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NE leaf peeping

newboots

Angel Diva
And why has nobody mentioned the Catskills? Lots of super-amazing hikes up there and down here in the Hudson Valley. And of course, Vermont.

(Can you tell I have never been to Nantucket? I have wanted to see it, or Martha's Vineyard.)
 

RachelV

Administrator
Staff member
You didn't really ask about this, but just wanted to mention that October is the BEST month to go to NYC, weather-wise. NYC + Maine in October would be a really lovely northeast trip. I'm getting all nostalgic for the northeast just thinking about it.

Only caveat is that once you're talking about NYC, it's a ~6 hour drive to northern New England without much traffic, so plan a pretty full day in the car for northeast kingdom / Maine.

There are some ferries from NYC to Nantucket, which might be fun if you're into that kind of thing and the dates work out.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
Maine. Go to Maine. The rocky coastline is gorgeous, and it's wonderful in the fall.
We actually have been to Maine! I have a good friend that lives in Portland, and we have visited him there, and also driven up the coast from Boston and visited Acadia with stops along the way.
 
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Christy

Angel Diva
You didn't really ask about this, but just wanted to mention that October is the BEST month to go to NYC, weather-wise. NYC + Maine in October would be a really lovely northeast trip. I'm getting all nostalgic for the northeast just thinking about it.

Only caveat is that once you're talking about NYC, it's a ~6 hour drive to northern New England without much traffic, so plan a pretty full day in the car for northeast kingdom / Maine.

There are some ferries from NYC to Nantucket, which might be fun if you're into that kind of thing and the dates work out.
Thanks, I didn't know there were ferries from NYC!

I've been to the city in many different months but never October.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
Nantucket is a bit remote, a plus or minus depending on how much time you have. It has become pretty exclusive/pricey so there are less options than Cape Cod. Nantucket is called the Gray Lady because of the fog . . . but you are from PNW, so you won't mind. There is some interesting history and lots of charm. Cape Cod has many towns each with its own character, so you'll need to to do some research as to where to visit or stay. Both Nantucket and the Cape are wonderful in September and you can luck out with some beach days, or not (its also hurricane season). By October, you get the history and charm, but not the beach atmosphere. You still have the maritime atmosphere. The leaf peeping is in the more deciduous areas of Western MA, NH, VT and Maine and that is early to Mid-October. Boston Marathon has been rescheduled from April to Oct 11 (Indigenous Peoples/Columbus Day). Be aware of that, if planning flights in and out of Boston/Logan around that time. It is a fun race to watch if you are into that.

That is very helpful, thanks. I had not, at all, though about it being hurricane season. Fog and cool weather are fine. I lived for a summer at Point Reyes CA where 80 mph winds and fog that never lifted were an average day. Also being from the PNW I have no expectation of having my body in the ocean unless I've specifically flown to the tropics. (I know east coast water is warmer than west coast but still). As many people know most of the West Coast has cold water and there are tons of places with other unsafe things like sneaker waves or beach logs that will kill you.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
And why has nobody mentioned the Catskills? Lots of super-amazing hikes up there and down here in the Hudson Valley. And of course, Vermont.

(Can you tell I have never been to Nantucket? I have wanted to see it, or Martha's Vineyard.)
An what about the Berkshires? I've been having a lot of fun exploring that area in recent years. Growing up in NYC, we went to the Catskills or Adirondacks. I'd never even heard of Mt. Greylock, the highest peak in MA.

These pics are from Oct. 24, 2017 so a bit late for the best fall colors. I had another reason to head to Boston that fall that week. Stayed a Jiminy Peak (near Pittsfield) for a couple days on the way.

Fall colors 24Oct 2017 - 1.jpegFall colors 24Oct 2017 - 2.jpeg
 

newboots

Angel Diva
I love how we all advocate for the places we have known and loved!

It appears you want to go to the Northeast Kingdom. I haven't been there in almost 50 years, so I will refrain from discussing except to say I am aware that it has come up in the world since the biggest attraction in one small town was the porn theater.

My father once owned land in Peacham, with a plan to build a small house there when he retired. In his opinion, it was the most beautiful town in Vermont. Peacham is bigger and busier than it was then (back then it was definitely a one-horse town), but still very beautiful.

Since @marzNC has included photos, I'll have to compete with pictures, too! :becky: :rotf:

vermont-peacham-barn-FALLCOLORS0917.jpgpeacham-vermont-congregational-church-nancy-griswold.jpg

And check these out:




I have always loved that little town.
 
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Christy

Angel Diva
@newboots those are GORGEOUS. The NE Kingdom is mainly on my list (but is a question mark--I hoped people could tell me yes or no on this) because I didn't make it there when in VT last time.

I think I mostly might be in the mood for the coast, though. Certainly there is ocean coast with lighthouses, dunes etc a lot closer to me than Nantucket or Cape Cod, but what we don't have much of are charming and historic coastal towns with good food and lodging.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The NE Kingdom is mainly on my list (but is a question mark--I hoped people could tell me yes or no on this) because I didn't make it there when in VT last time.
I'll give you a "meh" on the NE Kingdom if that helps. I used to go up to E. Burke quite a bit to mountain bike on the Kingdom Trails. The biking was good, but I wouldn't otherwise have gone out of my way to spend time in the region. The NEK is flat compared to the western part of the state, with the exception of Burke mountain. It's pretty of course (Vermont knows how to dress for autumn. In fact it very often seems to be a caricature of itself. After a while you think "Alright! I get it, Vermont! Everywhere I look there's red barns, syrup tubing, dairy cows..does the state deploy these as part of some sort of competitive cultural campaign!?").

Lake Willoughby is great and there are nice state parks up there. But the town centers are St. Johnsbury and Lyndon, both of which are pretty down-and-out, and the rest of the region is sparsely-populated with not much going on.

If I only had a short time to visit Vermont, I'd maybe focus more on the Stowe area, tbh. Or maybe spend some time in the White Mountains. North Conway is a cool little mountain town and there's a megaton of hiking opportunities of all sorts around there.
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
You'll notice I mentioned things that will kill you while still on shore, because the idea that I would go in the ocean in the PNW...no.
In SF we really had dangerous rip tides. Signs everywhere but you wouldn't believe how many people would go out anyhow. Of course this would be on one of the rare hot days in the city. And yes freezing water.
You lived in Point Reyes for a summer? Another cold but beautiful place!
 

Christy

Angel Diva
I'll give you a "meh" on the NE Kingdom if that helps. I used to go up to E. Burke quite a bit to mountain bike on the Kingdom Trails. The biking was good, but I wouldn't otherwise have gone out of my way to spend time in the region. The NEK is flat compared to the western part of the state, with the exception of Burke mountain. It's pretty of course (Vermont knows how to dress for autumn. In fact it very often seems to be a caricature of itself. After a while you think "Alright! I get it, Vermont! Everywhere I look there's red barns, syrup tubing, dairy cows..does the state deploy these as part of some sort of competitive cultural campaign!?").

Lake Willoughby is great and there are nice state parks up there. But the town centers are St. Johnsbury and Lyndon, both of which are pretty down-and-out, and the rest of the region is sparsely-populated with not much going on.

If I only had a short time to visit Vermont, I'd maybe focus more on the Stowe area, tbh. Or maybe spend some time in the White Mountains. North Conway is a cool little mountain town and there's a megaton of hiking opportunities of all sorts around there.

Oh, good to know.

I did get to visit Stowe last trip. I will say, I did not get tired of red barns and especially BELTED COWS (previously I only knew these from the omnipresent New Yorker ad for Fearrington N.C.). But it's hard to get tired of this stuff on a single trip. I am more and more liking the idea of Cape Cod and Nantucket, though. There is something about hearing cultural references to these places on the East Coast your whole life--it's nice to visit.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
You lived in Point Reyes for a summer? Another cold but beautiful place!

Yeah in 2004, at the fourplex that you walk by just before the lighthouse, while I was doing research on an environmental history I wrote about Tomales Bay. It some ways it was truly amazing. In other ways it was a huge pain in the butt. My office was in the Olema Valley closer to Bolinas and that is quite a commute over those roads. And oof, driving home at night over that little neck of land that sand always blows over, in the fog with sheer cliffs down to the ocean to both sides...
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
Yeah in 2004, at the fourplex that you walk by just before the lighthouse, while I was doing research on an environmental history I wrote about Tomales Bay. It some ways it was truly amazing. In other ways it was a huge pain in the butt. My office was in the Olema Valley closer to Bolinas and that is quite a commute over those roads. And oof, driving home at night over that little neck of land that sand always blows over, in the fog with sheer cliffs down to the ocean to both sides...
Oh interesting. Bolinas is a bit like Santa Cruz with the organic slightly hippie vibe. But those roads, yikes!!! Tomales Bay very cool. Good cheese too!
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Oh, good to know.

I did get to visit Stowe last trip. I will say, I did not get tired of red barns and especially BELTED COWS (previously I only knew these from the omnipresent New Yorker ad for Fearrington N.C.).
l lived in the next development down the highway from Fearrington for a few years. The same developer built it. It feels like that was in a previous life, it was so long ago. My husband and I loved that house. Your mentioning it brings back memories.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I will say, I did not get tired of red barns and especially BELTED COWS (previously I only knew these from the omnipresent New Yorker ad for Fearrington N.C.). But it's hard to get tired of this stuff on a single trip.

Oh, I never get tired of it either. It's so ubiquitous sometimes that it makes me laugh, as if it can't be real.

The secret to Vermont's charm, in my region anyway, is that all the box stores, strip malls, and other eyesores are over in New Hampshire :-)
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
Counterpoint to @SallyCat - there are some seriously cool cultural institutions and hiking trails in the NEK. Bread & Puppet Museum and Theater are based in Glover, as is the Museum of Everyday Life. The views of Lake Memphremagog and Willoughby are truly stunning during foliage season. The world’s best beer is brewed at Hill Farmstead in Greensboro. And who could forget the Dog Chapel in St. Johnsbury?! It’s definitely more desolate, and there isn’t nearly as much tourist infrastructure. But if you have time, it’s worth a spending a day there, because it isn’t totally overrun with tourists the way Stowe is and you can enjoy getting away to nature slightly more.
 

BackCountryGirl

Angel Diva
Took my puppy on a girls' hike to Gulf Hagas last Sunday, neat Greenville, Maine. A bit over 10 miles and gorgeous, but the foliage still wasn't at peak in Northern Maine. Like VT, we're 2 weeks behind.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I keep hearing that this will be a "muted" autumn for leaf-peeping because of the tremendous amount of rain we had this summer. So far here in central VT it's not really peak yet so it's hard to tell. There are definitely some fiery maples putting on their usual show, though.
 

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