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Archive 2022 · New England Fall Color

Ed McGuirk
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · New England Fall Color

Something Vermont-ish is what I was thinking of. Keeping in mind that the entire area is new to us, even the possibility of passing though new country is appealing.

We were briefly in the Berkshires (passed though Adams, etc. a couple of times) on our late-August visit and we liked it, to that's a possible target for that in-transit day. (On that visit we stayed a few miles north of Wilmington, VT, and we drove that direction on two occasions, once to visit "The Mount," and on the other to go to the Clark Institute.)

My hunch regarding the driving days on...Show more →

If your goal is as much about sightseeing Vermont (and getting halfway to NYC), and not primarily finding a great sunset spot for 10/8, then the obvious advice is to skip I91 and go down Rt 100 in Vermont, it's the classic VT foliage drive. Rt. 100 ends in Wilmington, VT, letting you stay in Brattleboro, N. Adams or Bennington. You may be a bit early for foliage in the southern part of Rt. 100, but it is a great drive.

The rough route would be NH Rt 112 west to Rt, 116 to VT I91 south to White River Junction, to Vt. Rt 4 west to Rt 100 south. This runs down the spine of the Green Mountains (and goes through Woodstock too on Rt 4).

Sep 07, 2022 at 05:36 PM

Jaree
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · New England Fall Color

Dan,

Not counting the day of arrival and departure, you have 3 full days. 10/4 is fine, though I would stay up a bit North at that time, in Gorham. But Lincoln is fine.

Here are two plans, you can do one or both. Plan B is for when if it is a bit too early and you want to head out North. But I wouldn't worry as barring a severe storm, you will hit gold with at least one of them.

Plan A: https://tinyurl.com/msstbuh8

You can likely spend all 3 days here if you want as there is a lot for the deliberate photographer.

If you are up for hikes, Artists Bluff is worth it with spectacular views of Echo Lake. One of the best result/effort ROI in my view:

Note that Rt 112 (Kancamagus Highway) can be a circus on the weekends and late in the day. I would do it very early in the morning or not at all. Definitely don't do it on the day you are leaving.

-----------------

Plan B: https://tinyurl.com/4pvkjs65

This is more North and more driving but doable from Lincoln, but Conway or Gorham are better in this case as a home base. This is better done when staying in Gorham. It will take you to some parts that are much less crowded. My absolute favorites here are Dixville Notch and 13-Mile road as is the drive from Gorham to Berlin with reflections oh foliage and houses along the river in Berlin. The latter is truly unique IMHO.

Balsams Resort has been closed for long but has stunning foliage at the right time:

The base of Mt Washington Auto Road is a pretty nice area to stop. Plenty of hikes around that area. You can turn around at Pinkham Notch if you want. The AMC visitor center there is great for a quick bite, restrooms and several hikes with very nice views.

- Eeraj

Sep 07, 2022 at 05:39 PM

gdanmitchell
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · New England Fall Color

Jaree wrote:
Dan,

Not counting the day of arrival and departure, you have 3 full days. 10/4 is fine, though I would stay up a bit North at that time, in Gorham. But Lincoln is fine.

Here are two plans, you can do one or both. Plan B is for when if it is a bit too early and you want to head out North. But I wouldn't worry as barring a severe storm, you will hit gold with at least one of them.

Plan A: https://tinyurl.com/msstbuh8

You can likely spend all 3 days here if you want as there is a lot for the deliberate...Show more →

Thanks! That's useful information!
- - -

Ed McGuirk wrote:
If your goal is as much about sightseeing Vermont (and getting halfway to NYC), and not primarily finding a great sunset spot for 10/8, then the obvious advice is to skip I91 and go down Rt 100 in Vermont, it's the classic VT foliage drive. Rt. 100 ends in Wilmington, VT, letting you stay in Brattleboro, N. Adams or Bennington. You may be a bit early for foliage in the southern part of Rt. 100, but it is a great drive.

The rough route would be NH Rt 112 west to Rt, 116 to VT I91 south to White River...Show more →

On those two days, I think that sightseeing is going to become a higher priority (or at least an acceptable priority) than during the time when were staying in Lincoln. The latter is going to be, I think, primarily devoted to photography.

I suspect we'll still do some photography, at least on the day we leave Lincoln, but the travel itself may loom a bit larger. I think I mentioned that we were just north of Wilmington for a week in August, and I did travel up 100 a bit. Loved the area, though I didn't photograph much there — as pointed out, it isn't easy to find places to stop for the sort of photographs that I'd like to make. (I went out on one beautiful, foggy early morning... and mostly ended up enjoying it from the car, given the paucity of places to pull over.)

Plus, I missed stopping at the Creemee Stand north of Wilmington. Maybe it will still be open. ;-)

While we may well get in some late-day photography when we arrive that day, likely in the northwest corner of Massachusetts in the Adams/North Adams/Williamstown area. The next morning there's a small chance that we might do some early morning photography... but if past is any indication there's a good chance we'll get up a bit too late, pack, have breakfast... and start driving!

Dan

Sep 07, 2022 at 05:57 PM

amv8
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · New England Fall Color

Ed McGuirk wrote:

amV8

The hot weather and drought this summer have stressed the trees in southern New England, making it more likely that this year could be below average, or even poor. About 3 or 4 years ago we had similar summer weather, and many trees turned early, had dull color, or went straight to brown and dropped. That's not to say this is certain to happen, but it may be more likely.

In terms of your dates of 10/15 to 10/20, in a normal year that would be peak for central Massachusetts and all the way into the western Boston...Show more →

Thanks Ed! Given the potential variability in foliage conditions, is choosing the Northampton/central Mass area a reasonable choice for a base? I assumed it would give us options to go in a variety of directions depending on the actual conditions when we arrived, and of course it would be too late to go much further north. I did consider Acadia, but it just seems too far based on our other trip constraints.

Sep 07, 2022 at 07:17 PM

amv8
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · New England Fall Color

mreynolds767 wrote:
Amv8: check out a place in CT(near the MA border) named Enders Falls
Is a nice park that does not get too crowded and has 5 different waterfalls all close together along with wonderful foliage colors at that time of year. I have been multiple times and those mid-October dates are usually perfect for peak color.
https://www.mattreynoldsphotography.com/print/autumncascades

Old Stone Church is another spot you should check out on the MA side and closer to Boston ; town of West Bolyston. A good fall location may be slightly past peak on those dates but will be close enough to make going there worthwhile....Show more →

These look like some great options, thanks!

Sep 07, 2022 at 07:18 PM

amv8
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · New England Fall Color

gdanmitchell wrote:
Thanks! That's useful information!
- - -

On those two days, I think that sightseeing is going to become a higher priority (or at least an acceptable priority) than during the time when were staying in Lincoln. The latter is going to be, I think, primarily devoted to photography.

I suspect we'll still do some photography, at least on the day we leave Lincoln, but the travel itself may loom a bit larger. I think I mentioned that we were just north of Wilmington for a week in August, and I did travel up 100 a bit. Loved the area, though I...Show more →

Hi Dan:

I've only been to the Williamstown area once several years ago. I don't know if you've already seen it, but there's a very nice contemporary art museum in North Adams called MASS MOCA.

Sep 07, 2022 at 07:24 PM

gdanmitchell
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · New England Fall Color

amv8 wrote:
Hi Dan:

I've only been to the Williamstown area once several years ago. I don't know if you've already seen it, but there's a very nice contemporary art museum in North Adams called MASS MOCA.

Indeed! That is one of the attractions of the place. In August we visited the not-too-distant Clark Institute, and we drove past Mass MOCA... and I wished we had more time to stop there.It is possible that we might try to squeeze in a visit depending nohow things work out.

Dan

Sep 07, 2022 at 10:04 PM

Ed McGuirk
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · New England Fall Color

Thanks Ed! Given the potential variability in foliage conditions, is choosing the Northampton/central Mass area a reasonable choice for a base? I assumed it would give us options to go in a variety of directions depending on the actual conditions when we arrived, and of course it would be too late to go much further north. I did consider Acadia, but it just seems too far based on our other trip constraints.

I think Northampton works fine as a base. Being near I91, and Rt.2 gives you the flexibility to go in any direction. If the foliage is early to normal, chances are you will be heading east on Rt.2. But if it is late, it is easy to head west to the Berkshires or north to southern Vermont. I personally shoot a lot around the Quabbin region and Amherst, MA, and think there is a lot to do there. Greenfield Ma is maybe slightly more convenient, but does not have as many amenities as Northhampton.

Sep 08, 2022 at 05:25 AM

alanna25
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · New England Fall Color

I am glad I found this forum while researching my first fall VT/NH trip. It is overwhelming as there is SO MUCH to see and knowing I won’t see it all even though our trip is 9 days we will only have 4 solid days in VT. We are driving from MI so staying at the finger lakes, then driving on to VT, and photographing Victorian mansions and the NY city capital in Albany along the way, then hitting more waterfalls in PA as we drive back home. It will be a whirlwind, but all my photography adventures are lol!

My photo friend and I are from MI so we know fall color, but I’ve always wanted to see VT. We are staying at an Airbnb in Lebanon NH right across the border from VT and right in the middle of the state so we could go either north or south based on weather, color, etc.

It may have already been mentioned but I came across the handbook How to Find and Photograph Photoscenics in Vermont by Arnold Kaplan. This saved hours of research as it not only lists the places to see, but provides GPS coordinates (which I’ve already pinned!).

http://arnoldkaplanphotography.com/vermont/

We also have mills and covered bridges on our list to see. I didn’t realize that Vermont has the most covered bridges of any state.

Good luck on your research!

Sep 20, 2022 at 11:18 AM

Ed McGuirk
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · New England Fall Color

Here is an update on predicted foliage conditions for New England. As discussed previously in this thread southern New England (MA, CT, RI) has has a severe drought and unusually warm weather this summer. This led to predictions of possbily a poor foliage season. In VT, NH and ME, the drought was less severe, and led to prediction of an early and brief foliage season.

The good news is that September has been very rainy and much cooler, both in northern and southern New England. This means that things may be looking up for southern NE, and the cool weather should mean early to on time foliage turning in northern NE. The rain has also helped water levels in waterfalls, ponds and rivers, which had been running pretty low.

amv8, things are looking much better for you in Mass.

Dan Mitchell, your trip to Lincoln NH should place you arriving at great foliage conditions there. And since waterfalls are big attractions in NH, the rain should restore water levels substantially.

Caveat emptor, but things are looking much better, the cooler September temps should make things early to normal.

Sep 22, 2022 at 08:35 AM

Ed McGuirk
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · New England Fall Color

alanna

the last time I saw it the Kaplan book was very old, and a lot of location information was out of date.
Your link shows that it has been updated, so it it may be more current than I remember.

The original Kaplan book had location diagrams, with 3 spots/holes showing places where to stand for the best shooting angles. This may be the origin of the term "tripod holes"

I also recommend another ebook, which is an excellent resource by Andy Richards

https://www.amazon.com/Photographing-Vermonts-Fall-Foliage-Iconic-ebook/dp/B075M32NFD

Ed

Sep 22, 2022 at 08:39 AM

gdanmitchell
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · New England Fall Color

Ed McGuirk wrote:
Dan Mitchell, your trip to Lincoln NH should place you arriving at great foliage conditions there. And since waterfalls are big attractions in NH, the rain should restore water levels substantially.

That's very encouraging news — thanks for the update!

Dan

Sep 22, 2022 at 09:20 AM

alanna25
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · New England Fall Color

Ed McGuirk wrote:
alanna

the last time I saw it the Kaplan book was very old, and a lot of location information was out of date.
Your link shows that it has been updated, so it it may be more current than I remember.

The original Kaplan book had location diagrams, with 3 spots/holes showing places where to stand for the best shooting angles. This may be the origin of the term "tripod holes"

I also recommend another ebook, which is an excellent resource by Andy Richards

https://www.amazon.com/Photographing-Vermonts-Fall-Foliage-Iconic-ebook/dp/B075M32NFD

Ed

Hi Ed,

Yes the updated book still has those tripod holes lol! Thank you for the book recommendation, I purchased and will be going over it.

Alanna

Sep 23, 2022 at 09:11 PM

amv8
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · New England Fall Color

Ed McGuirk wrote:
Here is an update on predicted foliage conditions for New England. As discussed previously in this thread southern New England (MA, CT, RI) has has a severe drought and unusually warm weather this summer. This led to predictions of possbily a poor foliage season. In VT, NH and ME, the drought was less severe, and led to prediction of an early and brief foliage season.

The good news is that September has been very rainy and much cooler, both in northern and southern New England. This means that things may be looking up for southern NE, and the cool weather...Show more →

Hi Ed, thanks for the update! I just got back from Yosemite yesterday and now need to finish the planning for this trip. Keep us posted with any additional foliage updates.

Sep 24, 2022 at 10:40 PM

gdanmitchell
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · New England Fall Color

Now that it is the 1st of October, I wonder if any of you who are in (or are visiting) New England have any current updates on the color development?

Thanks in advance.

Dan

Oct 01, 2022 at 05:01 PM

Ed McGuirk
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · New England Fall Color

Hi Dan

You will hit the foliage jackpot this week in Lincoln. The past 10 days have had cold weather and the foliage is really starting to pop in the White Mountains of NH. Things are about 70% to 80% of peak now in many spots and should go full peak during this coming week during your stay.

A great drive is Rt 112 east from Lincoln along the Kancamagus Highway, taking a left onto Bear Notch Road, and then heading up Rt 302 through Crawford Notch to Twin Mountain, NH, then taking Rt.3 west to Franconia Notch, and then back down Rt. 93 to Lincoln.

On Rt. 112 there is an overlook (with a gazebo) at the summit that faces east, it's great for sunrises. There is another overlook a bit further east, that is good early morning. You also have Lily Pond reflections on the Kanc, Sabbaday Falls and Rocky Gorge Falls. In Crawford Notch on Rt 302 there is a pond with nice views near Willey House, and Silver Cascade, a roadside waterfall. In Franconia Notch visit the Basin area for waterfalls and streams. At the north end of Franconia Notch there is the Hugh Gallen Bridge which has nice sunset views in both directions. Also be sure to drive the back roads around Sugar Hill NH near Franconia (Sunset Hill Road, Lovers Lane, Coffin Pond)

From what I have seen the colors look great this year, and you have timed the peak well. I am heading up there myself this afternoon, but am exploring some lesser known places further north. For a first time visitor to NH Foliage, the above described loop route will give you a great variety of photo opps. Good luck and happy foliage hunting...

Oct 02, 2022 at 07:39 AM

gdanmitchell
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · New England Fall Color

Ed McGuirk wrote:
Hi Dan

You will hit the foliage jackpot this week in Lincoln. The past 10 days have had cold weather and the foliage is really starting to pop in the White Mountains of NH. Things are about 70% to 80% of peak now in many spots and should go full peak during this coming week during your stay.

A great drive is Rt 112 east from Lincoln along the Kancamagus Highway, taking a left onto Bear Notch Road, and then heading up Rt 302 through Crawford Notch to Twin Mountain, NH, then taking Rt.3 west to Franconia Notch, and then back...Show more →

Thanks for the report and pointers. I really appreciate it. (As a person who vacillates between care about saying too much a bout places... and being the author of a book on Sierra Nevada fall color, I appreciate the mix of a few specifics with some useful general pointers that will help with my own explorations.)

Your report on timing confirms the optimistic sense I've recently picked up from some local reports. I think our timing is going t be just about as good as it could be, given the necessities of advance planning. I'm very grateful for the suggestions to move the dates of our trip up a bit.

I hope to have some photographs to share in a couple of weeks!

Dan

Oct 02, 2022 at 10:52 AM

Ed McGuirk
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · New England Fall Color

Hi Dan

I drove from my home in Massachusetts to Gorham NH today (about 50 minutes northeast of Lincoln).
In Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch it is between 75% to 90% of peak, with some variation. At higher elevation on the Kancamagus, my guess is that is already at peak. Good reds and other colors, so the leaves are vibrant despite the drought The area around Twin Mountain at the north end of Crawford Notch was spectacular.

You should have a great week coming up. My best advice is be sure to drive around Sugar Hill......

All the locations I mentioned are very well known to photographers, no secrets being given away. But they are still great locations, even if well known.

Oct 02, 2022 at 02:41 PM

gdanmitchell
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · New England Fall Color

The new podcast I mention in this post my be of interest to some heading to New England for all color. (A new B&H podcast features Jerry Monkman talking about East Coast color and me talking about West Coast autumn color.)

Also, we just did four days in the region around Lincoln, followed by a drive south through Vermont. While I'm still far from being an expert on New England color, it seemed to me that it peaked in that part of New Hampshire perhaps last Thursday or Friday. A lot of leaves were blowing down above Lincoln on Friday afternoon and evening as we drove through. (This is not to say that there isn't still a lot of great color in other places.)

One thing that seemed different from my West Coast experience (if I was "reading" this correctly) was how quickly the "peak" passed, at least in the Lincoln area. I could literally name the day that the color peaked, and we saw a significant difference between that day and as little as a single day before and after.

Thanks again to all who shared resources and advice here — this helped make our visit a success. Now... there should be time left for one trip to "my" Eastern Sierra Nevada!

Dan

Oct 12, 2022 at 09:20 AM

amv8
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p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · New England Fall Color

Ed McGuirk wrote:
Hi Dan

I drove from my home in Massachusetts to Gorham NH today (about 50 minutes northeast of Lincoln).
In Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch it is between 75% to 90% of peak, with some variation. At higher elevation on the Kancamagus, my guess is that is already at peak. Good reds and other colors, so the leaves are vibrant despite the drought The area around Twin Mountain at the north end of Crawford Notch was spectacular.

You should have a great week coming up. My best advice is be sure to drive around Sugar Hill......

All the locations I mentioned are...Show more →

Hey Ed, any updates on the central Mass area (or southern VT/NH)? Heading out on Sunday.

Oct 13, 2022 at 12:11 AM

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