My wife and I will be spending the last week of September and the first two weeks of October in New England so we're looking for places to put up our tent as we wander around. Our tentative plans are to fly into Manchester and then eventually make our way to Acadia 10 days or so into the trip. We'll finish the trip in Boston October 12-15 where I'll be attending a medical conference. Of course we want to maximize the fall color experience but are also anxious to see the Maine coast. Any ideas/references would be most appreciated. >=))>
There are a ton of places to visit at that time of year but I'll recommend some of the usual and some not so usual. From Manchester you could easily drive north into the White Mtns and enjoy to fall colors on the mountains there. Probably lots of others folks will be around. From there, I'd exit to the north and head to the Rangeley Lakes area of Maine. Beautiful but no where near as crowded with some really lovely country to photograph. Next you could head to Greenville and the Moosehead Lake area. If you choose to, you can really get off the beaten path out of Rangeley and Greenville. From there head to the Maine coast. I'd recommend htting Downeast Maine (Machias to Lubec) which is scenic but doesn't get anywhere near the attention that Acadia and the mid-coast areas get. After that hit Acadia (you'll want to spend some time there) and enjoy this most picturesque NP. In addition to Acadia on Mt. Desert Ilsand, you can also hit the Schodic Penn. part of the park which again is far less visited. If the weather is good, you can take the mail boat out to the Cranberry Islands or the one that goes to Isle Le Haut. Both offer a different experience. After Acadia, you can work your way down the coast and visit some of the popular and not so popular spots on your way to Boston.
The Maine Coastline's color peaks later that inland Maine. The Warmer Air from the ocean delays the leaves from turning.
The best plan would be to work you way south and hit the coast last. The White Mountains of New Hampsire, Northern Maine (Baxter State Park, Rangeley, Moosehead Lake) usually peak during the first week in Oct.
Acadia is usually the second week. There are several towns you can consider visiting on the way back from Acadia to Boston. Some areas to consider Deer Island, Stonington, Camden, Saco, Kennebunkport, York, Wells,
I agree with the places peter suggests in the above post. I lead tours in New England and this is a wonderful time of year to visit. I hope you have fun on your trip.
Keep in mind it may be pretty cold up here during that time. But if that doesn't bother you, after Acadia I would head over to Baxter State Park and camp in the Sandy Stream Pond area of the park. You may get lucky and see several moose while you are there and there is also plenty of very pretty hiking.
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The best plan would be to work you way south and hit the coast last. The White Mountains of New Hampsire, Northern Maine (Baxter State Park, Rangeley, Moosehead Lake) usually peak during the first week in Oct.
Acadia is usually the second week. There are several towns you can consider visiting on the way back from Acadia to Boston. Some areas to consider Deer Island, Stonington, Camden, Saco, Kennebunkport, York, Wells,
I agree with the places peter suggests in the above post. I lead tours in New England and this is a wonderful time of year to visit. I hope you have fun on your trip.