New England Road Trip - Fall Foliage, Stowe, Kancamagus Highway and more!

Are you looking for the best fall foliage road trip itinerary for New England where you can see picture-perfect towns and postcard worthy views that look like they're literally out of a Hallmark movie? You have come to the right place and today I am going to walk you through my itinerary that will show you the best of the best of what New England has to offer with a very limited time. If you have always dreamed of seeing these red, yellow, and orange leaves, New England is the perfect place for you. So come along as I share exactly the best things to do, where to stay, what to eat, hikes, views, and more. Before we get started, make sure to take your like button, pack it in your carry-on, along with your subscribe and share, and head up to New England for the road trip of a lifetime. I recommend starting your trip by flying into Boston, Massachusetts because of the geographical location and flights here are often very affordable as are car rentals. From Boston, you're going to drive the two hours up to Portland, Maine where we're going to begin our itinerary. As soon as you get to Portland, head to Two Fat Cats Bakery. This place is incredible. They have the most amazing fresh baked goods such as pies and fresh coffee. So this is a great way to get your day started. Like any big city, Portland, Maine has a lot of things to see and do. So of course, there is an adorable downtown that you can walk around, check out any museums, definitely check out the waterfront. There are so many shops and things to do and everything is decorated for fall with foliage and leaves on the ground. Now, my favorite thing to do here is to visit the Portland Head Lighthouse. Now, this is the quintessential New England lighthouse experience. You've probably seen pictures of this lighthouse before and it's even better in person. Now, although we are on the east coast, I do recommend visiting for sunset because the skies are gorgeous pastels and you can walk all around the lighthouse. This is a great photo spot and shouldn't be missed. If you're looking for dinner in Portland, I recommend Black Cow Burger. They have incredible fries. This place is not to be missed. It's really delicious. Our second stop on your New England road trip itinerary is absolutely my favorite for the most gorgeous and the best fall foliage that I have ever seen in my entire life and it is the state of New Hampshire. Before I have come to New England for multiple fall trips, I used to think that people were over editing and oversaturating their pictures and faking how bright and vibrant the leaves are but New Hampshire completely changed my mindset on that by showing me that fall foliage can indeed be the most insane vibrant colors that my eyes have ever witnessed. Now, the drive from Portland, Maine to the White Mountains of New Hampshire is only about two hours and it is a very scenic drive as you are going from coastal views up into the mountains. So, it is a big change in elevation and scenery as you're driving through. Now, the first thing we're going to do in New Hampshire is we are going to drive the scenic Kankamagus Highway. Now, the Kankamagus Highway also known as the Kank is often mispronounced as the Kankamangus Highway and a lot of people get this wrong and say Kankamangus and if you find it hard to pronounce, you can just call it the Kank but as a local guy working in the Franconia area of New Hampshire once told me, if you can say August, you can say Kankamagus. So, let's get started on the Kankamagus Highway. The Kankamagus Highway is a 56 mile long highway and it is a gorgeous scenic drive, one of the best scenic drives in the United States and it is perfect for fall. Now, all along this drive, there are a multitude of overlooks and things to see and do and in this video, I'm going to share with you some of my favorites. Of course, you can stop at as many or as few as you want but I am just going to give you my recommendations right here in this video. The first place we're going to stop is the Albany Covered Bridge and if you know anything about New England or New Hampshire specifically, you will know that covered bridges are big historically in this state so what better way than to start off with a beautiful covered bridge along the beginning of the Kankamagus Highway. This is a really fun and brief stop and you can just walk around the bridge, take some pictures and learn a little bit about the history of covered bridges in the area which I will let you in on a little local fact is to protect the road during winter so that it is less likely to ice over. Next up is the Rocky Gorge Scenic Area. Now, this is one of the busier stops along the Kank and it fills up very quickly depending on what time of year you are visiting. It is also very popular with tour buses but I do think that it is worth a stop. Now, you can walk around on the rocks in the gorge nearby the waterfalls and you can also walk across a bridge for 360 views up and down the gorge along the river. Of course, there are walking trails around the area and other overlooks if you would like to continue for a more active stop. There are so many stops along the Kank from overlooks to various waterfalls that you can stop at and I just recommend pulling over for a quick bathroom break and taking a look at the view at some of these as you cross by them because it really is worth it even if you don't have a long time to spend. One of the stops that I always find myself coming back to is the Otter Rocks Day Use Area. This is perfect for a picnic. It is also one of the less popular spots along one of the rivers so if you're looking for foliage and a waterfront area, this is great and it is not as popular as Rocky Gorge but it is still beautiful. I have come here multiple times for photography and they also have picnic tables so it is perfect for a picnic or a lunch or snack and it's just gorgeous. Finally, my last recommended stop is the Lincoln Woods Trailhead parking lot. Now, you cannot drive the Kank without seeing how absolutely crazy crowded this parking lot gets and it's for a good reason. This is some of the best views of the river. There is also a really fun suspension bridge that you can walk on. Make sure to take the time and park and explore the area. You can walk across the suspension bridge. There are multiple hikes that start from this specific parking lot. You can go down on the or you can walk over the various bridges but it's definitely worth a stop. A quick warning, the Kank can get extremely backed up during the three-day holiday weekend in October so make sure to exercise caution if you are visiting here. I once waited over an hour to go 10 minutes during this holiday weekend on a Sunday so you might want to avoid. The next stop on this itinerary is called Flume Gorge and it is one of the more touristy things to do in the Franconia area. There is a lovely covered bridge that is a very popular photo spot and you can walk back and the walk is quite far but it is a nice little hike to the gorge which is an 800 foot gorge carved into the base of the mountain. Get ready for my favorite thing to do in New England which is to hike Artist's Bluff. Now, you will get an absolutely gorgeous view of the foliage just from this parking lot which is crazy and if you're nearby you can also go to Echo Lake which they also allow you to rent boats or you could just hang out on the lake. It is a fee to go to the lake but it is also beautiful and there are hikes around the lake as well. Now, Artist's Bluff is one of the most famous viewpoints in New England. You've probably seen a picture of it somewhere and it is totally worth it. Now, the hike to the Artist's Bluff viewpoint is only half a mile round trip but you will be scrambling over rocks and hiking directly uphill so make sure to wear proper footwear. Once you complete the one-fourth of a mile hike to the top, you will be met with the most gorgeous sweeping views showing Echo Lake and Cannon Mountain in the background. Now, although this place is extremely busy and touristy, it is totally worth it and very easy to take pictures without any other people in it. Put this on your list. I highly recommend it. Before you leave this area, you may also want to consider taking the tram up to the top of Cannon Mountain for more unique things to do. After you're done with Artist's Bluff, you're going to drive the easy 30-minute drive over to Crawford Notch. Now, this state park is located only 30 minutes drive from Artist's Bluff, the area that we were just in. This is one of the most gorgeous drives for fall foliage in the area and one of my favorites where I have seen the best foliage. There are a ton of hikes and waterfalls and other amazing things that you can see like lakes that originate from this scenic drive so definitely give yourself a little time to do a little research and explore this area while you are in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. If you're looking for where to stay, I recommend the Omni Mount Washington Hotel. Now, this is a luxury property so if that is not in your budget, that's okay. You should still head over and check out the amazing views from this hotel. Just grab something to drink, sit out on the porch, and enjoy. It's time to say goodbye to New Hampshire and hello to our next destination which is Stowe, Vermont. Now, Stowe, Vermont is the picture-perfect quintessential postcard town that looks like it is out of a Hallmark movie. This place is just gorgeous and there is a reason that it is popular for fall foliage. Stowe is only a two-hour drive from where you've been exploring in Franconia, New Hampshire so it is not going to be a bad travel day at all and you can get started exploring really quickly. First, you're going to want to start by exploring downtown Stowe. This place is so adorable and there are tons of shops and restaurants to get things at while you're down here. I recommend walking around the historic cemetery and there's also a scenic bike and walk path if you're looking to get a little exercise. Once you're done, walk across the little cute Stowe covered bridge and head out to the nearby viewpoint which is just about a five-minute walk from downtown so that you get the classic view of the very famous Stowe White Church with the fall foliage in the background. This is something that you won't want to miss. This is the quintessential view and it's only a quick walk from downtown. One of my favorite places to grab coffee and a quick bite to eat in Stowe is the Stowe Bee Bakery. This place is amazing and has a lot of local baked goods and coffee. It is delicious. We always grab a bag of coffee to bring home as a souvenir. And next up on the itinerary is a place that I dream about literally all year and it is the Cold Hollow Cider Mill. Now the Cold Hollow Cider Mill is a working cider mill and everything is done in the traditional way. This place is very busy and touristy and it is like this for a reason. Everybody comes here for the cider donuts and they are really amazing but you have to like cake donuts. These are not yeast donuts like Krispy Kreme. They are cakey but with some ice cream they are absolutely delicious or for a cider slushy but I highly recommend getting the baked goods. The baked goods here are some of the best that I have ever had from pumpkin cookies to pumpkin roll to fresh baked pie. Grab some cider on the side. This is the place you will not want to skip it just because it's touristy. It is my favorite place in the Stowe area and I dream about it until I get to go back next year. Once you're done with your baked goods and cider it is time to drive another famous road in the United States called Smuggler's Notch. Now you've driven Kankamagus Highway and Smuggler's Notch and you can compare the two and see which one is your favorite. Smuggler's Notch is a very windy scenic drive through the mountains and there are lots of hikes and various activities such as rock climbing going all around them so even if you're not going to stop for one of the hikes it is still worth a drive because this is another very famous scenic drive in the United States and it's famous for a reason. You may also choose to take the Stowe gondola up to Mount Mansfield as you can see right here. It is just a quick gondola ride but it is coming at a steep price so it's up to you if this is something you want to pay for. If you are looking for a lovely photo spot I recommend this red barn which is on a road named Loose Hill Road up to Von Trapp Lodge which will be our next stop. Now this red barn is a historical barn and with all of the foliage in the background and foreground and the red barn it's just the quintessential all-American autumn scene and perfect for a quick picture stop. Next up is the Von Trapp Lodge. Yes like those Von Trapps from The Sound of Music these are the same people. Now like the Omni Mount Washington Resort I do highly recommend staying here as a base to explore the Stowe area but if you figured out somewhere else to stay that does not mean that you should pass up this amazing location. The Von Trapp Lodge is more than just a hotel it is also a restaurant it's a wedding venue a lot of people come here to get married and there are a lot of activities that you can do right on the property such as hiking. Now you do need to go get a permit if you are going to be hiking on their property and it does cost a little bit of money but it is worth it to explore this absolutely beautiful hotel and the grounds. I highly recommend it for hiking and exploring. Of course you've probably worked up an appetite exploring all of the fall fun that Stowe has to offer so here are some of my restaurant recommendations starting off with Idle Time Brewing Company. This is a local brewery and my all-time favorite place. I prefer to sit outside although they do have inside dining and my favorite things to get here are locally made burgers and a pretzel with beer cheese made from the beer that they brew themselves. This place is not to be missed. It's okay if you're not in the mood for a brewery there's also Pie Caso which has freaking amazing pizza and there is an Alpine Swiss Fondue restaurant which is located right in the heart of downtown Stowe which is expensive but super yummy. Our final stop on this itinerary is the state of Connecticut. Now this is absolutely underrated people never think about Connecticut and yet it is my favorite state for fall foliage in New England. Hartford is just an easy three hours drive south of Stowe and once you get here you're going to immediately want to go to Hogan's Cider Mill. This place is perfect for fall photos they have the best fall themed drinks just look at this it is freaking incredible and amazing cider donuts. Don't forget to pick up a pumpkin while you're here. Next up I recommend heading to Castle Craig. Yes this is a real castle in the Hartford area with sweeping views it should not be missed. If you're looking for tasty baked goods I love Lost Acres Orchard. Now this is located 30 minutes north of Hartford and has the most delicious locally made products. I am obsessed with the mile high apple pie as well as the pumpkin whoopie pies and of course a cider donut which is always fun to get to compare to all the other ones that you've had on this itinerary. Your final stop in Connecticut is going to be the seaside town of Mystic. This town is so cute and it looks like it is out of a postcard. My favorite thing to do here is to go to BF Clyde's Cider Mill. Now the lines can get very long here but the cider is absolutely incredible and it is a very historic mill so make sure to not miss it. Once you're done with Mystic it's time to drive the easy two hours back to Boston and say goodbye to your New England road trip. If you enjoyed this itinerary please make sure to like subscribe and share and we'll see you next time.