Best time to see the Fall colors (leaves) in Mass, CT, VT, NH??

[Rooster_Ties]

Looking to book some airline tickets SOON -- within the next few days (using frequent flyer miles, so we need to book early!!)

Probably gonna spend a good 4-6 days in Boston, and then (before or after Boston) for several more days we want to drive around and peep some at the Fall leaves while we're there.

Any suggestions about the best time to go?? Everything on-line says the peak time for the Fall colors is anywhere from the last week in Sept. to the first two weeks in Oct. - and that it varies a bit from year to year. If you were going, would you err on the side of maybe going a little too early?? - OR later in that window??

ALSO, any advice as to whether Danbury CT is worth visiting specifically for the Charles Ives stuff there?? I understand his boyhood home is now a museum (at least it was last time I checked (on-line) a few years ago). I was a HUGE Ives nut years ago (still am, at heart), and I thought if I was that close, it'd maybe be worth my time -- but I'd love to hear from anybody who's been there before.

Thanks!!!

Other suggestions for stuff to do and see in New England (and Boston, of course), would be welcome.

Thanks again!!!

Edited January 29, 2007 by Rooster_Ties

[ghost of miles]

My wife, who spent most of her childhood and adolescence in Berlin, Massachusetts, says the first week of October--and that the second week is usually good as well.

[sal]

Yeah, I was upstate NY during the first week of October a couple years back, and it was spectacular.

[BruceH]

I'd say err on the side of going a little early...but remember, colors vary according to altitude, how far North or South you are in the region, and the climate that year (this winter has been freakishly warm, my relatives in the Northeast tell me.) It's always a crapshoot, but New England's always a good place to visit, or live in.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I went in May and it sucked.

MG

[Spontooneous]

It sucked in July too.

[BruceH]

I went in May and it sucked.

MG

Good time for those Spring/early Summer colors: green and more green.

[Noj]

Must be something to see. In my part of LA most everything just turns brown.

[Lush Life]

Probably gonna spend a good 4-6 days in Boston, and then (before or after Boston) for several more days we want to drive around and peep some at the Fall leaves while we're there.

I live in Vermont, so here's a few thoughts from someone who sees the foliage every year:

1. I'm going to assume you don't care about seeing foliage colors in the city of Boston proper. There's not much color to see there, though the city itself is wonderful to visit any time of the year. But be prepared, Boston hotel rooms are very very expensive, almost all the time. In September or October, getting a namebrand hotel downtown like Sheraton or Doubletree generally will cost $300 a nite. Better hotels like Hilton will be even more expensive. An acceptable-but-not-great hotel will cost AT LEAST $150 a nite.

2. Foliage colors tend to be at their peak in the northeast corner of Vermont and the White Mountains/northern region of New Hampshire the last week of September, maybe very early October, on average. Foliage colors in the Champlain Valley of Vermont, however, don't peak until Columbus Day, even though the Burlington area is very far north...all due to the proximity of the big lake which moderates temperatures.

3. Foliage colors in central Vermont and central NH tend to peak around October 7, but can be as late as October 14.

4. Columbus Day weekend is generally a high color weekend in southern Vermont, NH and central Massachusetts.

5. If there's heavy rain and wind storms, much of your color can disappear overnight. On the flip side, an early frost in mid-September will make colors more spectacular and intense, with more reds. A late frost arriving in October will mean a more muted experience, with lots of yellows.

6. Book your hotel/motel rooms now. The longer you wait, the less availability there will be in these small towns. These places usually are completely sold out pretty early on. You're unlikely to find available rooms in the best locations if you wait until August.

If you have any other questions, feel free to send me a private message.

Cheers, and enjoy your trip.

[gslade]

don't go when the gypsy moth caterpiller are hatching

I took a ride on my motorcycle in the hills outside of

Granby Mass (this was in the early 80's), to take some pictures of the fall colors

I almost stacked my bike there were so many caterpillers

on the road, it was like riding on oil

I do not know if they have this problem in VT and NH

[Chuck Nessa]

Wait 'til 2009. The colors will be fabulous then.