Fall Tour of New Hampshire on Sunday
On Sunday during Columbus Day/Indigenous People Day Weekend, Dan and I went on a road trip up North to New Hampshire to see the Fall colors in the White Mountains. It is a trip we try and do every year and while it never disappoints, this year it was even more spectacular than usual.
We started our drive taking I-93 North from Boston to Lincoln, New Hampshire. It is about a two-and-a-half hour trip on the highway, and traffic was surprising light. Dan and I were a bit worried on our way up North, as there was a lot of green trees around Manchester and we were worried that we were a week too early to see peak color in the White Mountains. Never fear — once we got closer to Lincoln, the color of the trees quickly changed from green to vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows.
We’ve been reading reports that the Fall color this year was supposed to be spectacular due to a wet Summer and cool Fall, and the reports were correct — it was perfect. We also timed it perfectly in that there was no leaf drop since we hadn’t had any big rain storms in the week leading up to our trip. It was a cloudy and damp day which made for lots of low clouds and fog, but that wasn’t a bad thing, as it made for some great pictures.
We started our day trip in Lincoln, New Hampshire where we stopped by Loon Mountain to enjoy Oktoberfest at the Lodge and then headed up the sky tram to the top of the mountain for spectacular views.
Next, we took our usual route and hit the Kancamagus Highway (Route 112) from Lincoln to Conway. Called “The Kanc” (pronounced “Kank”) by those of us in the know, the 34-mile scenic byway offers some of the leaf peeping in the entire country, and as expected, it was packed with people like us who wanted to take advantage of a perfect Fall day. We stopped off at most of the scenic overlooks and walks to experience the thrill of nature at its very best.
We always stop at Sabbaday Falls, which offers views of a beautiful waterfall after a short 0.3 mile hike on a well traveled and well-marked trail into the forest. It is a perfect time to stretch your legs after being the car and the views never fail to disappoint.
We stopped at several of the scenic views along the way and got some great pictures of the mountains — and us (I’m in holiday card picture mode).
We stopped by both the Lower Fall and Upper Falls along The Kanc, which have beautiful views of the Swift River as it flows through the White Mountains. We love climbing along the rocks in the River when the water is low — I view it as a puzzle on how to get down the river while avoid the water.
We ended our Fall foliage drive in Conway where we saw the Swift River Bridge in Conway. Constructed in 1870, this particular covered bridge doesn’t permit cars to drive across it, but there is another covered bridge down the street that does allow cars on it. (We skipped it because we’ve driven it before and the traffic around that bridge was crazy.)
All-in-all, we had a perfect Sunday. The Fall foliage was perfect, the weather cooperated until we left Conway to head for home (it lightly rained during our entire drive home), and the views were unparalleled. I love leaf-peeping in New England and think this drive is the best one to do on an annual basis because it is so assessable and offers spectacular views.
(Sunday, October 7, 2018 / @julieschultz79 / #mycrazylifeblog)
