
Owl's Head Light offers an amazing view of Penobscot Bay.
Located just south of Rockland, ME atop a long stretch of stairs, perched on a rock outcrop sits Owl's Head Light. This side trip makes a great after-dinner activity. The stairs tire out the kids and offer a wonderful reward for very little effort. Get up there an hour before sunset and you might capture some magical light.
This could be a fantastic place to peep leaves, if you're a foliage aficionado.
To get there, take Route 73 south from Rockland to N. Shore Drive. Turn left just after the Owl’s Head Post Office (about 2.5 miles) onto Main Street and then Lighthouse Road. Follow the signs to the lighthouse.
A Lighthouse That's Worth the Climb
The Colors of Autumn
It's coming on here in Northwest CT, should be nice for a while.
Here's more from the Fodor's travel wire on foliage following in New England:
New England park rangers and other outdoors-y types are predicting an outstanding fall foliage season this year, though the foliage peak might be a few days later than usual due to the still-lingering traces of summer. The last weeks of September and early October in the northernmost regions of New England are expected to be prime viewing time. Check the Foliage Network for current updates as the season progresses. Here's where to see the best of Mother Nature's annual art show.
Connecticut
For New York-based leaf-peepers who can't break away for a long weekend, Connecticut -- "New England's front porch" -- is a doable day trip.
When to Visit: Foliage season usually begins here in late September and extends through mid-to-late October. Peak color is estimated to be a little early this year -- between October 5 and October 12. But the tourism board suggests that people not fuss and fret about missing the big-color climax, noting sensibly that "visitors will still be able to enjoy a full array of colors even before the peak."
Best Viewing: Take a drive along Connecticut Route 169, a winding off-the-beaten-path road that travels through the rural northeastern corner of the state and has been dubbed one of the ten most beautiful drives in the country. Start your drive in Canterbury, CT, and along the way stop for a meal at the Inn at Woodstock Hill, or tour the Sharpe Hill Vineyard and Winery in Pomfret. If you're driving to Connecticut from NYC, avoid the interstates and take the Merrit Parkway, one of the oldest highways in the country. You'll be guaranteed one of the most impressive foliage shows anywhere.
Maine
With 17 million acres of forest, taciturn Maine is downright festive in autumn, when trees put on one of the Northeast's grandest shows. The perkiest hues come from the sugar maple, oak, elm, birch, and ash trees, all native to the state.
When to Visit: Leaves start to turn in the northern part of the state in late September. The southern part of the state is ablaze by mid-to-late October.
Best Viewing: To see the foliage at its best early in the season, take a drive along the Rangeley Lakes National Scenic Byway, which begins on Route 17 in Byron (western Maine) and traverses north to its namesake waterway. Make sure to stop at the Height of Land overlook to wax poetic over the view of five lakes surrounded by colorful mountains. In October, visit Camden, where the blazing-colored hills slope down to a schooner-filled harbor fed by a waterfall in the center of the town. In Camden, drive to the 800-foot summit of Mt. Battie and have a big bowl of chowder and a piece of pie at Cappy's.
New Hampshire
The state's tourism board claims that only two places in the world -- New Hampshire and Japan -- have the unique combination of climate and topography that results in particularly brilliant foliage.
When to Visit: In mid-September, the state's mountaintops and lowlands turn a flaming red. From the end of September through the first week in October, the trees are at their peak color in the far northern part of the state. The first two weeks of October are southern New Hampshire's time to shine.
Best Viewing: To view all this wonderfulness, take a drive along the Kancamagus Scenic Byway, which traverses New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest. The road begins at the junction of I-93 and Highway 112 in Lincoln (near the Pemigewasset River) and goes east until it ends in the city of Conway at the junction of Highway 112 and Highway 16. If you're traveling with kids, stop off at Clark's Trading Post (weekends only through mid-Oct.), a classic cheesy roadside attraction that includes a fire station, a steam locomotive, and trained bears. Or drive to the eastern end of the Byway, park your car, and take a train ride on the Conway Scenic Railroad -- opt for the picturesque Notch route for the full-on fall foliage experience.
Vermont
The Green Mountain State doesn't even try to live up to its nickname in autumn, when its mountains morph into a multi-colored mosaic. State foresters here are joyfully expecting a spectacular season.
When to Visit: Mother Nature's fall fiesta typically begins in mid September in the northern part and higher elevations of Vermont and progresses southward to lower elevations through mid to late October. But Vermont's small size makes it easy to roam across the state and experience every color stage in just one day.
Best Viewing: Drive the Smugglers' Notch Scenic Byway (Vermont Route 108), which can be picked up about an hour's drive east of Burlington. The super-curvy road brings you up through the foliage canopy to the summit of Mount Mansfield, at 4,393 feet above sea level -- Vermont's highest point. Stop by the 158 Main Restaurant & Bakery in downtown Jeffersonville for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (802/644-8100) or sample traditional New England food at the Smugglers Inn and Tavern.
Massachusetts
The air is crisp and clear, the trees are clad in crimson, gold, and purple, dry leaves crunch underfoot whether you're hiking a woodland trail or walking a city sidewalk. The small picture-perfect New England villages smell of wood smoke and apples and the entire state seems happily haunted with the ghosts of seasons and centuries past. Massachusetts is autumn incarnate.
When to Visit: Jim DiMaio, Chief Forester for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, anticipates seeing "some of the best foliage we've seen in years." Peak color across the state often coincides with Columbus Day weekend.
Best Viewing: Leaf-peepers are spoiled for road trip options in Massachusetts. You can take Route 133 from north Boston, which winds along back roads and passes through the classic New England towns of Essex, Ipswich, Rowley, and Georgetown (whatever else you do, make sure to stop for fried shrimps or clams at The Clam Box, 246 High St., Ipswich). Or take Route 127 along the coast through Beverly, Manchester by-the-Sea, Gloucester, and up to Rockport.
If you want to avoid the crowds, take Route 128 to Route 117 to Stow, in the heart of apple country, then Route 62 South and West to Princeton. Follow the signs to the Wachusett Mountain Reservation. There, you can drive 2000-plus feet up to the summit for a grand view of the countryside.
---Michelle Delio
Tips for Leaf Peepers
This in from the Fodor's Travel wire:
Helpful hints on seeing the best of autumn's colors....
1: Don't head to New England on a whim, blithely assuming you'll be able to find a place to stay. Everyone visits New England in autumn, so make your lodging reservations well in advance.
2: If all the country inns are full, it's best to book a hotel in a larger city and use that as your base camp. Boston is close to the action and a great departure point for day trips in Massachusetts. Portland gets you close to Maine's foliage-hot spots. Or if your schedule is flexible, try booking a room Sunday through Thursday rather than busy Fridays and Saturdays.
3: For updates on fall foliage conditions, call the National Forest Service's Fall Color Hotline at (800) 354-4595. But don't get freaked if you're too early or too late to see colors. Autumn color is a process not a single moment, and from the end of September to mid-October you can usually be guaranteed great colors somewhere in New England.
4: Be respectful of locals on the road. For you, driving along the road looking at fall foliage is a magical-mystery tour through nature's glory. But to a local, that same road is just a way to get from point A to point B. Show some respect. Pull over and let them pass.
5: Pay attention to critter-crossing signs. Moose- and deer-crossing signs are serious warnings that large animals -- like a 1,000-pound moose -- could dart or amble out onto the road at any minute.
6: For the very best photos, hit the road early. Colors are most vivid in the morning light. And do linger late -- the hour right before sunset is perfect for capturing fall colors against a muted deep sky. Don't just snap the big panoramic views either. Look for single, brilliantly colored trees with interesting elements nearby, like a weathered gray stone wall or a freshly painted white church. These images are often more evocative than big blobs of color or panoramic shots.
7: Pack a sweater or jacket. It might be 70 and sunny during the day, but New England nights are invigorating, to say the least. And if you're heading into the mountains you'll probably need a sweater during the day; it can be 20 or more degrees cooler at higher elevations. You might also want to pack lunch or snacks so you aren't at the mercy of overcrowded restaurants.
8: Don't fixate on the foliage. Mother Nature is wonderfully unpredictable and one windy rainstorm can put a brusque end to any location's foliage season. There are many ways to enjoy autumn in New England, so plan to visit a harvest festival, museum, art galleries, go antiquing, pick apples -- whatever interests you. Looking at the leaves should be just one part of your trip, not its sole focus.
--Michelle Delio
More Leaf-Peeper Drives in New England
New England's fall foliage is the best in the country. And it's just starting to pop. Usually the peak is around early to mid October, but if you miss it in one area, just drive a bit south and look there.
Try this 85 mile loop beginning in Torrington, CT:
Don't miss the covered bridge in Cornwall.
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And a 185 mile loop in northern Maine, beginning and ending in Skowhegan (You'll probably want to stop over at Moosehead lake for a night or two):
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There are many web sites for tracking the progress, here are a few of them:
www.yankeefoliage.com
www.maine.gov/doc/foliage
www.foliagenetwork.com
Fall Foliage Drives in Vermont
From Yankee Magazine. here are a couple of American Backroads that offer nice foliage. Both up in the north west corner.
a southern loop, about 42 miles, which takes you through Smuggler's Notch:
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and a connected northern loop, about 46 miles:
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Yankee Magazines suggests these places to stay:
Edson Hill Manor, Stowe, VT
From $199 including breakfast
The Governor's House, Hyde Park, VT
From $95 including breakfast
The Green Mountain Inn, Stowe, VT
From $169
800- 253-7302
The Smuggler's Notch Inn & Village Tavern, Jeffersonville, VT
From $89
802-644-6607
Smuggler's Notch Resort, Jeffersonville, VT
From $154
800-451-8752
Sterling Ridge Log Cabin Resort, Jeffersonville, VT
Lodge from $180, cabins from $99
800-347-8266
Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, VT
From $105
800-826-7000
