It has been a dream to visit New England and experience the nature’s array of landscapes. The deciduous are on roll and nothing can stop them.
2021 had been the most challenging year to plan a travel. Uncertainty of a lockdown delayed the bookings & when we did, it was already late. But it was set in stone, Fall of 2021 was to be spent in New England.
A spectacular road trip of 1900 miles driving through highway 100 in Vermont, Smuggler’s Notch, Artist Bluff, Kancamagus Highway & finally, Acadia National Park.
We took several #detours & visited scenic spots on the way.
THE Plan – part 1
Vermont & New Hampshire
DAY 1
TOWARDS RUTLAND, VT
Landed at Boston International at 5:20am, hurriedly we ran to rent a SUV at airport car rental. Picked up breakfast on the way from Dunkin Donuts, got some groceries & off to Rutland.
DAY 2
TOWARDS LAKE CHAMPLAIN
KENT POND, VT
Sunrise at Kent Pond was a success. We flew drone for quite some time – Video upcoming.
SLEEPY HOLLOW
Grabbed a coffee at Abracadabra Coffee Truck & we were off towards the most photographed location in Vermont. We didn’t find it at the peak of Fall Season.
causeway park
A strip of land in lake Champlain is an amazing place to view the sunset.
DAY 3
Towards SMUGGLER’S NOTCH
A #detour
Experienced a solitude serenity and absolute calm morning here. We had this entire place to ourselves. Although it rained later. The drive is immensely beautiful
SMUGGLER’S NOTCH
Doing this a few times isn’t gonna quench the thirst of watching fall colors.
Smuggler’s Notch will feed you with the most scenic visuals on Fall Colors when you visit it during the peak. We drove through the notch 3 times & still I want to do this next year.
The scenic drive starts immediately as you leave Stowe towards Smuggler’s Notch. On the way, take a #detour to visit Mt. Mansfield. The drive starts at 9am & closes 4:30pm.
STOWE, VT
The town is sweeter than honey. We enjoyed the breakfast at Buttler’s Pantry.
A good way to spend time is to walk around the town & check out local stores
We took so many videos of Smuggler’s notch that we ran out of memory & we had to hunt for a memory card. There is possibly only one Walmart at Montpelier, VT that can offer one. Else, we had to drive 2 hours back to Burlington, VT or survive without videos for rest of the trip.
DAY 4
THE ARTIST’S BLUFF
I thought this is a parking lot spot. Park the car, get out, take the famous shot & onto the next spot. It was a bummer to find out that the picture comes at a price. You gotta hike 1.5 miles round trip with a steep elevation gain of 436ft.
Who can do this hike? (hike details)
For a regular person who is comfortable hiking, it would take 20 mins to climb up & 15 mins to get down. You should expect to spend around 30 mins at the vantage.
The total estimated time spent here would be approx. 90 mins. This might help few to plan accordingly. Carry a bottle of water on your way up. & if you are a type of a person who would enjoy banana nut muffin with the view, why not?
But, before going to Artist’s Bluff
A #detour towards COFFIN POND
There are several lakes in the area & we tried to visit those that have surrounding hill. It gives a gradual rise to deciduous trees in the background enlarging the display.
I have had numerous failures in finding perfect reflection for the past few photography trips. We tried to do everything here, drone videos / photos to get the most of it.
Now,
let’s get to the good part,
Artist’s bluff isn’t that far from coffin pond. There is ample parking at the trail head. We did the shorter hike which starts off right next to the road.
TANNERY HILL COVERED BRIDGE
We chose to go south & visit one of the tiny & beautiful bridge.
The bridge was closed to pass but we could go around & take some pictures.
DAY 5
Harvey Lake
Sunrise at Harvey Lake. We reached here about 30 mins before sunrise. Dark it was & cloudy. Without much hope of sky burn, we launched our drones & setup the tripods. We had woken too early to catch sunrise. There was an excitement but a lousy one.
But when the sky lit with sun rays, between the thin layers of fog mist, there was just one color speaking & it glowed in the lake even better.
Video Coming Soon.
Franconia Notch State Park
It’s beautiful during Fall Season. I think, it’s a great spot to visit.
3 hours to hike the Flume Gorge Loop Trail. This is a private state park hence, there is an entrance fee of $18 per adult to this one. It is recommended to book online to save time in the queue.
Kancamagus Highway
Hands down, this place blew my mind. Although, we reached here on a sunny day, when sun was on the top, we could just see red & orange color in the valley. It was on full bloom.
Infamous for it’s hairpin location, so let’s get that out of the way.
It is illegal to fly drone anywhere near 0.25 miles of the road. (reference). So we had to hike in the forest. It is technically impossible to find any opening in between the trees. But we were lucky & found one.
The highway in itself is 34.5 mile scenic drive along NH’s Rt. 112. More info on Kancamagus Website.
Ideal time to visit is early morning to avoid traffic. Weekdays preferred. If you’re driving here during weekend, you will spend the whole weekend to find parking. Trust me, it gets crowded like Los Angeles interstates.
Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.
Ibn battuta
Take the Detour 