Fall Foilage

[Our Time]

We are planning a trip into the northeast this fall primarily for the fall foilage. Any suggestions on where to go and timing would be appreciated. We have as much time as we need, so we can spend a few weeks to get the maxium benefit.

[Chickadee]

Chuck and Mary:

Hi. We know most folks think of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont when thinking about fall foliage, but.....don't overlook one wonderful trip we stumbled into during the fall season.

We'd parked our MH in a campground near the jct. of I-20 and I-73 just immediately S. of the city of Quebec and one day on a whim, thought we'd use the toad for a drive along the NORTH side of the St. Lawrence River taking Hwy. #138/360 NE out of Quebec City. WHAT A FABULOUSLY BEAUTIFUL FALL DRIVE!!!. We went up to a little town called Tadoussac hoping a fjord on a free ferry and back and it was a wonderful trip. The vistas are phenomenal, colors brilliant, and the little towns along the way are wonderful. Think about it anyway, then....when departing ya can take I-73 South into Northern Maine and the fall colors just continue. Have fun. Steve & Lynette

[Our Time]

Thanks Chickadee, thats exactly the info we are looking for. What time of year were you in that area?

[Lynnvt]

Timing is hard to determine. Peak could be anywhere from mid September to the end of October depending on the weather. Route 100 is a beautiful fall foliage drive through Vermont. Vermont does have a website to tell you how the foliage is presenting in different areas. I think you would find it here: The Official Vermont Tourism Site - VermontVacation.com

[OldChief7155]

VA and WV have great fall colors without the hordes of people.

Try Canaan Valley SP near Davis, WV for two weeks in Oct. With the rain we've had colors should be extraordinary this year.

[sgtjoe]

Not to be left out, but Utah has some fantastic Fall colors especially along Sardine Canyon between Brigham City and Logan and on up to Bear River.
The CottonWood Canyons also have some pretty great foilage in the Fall.
And I bet most of you thought we were all desert with that big old salty lake.

[D in Davie]

Go to Vermont in the last week of September or first week of October. Try to get to Stowe and stay in the RV park south of town. Great place. Bring your telescope and hope for a clear sky at night so you can see the stars like you remember before sodium vapor lights and smog. Lake George in NY should also be great at that time but once you get past Columbus Day everything closes up in the North east. State campgrounds will be disappointing as they seem designed for tenters not class A's.
I loved my trip to New England but my next trips will be out west.

Denis

[Chickadee]

Chuck & Mary (Our Time):

Just to get back to you....as others have said, picking the best color time is very dependent on the year. To answer you question, we did the drive along the N. shore of the St. Lawrence about mid Sept. and recall that as we later entered Maine from the North, folk said we were likely about a week or two too early for best Maine colors. We did end up staying near Bar Harbor and still had very beautiful drives in that area.

By the way...IF ya do run up to Quebec City and haven't been there before....you're in for an exceptional visit to the old part of the city. It alone is well worth the visit. Stone bldgs, copper roofed structures, cobble streets, carriages, sidewalk cafes, street artists, boardwalk vista over the St. Lawrence.....and....DO spend an evening in and around the Frontenac Hotel, downtown squares, etc......it's magical!!! Have fun.

Steve & Lynette

[Superslif]

Fall in Vermont is their "Leaf Peepers" season (very busy). You may want to make reservations now to lock in some campgrounds. We have been to Vermont about 4-5 times for a week or 2 at a time. We like the state parks, but there not for class A's. On of the private campgrounds we stay at located in central Vermont is called Kamperville on Lake Dunmore. Nice campground with some nice large sites for class A's. From there you can travel south 25 minutes and take in a gondola ride or hike to Killington Peak. Or you could head north about an hour to Stowe and take in Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream factory tour B & J's has RV parking . Or do the Mtn. Mansfield Toll Road to the top of Stowe Ski area. The toll road is a mostly paved up the mountain, some on winter ski trails, near the top is parking where you can hike about a mile across the ridge to the summit of Mtn. Mansfield which is the highest point in VT. One word about visiting Stowe on the weekend. There is only one road to get from the freeway up to the town of Stowe about 12 miles north, so it can be busy on weekends. If you plan to stay at Kamperville I can give you a few sites that are nice and large. The site we had last summer was large enough that I could make a "U" turn with my tow vehicle in my site. Check my photo link at the bottom for more VT. pictures.

[jperry29]

Since you said you have time, might I suggest that you start in the northeast, hang around until the peak and then drift south over the next month or so and follow the peak all the way down to Georgia. The Blue Ridge Parkway is beautiful as are parts of Kentucky, Tennessee and the North Georgia mountains.

[Bill1374]

Let me throw in a plug for New York. You can stay in the Lake Placid area( I think its a KOA) and then you can make several short day loops through the mountains. As said above,peak could be anywhere from mid September on

Bill

[richf]

We spent about 3 weeks in upper New England last fall. Peak color varied by altitude to some degree. Peak in Northern VT and NH was about October 6-8. Peak in Maine slightly latter. We liked Maine the best and really enjoyed Acadia NP area. Every campground had openings (during the week), we did not make any reservations. High fuel prices in 2008 may have also been a factor. Many of the commercial campgrounds start closing for the season after Columbus Day.

Our route was IA, WI, UP of MI, MI and across Canada to Niagara Falls, NY, VT, NH, MA and return via Newport, RI and Gettysburg. A great trip! An area that we stumbled across that was very impressive was Letchworth State park in Western NY.

Send me a PM if you have other questions.

Rich