foliage estimates

[chulton]

Two questions. Does anyone know when the foliage estimate will come out? My wife and I want to take a trip through NH (Mt washington)/VT (RT 89 to Burlington/7 south to Bennington/9 East back to keene. This website has conflicting comments. The map section shows peak at end of september (which I recall from my college days in Boston) but another section says plan your stay for 10 days middle of October. I want to book flights by early august. When is it too late to reserve rooms in otels and B and B's?

[pwt54]

Foliage season does not happen all at once. It starts first in northern VT and works south. Looking at your route I'd go for the last week of September or the first week of October. I believe the first week of October would be the best for your route. The only change in your route I would suggest is to take route 89 to exit 10 in Waterbury and take route 100 south to Londonderry and then route 11 weat to route 7 in Manchester and then route 7 south to Bennington. The foliage will be much better than route 7 in the Champlain Valley.

[leng06]

any area that would have good foliage mid-Sep? we've got visitors from the west coast who are dying to chase the colors here in the east.

[Beth]

Good news and bad news....

Yes, you can try to chase down some autumn colors in the east...

Unfortunately, you will have to head to mountains of northern Maine or stay in the Whites in New Hampshire around Mount Washington area...

Vermont will be too early.. unless you stay in the extreme high elevations of Mt. Mansfield or Jay Peak area.. where they may be some turning.

Currently, I notice in the higher elevations of Jay a slight tinge but nothing to really go crazy over yet..

Hope this helps.

[Beth]

Try these two sites:

http://foliage.visitnh.gov/index-flash.html

http://www.state.me.us/doc/foliage/index.html

[admin]

You can also got a bit further north, into Quebec (an enjoy some great food at the same time!)
Try doing a search for Quebec's Eastern Townships, or Quebec City. Quebec's Eastern Townships is an area easily reachable from northern Vermont.

If you are in North Troy area, which is right on the border, you may see some signs put up by Jay Peak warning about speed traps.

Border Adventures

[pwt54]

e have had a wet year and the swamps and bog are higher than normal The tress around these wet areas are turning early. The swamp area off route 78 has some good color right now for example. The northeast area of Vermont, north of St. Johnsbury and east of route US 5, has a lot of lakes and swamps. It is also the area in Vt. that the foliage starts turning the earliest. I would go up there.

[pwt54]

Sorry for the spelling. I'm at the rest area right now and some one needed directions, so I was in a hurry.

[admin]

I was just out checking the swamps...there is color around Lake Salem and on 5A out of Charleston, but it isn't that great and so I didn't take any pictures. It was a beautiful day and the light was pretty good, but the color just wasn't there.

Tim