Scenes of Vermont Forums

Hello all,

Since moving to New England in 2009, I've thoroughly enjoyed doing a fall foliage road trip almost every year, and this site has been a huge help!

This year, 2 friends will be joining me, and it'll be their first time witnessing the beauty.

Can anyone please help suggest a hiking spot along our path, or propose a better itinerary (e.g, maybe it's best to hike Saturday instead of Sunday, due to needing to be back in Dover by 2pm)?

Our tentative itinerary:
Friday: depart Providence, stay at friend's place in Dover, NH

Saturday:
- depart from Dover, NH
- up to Kancamagus -- optionally stopping at Sabbaday Falls (I sadly witnessed someone die there a few years ago while leaf-peeping) and/or Rocky Gorge
- westward to Ricker Pond / Seyon Pond Road
- Danville to Marshfield
- IF TIME: Moss Glen Falls (Stowe)
- sleep in Warren

Sunday:
- awake very early for a mini-hike somewhere near Warren... Snake Mountain?
- by 10am, depart and drive back to Dover, NH

Btw, I'm a photographer as a side-job, too, and it's my biggest passion. So I'm always looking for photo-ops.

Thanks!!

ct999: You can stay with your mini plan hike. Take the Lincoln Gap road across from Warren town and park the car at the summit along with a few other cars. The trailhead is there. I hear the views at the top are amazing. Also, my friend from Chester suggested the hike up Mt. Ascutney and does it every year and loves it! But it is not near Warren. Why don't you take the Blue Bird Express to the summit of Mt. Snow! The hiking trails are great. The one I did last year was great but a bit rocky in places. The have a board crossing over a small wetlands area that is quite pretty. I would consider the trail easy to moderate in just a very few places.Your group would love it! At the top of Mt. Snow watch for signs to the fire tower. The trailhead is easy to locate. It is about 1/2 hour to the fire tower and it will offer you views that are most incredible. This intersects with the Appalachian Trail and you are likely to meet hikers at the fire tower. The fire tower is sturdy, don't fret. Take your camera on the Blue Bird Express for incredible views of Somerset Reservoir. If you don't want to do the fire tower, although I highly recommend it, there are A LOT of meandering hiking trails at the summit. If you take them all around the top, there are cutoffs off the ski trails for long views that are remarkable. But the other two I wrote about, Mt. Ascutney and the top of the Lincoln Gap might be great choices as well.

I know From the NEK hikes so hopefully he come in here and post. Also, bm has great hikes as well. This weekend is going to be pristine. Good luck! CT

ct999: Here are the directions for the Lincoln Gap Warren Trailhead it's only one hour! Perfect!!!!!

Sunset Rock - Elevation: 2424 Feet
One hour roundtrip, elevation gain 500', distance 1.5 miles. A favorite easy hike to a dramatic spot. Great views to the west towards Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Off Rt 100 in Warren trail head is on Lincoln Gap Rd, Park at the top of Lincoln Gap and follow the Long Trail south. Trail climbs steeply at first then gently up and down before opening abruptly onto Sunset Ledge.

Sweet, thanks so much ctyanky! The living legend!! I'll look up both Sunset Rock and Mt. Snow, and depending on our time, we'll pick one (or both) of these -- e.g., Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

You're the best!

Thanks ct999! I love providing information when I can to forum folks but if I don't hear back on the recommendations I gave to them, I wonder if it didn't work out or they didn't like it! So I hope you enjoy the Lincoln Gap hike. Call ahead to see if the Blue Bird Express is running at Mt. Snow before you head out. They might stop the lifts after Columbus Day. However, you might enjoy the hike to the top and to the fire tower! It just may be too long.....

So much to do, so little time!

Thanks, I'll provide a follow-up and photos!

ct999: looks like Columbus Day Weekend was the last for the Blue Bird Express. Just wish you had time to hike up there to the fire tower but the Lincoln Gap one looks like the one for you now! Can't wait to hear how your trip went!

Thanks ctyanky! As promised, my follow-up: I just now got back home to Providence, RI.

Fri afternoon: friend and I drove up to Dover, NH and stayed at another friend's house.

Sat 8am - 7:30pm: drove from Dover, NH to Kancamagus, up to Noyes / Seyton Pond (the road there was the nicest we saw on the entire trip), then up to Moss Glen Falls in Stowe, then down to Warren and stayed at a cabin.

Sun 8:30am - 6pm: drove down 100 to Ludlow and eventually to Deer Valley Road and East Hill Road (per your recommendations in another thread). This wasn't too good, just because leaves were blown off. 1 tree in someone's yard was amazing though -- firery orange and there was a water pump under the tree. Oh, before then, though, somewhere off 100 had a very nice field and a pond. I wish I dropped a marker on what it was. Heading home, we drove through northern MA, and in between Northfield and Erving had the nicest foliage we saw -- just the road was a regular big road, and we didn't have time to take small dirt roads to explore (my friend had to reach Providence with me, then catch a 4 hr bus back to NYC).

Anyway, fun trip. This is was my 5th year out of 8 years living in New England, and my 6th trip overall. I'd say it was an average year. 2014 and 2009 were the best for me.

How do you think this year compared??

I'll be done editing my photos in a few weeks and will post a link on here.

Thanks!

Hi ct999: It sounds like you really enjoyed your trip! Did you get to do the Lincoln Gap hike at all? If not, maybe next year you can do that one and take the Blue Bird Express to the top of Mt. Snow and hike around the summit. There's only so much you can fit into a day and sometimes it can be frustrating not to see and do it all in Vermont. So make a bucket list for next year!

Besides 2012, this has been my best foliage year yet and I spent the entire first week tooling around the NEK area. The weekend prior and after were mainly for activities I wanted to do and the color was not quite peak then, that's ok! I had a ball anyways!

Yes, Noyes Pond in Seyon is one of my favorite areas ever! Next year, I may stay at the Seyon Lodge for 3 days with bm!

I'm sorry those two roads were past peak for you but we had a bit of wind Saturday night and Sunday and must have blown the leaves around, when I was there Saturday morning we were driving around the area with full canopies.

I really am looking forward to your photos and glad your adventures with your friends worked out! CT