blast as New England is special that time of year.

Planning New England Trip

I second the post of djf_in_nh. You might consider the route direction by the weather reports, so leave yourselves open to a alternate cycle. Also, you might try to get off the beaten paths in the northern states, but the Kancamangus Hwy. is a must. I agree with djf_in_nh that you should see the Maine Coast including its many villages, wonderful settings and Acadia National Park. Two weeks travel within New England is quite easy, especially since most vacationing families will be gone - at least until the fall foliage scene, which I hope you will see. You might add Burlington, VT, home of the Univ. of Vt. and Ben %26amp; Jerry%26#39;s Ice Cream (now sold, however), and Lake Champlain. That far north, and you might see the turning foliage. Much of this area is quite lovely and very historical.

Thank you voyaging. This post has been on several tripadvisor.com forums and many say do the north first then head south. Regretabally on 9/21 there will be zero to 5% chance of foliage even in the Northeast Kingdom of VT, one of the first areas to turn. At least at end of their trip there will be a slight chance of foliage in the north.

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