New England Vacations

Much of Route 2, otherwise known as the Mohawk Trail, is still green, but there are spots of color, especially west of Sherburne Falls. I took a drive down Route 2 on Thursday (Oct. 2) and found random areas of yellows and oranges, and occasional reds. The color intensified as I traveled west of the Franklin County area, and a detour into Savoy Mountain State Forest presented some beautiful foliage photo opps (see photos).

Judging by what I saw, I’d guess the peak of the foliage season will probably appear in western half of Massachusetts within the next week. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Foliage along Route 2 in Western Massachusetts

Tags: Fall Foliage, Massachusetts, mohawk trail, route 2

It’s here! I’ve been hearing reports that the fall foliage peak is happening right about now in northern New England. In Eastern Massachusetts, it’s still mostly green with some spots of color. Drive down Route 495 in Central/Eastern Mass. and you’ll see some good color.

It’s been rainy in much of New England for the past week, and heavy rain pulls down the leaves, so there may be damage from that in early peak areas. But the good news is the sun is coming back - starting tomorrow in Boston and on Saturday in areas further north.

Tags: fall foliage peak

Sleeping under the stars, a chill in the air, the smell of a burned-out campfire, and fallen leaves rustling around your feet as you make your way around the campsite in the early morning hours to make the first batch of coffee. This is camping in New England in the fall, and one of the best ways to get up close to nature - and to fall foliage.

Campgrounds in New England are plenty. You can choose among camping alongside a lake in Western MA, dining at a campground-run lobster bake at a site along the Maine shore, tenting near a beach on Cape Cod, or staying in the midst of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. You can rough it by hiking deep into a state forest with your camping equipment on your back, or car camp, which means staying somewhere that you drive up to. My friends and I prefer a version that we call luxury camping - car camping with shrimp and steak skewers for dinner, and bacon, eggs, toast and Dunkin Donuts coffee in the morning. Yes, a box of Dunkin’s coffee still tastes good the next morning.

Here are some resources to get you started in planning your trip:
Maine Camping Guide
New Hampshire Camping
Vermont Camping
Massachusetts Camping
Connecticut Camping
Rhode Island Camping

Tags: camping, Fall Foliage