Fall Color Tour to the Northeast

lgarcia wrote:
Did not realize that campgrounds up yonder closed so early. Good to know.

Public CG's are usually the first to close, must care less about making a profit. Some as early as the week after Labor Day and pretty much all after Columbus Day. A few by the shore stay later, but not many. I always figured it was either because of freezing temps at night or the occupancy rate drops to much.

Wish someone would realize retirees like to camp after the summers done, and there are a lot of us.

Did not realize that campgrounds up yonder closed so early. Good to know.

My usual camping area - OH/WV/KY - is usually open through at least October 31st. Some are year round, though most have no showerhouses open in winter. Come on down and leaf peep here :)

Double post.

From the reports on the news this isn't supposed to be a stellar year for leave peepers, very little rain and hot. So they say.

For future and anyone using this for research, start north in late Sept or early Oct and work south.

VT will vary peak from first week of Oct to maybe third week. I like VT because there is a ten day or more difference in southern and northern peak. Stay in central VT first or second week and drive whichever direction is correct for that year.

We stayed in Queechee. I think it was less than two hours to Stowe. Lots of great day trips in all directions.

This Northeast map runs pretty much true to form with a week or two leeway each Fall. We're in the Adirondacks now and are beginning to see some Maples changing in the higher elevations so it might be a tad earlier this year. We were lucky one Fall and followed the change all the way South - unforgettable! https://weather.com/maps/fall-foliage

missnmountains wrote:
We will be leaving Maine on the 3rd of October. I hope there are still colors then, but we should see a lot on the way up and down..

Thanks

Ken

Ken, just an FYI: color in the North GA and southwestern NC mountains doesn't develop until approximately the last week of October.

There's plenty of waterfalls and trails to walk though: the temps are perfect that time of year there. Fall festivals are in abundance there too.

Consider making reservations soon for New England (at least). Campsites are not always easy to come by on a walk-in basis during foliage season, to put it lightly, and particularly during the weekends. Also be prepared for a good bit of (sometimes slow-moving) traffic, particularly on scenic highways.

Many campgrounds close down around Columbus day; pretty much all of the Vermont state park campgrounds do.

Things to see and do include these:
Acadia (which it seems you have covered)
The White Mountains of New Hampshire (lots of possibilities for details—Franconia Notch, the Kancamagus Highway, Mt Washington Cog Railway, Clark's Trading Post if you're into roadside attractions, ....)
Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT (pretty near a full day's worth there)
Smuggler's Notch is a neat area for a few hours at least, but absolutely positively do NOT try to traverse it with your motorhome. Stowe, home of Ben and Jerry's perhaps most famously, is at one end of the notch.
If you get more towards upstate New York, there are some marvelous areas there, too, including (but not limited to) Letchworth State Park and Watkins Glen, both in the finger lakes area.

It would be easier to make suggestions with some idea of the sorts of things that interest you. Hiking? Biking? Shopping? Touristy attractions? Cities? Museums?

I was shocked to learn that the campgrounds close so early when we were making our reservations at the four locations above. Unfortunately, we started the reservations in NC and worked our way up. We will be leaving Maine on the 3rd of October. I hope there are still colors then, but we should see a lot on the way up and down..

Thanks

Ken

missnmountains wrote:
Well we have recovered from the three month long Alaska trip and are ready for a new adventure. We are planning a month leaving September 15th and returning October 15.

By the way, this trip has us visiting our last three states in the U.S.; Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont (Not all were in an RV).

Just note that most campgrounds in these 3 states close Monday, October 10 (Columbus Day); some close October 1; a handful closed Labor Day. Check ahead.

From previous experience, in central Vermont we arrived October 1 and the leaves were mostly green. We left on October 14 and they were all on the ground. We are currently in mid-Maine near Bangor and the maples are starting to change (actually started about 2 weeks ago - they are stressed from the very dry summer). You might want to get to the NE soomer and work your way back towards Georgia to follow the leaves.

Michelle