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The Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire from above: a bend through forest turned red and gold, with the White Mountains beyond

Sample journey · 10–12 days

New England, when the maples turn red

Boston, the Berkshires, Vermont, the White Mountains, Acadia & the Maine coast

Photo: Jonathan Ng / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Every autumn, for a few weeks, New England's forests become what people travel from all over the world to see: sugar maples turn red, birches and ashes turn gold, and between them stand white wooden churches and covered bridges. This is a region where history is measured in centuries, yet life still turns around the town green, the farmers' market and the orchards of apple season.

This sample route makes a loop from Boston, moving from south to north and then east. That makes it easier to meet the colour at its peak, which usually starts in the north and the mountains and reaches the south and the coast later. You stay mostly at small inns and historic houses, and the days leave time to walk, stop by the roadside and simply look. The pace and places can be shaped around what matters most to you.

The route

The journey

  1. Boston
  2. The Berkshires
  3. Vermont (Woodstock, Stowe)
  4. The White Mountains (Kancamagus Highway)
  5. Acadia National Park
  6. Portland
  7. Boston
  1. Autumn trees and willows reflected in the pond of Boston's Public Garden

    01Days 1–2 · Boston

    A city of red brick

    The journey begins in Boston, the city where so much of American history began. The first day is gentle: a walk through the Public Garden and the gas-lit lanes of Beacon Hill. The next day follows the Freedom Trail past old churches and meeting houses, through the Italian cafés of the North End, with an afternoon at Harvard in Cambridge, across the Charles River. In the evening, oysters and clam chowder by the harbour.

  2. A white clapboard house beneath a golden maple, the grass covered in autumn leaves, in the Berkshires

    02Days 3–4 · The Berkshires

    Hills where the arts live

    About two and a half hours west lie the Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts. Stockbridge looks as if you've stepped into a Norman Rockwell painting, and his museum is indeed here. Williamstown has the fine Clark Art Institute among its meadows, and North Adams a contemporary art museum in old factory buildings. Between them are orchards where, in autumn, you can pick your own apples and try hot cider.

  3. A classic white New England house with a flag beside the green in Woodstock, the pavement strewn with autumn leaves

    03Days 5–7 · Vermont

    Covered bridges and maple syrup

    North across the Green Mountains to Woodstock, one of Vermont's loveliest towns, with its oval green, white churches and a covered bridge over the river. One night here, and in the morning a walk up to the farm at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller park. Then two nights in Stowe, beneath Mount Mansfield: a gondola or a trail to the summit, with a sea of colour below, a sugarhouse where maple syrup is boiled, and a cheesemaker where you can taste aged cheddar.

  4. A clear river among granite boulders in the autumn forest along the Kancamagus Highway

    04Days 8–9 · The White Mountains

    A road through a burning forest

    Across the Connecticut River into New Hampshire and the White Mountains. The Kancamagus Highway, around 55 kilometres between Lincoln and Conway, is one of America's loveliest autumn drives: no shops or petrol stations, just forest, viewpoints and the Swift River running between granite boulders. Two nights at a mountain inn let you take your time: a walk to Sabbaday Falls or through Franconia Notch and, on a clear day, the cog railway or the road up Mount Washington, weather permitting.

  5. Bright red autumn trees reflected in a still pond in Acadia National Park

    05Days 10–11 · Acadia

    Granite, sea and red ponds

    Around four hours east to the coast of Maine and Mount Desert Island. In Acadia National Park, pink granite drops into the Atlantic, and between the hills lie ponds that mirror the red maples. Early one morning you can watch the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, spend the day cycling the old carriage roads between stone bridges, and end the evening with lobster in a fishing village by the harbour.

  6. Portland Head Light on the rocky shore at Cape Elizabeth, Maine, in evening light

    06Day 12 · Portland & Boston

    A lighthouse on the way home

    The last day heads back south along the coast. On the way is Portland, a small harbour city with a red-brick old port, bakeries and seafood restaurants, and the Portland Head Light on the rocks at Cape Elizabeth. After a late lunch it's about two hours more to Boston's airport and an evening flight home. If you'd rather not rush, Portland is easily worth an extra night.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The Kancamagus Highway

    A mountain road with no commerce at all, just forest, river and viewpoints.

  2. 02

    Vermont's small towns

    Woodstock's green, covered bridges, sugarhouses and cheesemakers.

  3. 03

    Art in the Berkshire hills

    Rockwell, the Clark and contemporary art in old mills, with orchards in between.

  4. 04

    Sunrise in Acadia

    Pink granite, the Atlantic and red maples along the ponds.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • More slowly

    Drop the Berkshires and spend longer at a single Vermont inn, with bikes, walks and evenings by the fire.

  • With New York

    Begin in New York and reach the Berkshires through the Hudson Valley, ending in Boston.

  • The Cape and the islands

    Add a few days on Cape Cod or Nantucket, quiet and calm in autumn.

  • On to Canada

    Montreal is about three hours from Vermont, so the journey could continue into Quebec.

Practical considerations

  • Peak colour varies every year and depends on weather and latitude: in the north and the mountains it usually comes in late September to early October, and a little later in the south and on the coast. It can't be predicted precisely, so the route is shaped to give the colour the best chance.
  • In the foliage weeks, especially at weekends, small inns fill very early and the Kancamagus and other popular spots are busy, so places to stay are worth planning well ahead.
  • This is a self-drive journey; most legs take two to four hours. Autumn can be chilly in the mountains, with frost on the summits, so warm layers are worth packing.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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