The special thing about Vermont is that there are so many wonderful villages and rural sites with scenic beauty that there really is no "top 10" list. That said, you should love (south to north) Bennington, Old Manchester Village, Dorset, Weston, Woodstock, Quechee, Thetford, Norwich (across the Connecticut River from Hanover, NH, and Dartmouth College), Warren/Waitsfield, Stowe, and Burlington (site of UVM and Lake Champlain). The real charm of Vermont is discovered by getting off of the few major N/S and E/W roads and onto the literally hundreds of rural (and even dirt) roads that lead to small towns and great discoveries. If there was one area that I could draw a 20 mile radius of very special appeal, it would be the small towns and country roads around Woodstock (South Pomfret, Pomfret, Barnard, Quechee, South Woodstock, Hartland Four Corners, Brownsville).
New England Trip
- Thread starter Alphalion75
- Start date
We went up to the top of Mt Washington yesterday on a rare clear afternoon. Planning to soak in the Swift River today.
Lucky dog! We were on a bus trip several years ago to NE. Highlight was to be Cog Wheel Train up to top of Mount Washington. Nah! As we approached Mount Washington, got hit by Fall Snow Shower of about 2" and fog settled in over the MW. Got about 1/2 way up when the fog was so dense that we could hardly see the train stopped on tracks ahead of us. Was a long ride back down the Mountain. Maybe another day will afford me the opportunity to ride to the top.We went up to the top of Mt Washington yesterday on a rare clear afternoon. Planning to soak in the Swift River today.
yeah, I've had that experience too- get up there and you can't see 100'. It's very rare to get a really clear day, we got lucky.
IMO, there are two "New Englands" one is CT, RI, and MA- don't waste your time- and I say this having lived in MA for over 20 years.
The other one is ME, NH, and VT north of Rutland in VT Plymouth in NH and Camden in ME. The further north you get, the better it gets.
The other one is ME, NH, and VT north of Rutland in VT Plymouth in NH and Camden in ME. The further north you get, the better it gets.
When we arrived at the top of Mt Washington in 2017 , we thought it was going to be a waste of time. We toured the observatory for a while.
This was the view when we came out.
PS. The day after we were there, Travis Pastrana drove the road to the summit in under 6 minutes.
This was the view when we came out.
PS. The day after we were there, Travis Pastrana drove the road to the summit in under 6 minutes.
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Several things... I always enjoy staying at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA where Norman Rockwell museum is located and a beautiful place to stay. Take a trip to the to of Mt Washington via the Cog Railway. If you are in good shape and looking for adventure hike up top while going by and looking down into Tuckerman's Ravine (for snow skiers its the mecca). I always enjoy a hike up a ski resort in the summer there are plenty to do that in new england, also dirt roads that go to the top which make the hike much easier. Many other good suggestions in this thread.
The primary issue is tourists. It really is in a beautiful part of the White Mountains, but it’s just always busy considering the otherwise laid back surroundings. I suppose that’s not a terrible thing, but it’s just that you can find similar natural beauty all throughout the region without sitting in unexpected traffic.
BTW - someone posted going to Lake Placid, and I couldn’t second that enough. My favorite NE mountain retreat…can be touristy as well, but IMO, well worth it.
We just booked a weekend trip in October to Burlington; doing a sailing tour on the lake and some hiking/leaf peeping too. Can’t wait. Kids demanding we stock up on Maple Syrup….
I’m not sure the rout number, but you can go north from Albany and take a ferry across Lake Champlain to Burlington VT.
I agree with visiting Mt. Washington if you can. We drove to the top in the 80's when my kids were 10 and 12 and they remember it to this day.We went up to the top of Mt Washington yesterday on a rare clear afternoon. Planning to soak in the Swift River today.
