Scenes of Vermont Forums

Hi, I'm a complete newbie from Southern California.

I'll be coming into Boston Logan and driving to Vermont for Oct 14-17.

Any suggestions for the best foliage shots during this time of the year? Specific routes and directions would be greatly appreciated. Also, any tips on places to stay would be appreciated.

Thanks

You need to be in the area of Central to Southern Vermont. Northern Vermont will be getting past peak at that time.

Almost certainly too late for Kelly Stand Road then, as it is mostly above 2,000 feet and will be past peak.

The valleys from Manchester down to Bennington should be ablaze. Pick a clear day and go up the Skyline Drive on Mt. Equinox, then walk to the observation point for great views. --c

I like doing 133 between West Rutland and Pawlet and routes 153/315 in the Rupert/Pawlet area. I would like to do the back roads in the Guilford/Whitingham area again if I have the time. But you better have a Vermont atlas down there.

Thank You so much to everybody for your helpful responses. We are finalizing our plans and making reservations this weekend.

Best regards and keep the suggestions coming if you have anymore.

Coming from Boston, I'd stay in southeastern or central/eastern Vermont.

Take route 91 north to Brattleboro, Vermont, then follow route 30 northwest 20 minutes or so to Newfane. The Four Columns Inn is a good place to stay. Great restaurant. It's less than 3 hours from Logan.

From there you can take route 35 north to Grafton, a Brigadoon sort of village in the woods, and Chester, a typical small Vermont town.
Or loop up highway 30 to Jamaica and walk along the West River in the state park. Asta's is a good Swiss restaurant for lunch in Jamaica. Or you can loop up Route 30 to Route 100 south, then back to Brattleboro via Route 9 and back to Newfane.

Woodstock in central Vermont is about 3 1/2 hours from Boston. Take I-91 north to I-89, to Route 4.
It's a well preserved Vermont Village with lots of interesting daytrips around it. The Woodstock Inn is the best known place to stay, if you can get a room. Try Simon Pierce's restaurant down the road in Queechee.

Both these are easier to get to from Boston than the Bennington/Manchester area on the western side of Vermont, and just as scenic.

An alternative you should keep in mind, in the event the color in Southern Vermont is not as good as you hope to see, is to travel a few more miles south into the Western and especially Berkshires area of Massachusetts. We have found that the routes bordered by the Mohawk Trail on the north, I-91 on the East, the Mass Pike on the South and Rt 7 on the West are usually very pretty around that time.

They will not be at peak but the color, with the contrast of any remaining green foliage, is certainly very appealing. I strongly suggest that you should go to Vermont first, but it is always good to have another plan in mind as fall foliage can change so quickly depending on all the weather factors.

Enjoy!

In light of the lateness of this season, how would you modify the responses above??