The drive offers some of the best views in the Green Mountain National Forest, which in the fall is dramatic and stunning.
The scenic drive follows mostly Route 12 south from Montpelier to Woodstock, before heading north on Route 100 and 100B back to Montpelier. You'll discover plenty of surprises on the way, but it's no surprise you'll experience some magnificent fall foliage views all along the way.
Okay, start the ignition and let's get going...
Our journey begins in Montpelier, the smallest state capital city in America. Montpelier is on the northern fringe of central Vermont, and is 182 miles from Boston and 198 miles from Hartford. It can be easily reached from Interstate 89.
Take Route 12 out of Montpelier and head south to Northfield Falls. Vermont has many fine examples of covered bridges, but two of them in Northfield Falls can be seen at once, as you look through one to other. This is unique in New England and definitely worth taking the camera out to capture.
Continue on Route 12 making your way to Bethel.
Bethel is one of those Vermont towns that's a natural part of the scenery. Could this be why it's home to the White River National Fish Hatchery? The hatchery focuses on restoring Atlantic Salmon to the Connecticut River. It's open 8:00am - 3:00pm daily.
From Bethel you'll continue on the final leg of the southern route to Woodstock.
The Woodstock area offers a number of attractions, including Billings Farm and Museum, and Quechee Gorge. Woodstock itself is one of those picture-perfect Vermont villages that's fun just to stroll around checking out the boutiques and restaurants.
The Billings Farm and Museum was established in 1871, and today it's a working farm, and a museum depicting farm life in the late 1800s. Depending on the time you visit the museum has seasonal activities so check ahead to see what's going on the day you plan to arrive.
Quechee Gorge is Vermont's little Grand Canyon. Not quite as big a crack in the ground as in Arizona, but at a mile long and plenty of hiking and walking trails on offer, it's a chance to admire the scenery and stretch the legs. Be sure to walk to the picnic area overlooking the falls for a Kodak moment.
The next 20 miles of the scenic drive takes you cross-country on Route 4 to Killington. Killington is a world famous ski area that covers six mountains. At over 4,200' it offers spectacular views from the summit. There's very few better places to appreciate the fall foliage than at the top of Killington Peak. If it's running take the K1-Gondola from base. You can ride the Gondola daily from late September - early October. Call ahead for schedule or visit their web site at www.killington.com.
Killington is about the halfway point in this tour, and if you decide to linger overnight in the area then the beautiful town of Rutland is close-by with plenty of lodging. Just be sure to make reservations during the heavy visited peak fall foliage season.
The next section of the tour follows Route 100 as it borders the Green Mountain National Forest. You'll pass through the towns of Pittsfield, Hancock, Granville, and Waitsfield as you tour perhaps the most scenic areas and diverse terrain you'll see on this drive.
Just North of Hancock and close to Route 100 on Route 125 is Texas Falls. The trail to the falls is an easy hike and offers marvelous views anytime of the year, but especially during fall foliage season when the colors dazzle.
The larger Moss Glen Falls is just north of Granville a few miles up from Hancock. The drive from Hancock towards the falls is a two-lane winding road that passes through a seven-mile stretch of rough wilderness, and worth taking at a slow and easy pace.
The final leg of this central Vermont scenic drive from Granville to Middlesex and back to Montpelier continues to provide startling scenery and great photo opportunities. Route 100B connects with Route 100 just south of Moretown village, and you'll take 100B north to Middlesex and then join Interstate 89 for the quick hop back into Montpelier.
This fall foliage scenic drive offers oodles of opportunities for detours and backroad excursions. My advice is to give yourself the time to get distracted and follow a few inviting roads leading away from busy highways, and become a Vermonter for a few days. You'll appreciate a fall Vermont and understand why the people that live here wouldn't trade it for any other place in the world.
Vermonters quip the state really has five seasons - spring, summer, fall, winter, and the famous mud season. But my personal favorite in Vermont is the fall. Take this tour and you'll understand why.
Spectacular fall foliage scenic drives are plentiful in Massachusetts from the south shore of Boston down to Cape Cod, and the Quabbin Reservoir area of the central region. But perhaps the most dramatic lay out west in the Berkshires and Mount Greylock region. Here the mountains provide the perfect terrain and temperatures to showcase fall in its entire splendor.
And nowhere is this most evident than on one of my favorite Massachusetts scenic drives. Stretching for 63 miles from the Massachusetts-New York border to Millers Falls on the Connecticut River is a stretch of road known as The Mohawk Trail. It offers one of Massachusetts most beloved and popular fall foliage scenic drive areas.
Attractions in the region of the Mohawk Trail are Mount Greylock, The Bridge of Flowers, Glacial Potholes, a natural marble bridge formed by erosion, state forests, old Indian hiking trails, and a plethora of villages, country inns, gift shops, and arts and craft attractions.
The trail more or less follows the footpath trade and travel route used by the peoples in this part of the northeast since postglacial age. The path was well trodden and used to move between the Hudson and Connecticut River valleys.
Anytime of the year traveling this same path by road through the northern section of the Berkshire Hills is relaxing and inspiring... but especially during fall foliage season when everything is cloaked and carpeted in vibrant autumn colors.
This fall foliage scenic drive covers most of the major attractions and plenty of time for stopping and admiring the view or picking up an antique or two. The drive is approximately 65 miles but you should allow all day for viewing in an unhurried and gentle manner.
Start on Route 7 in Lanesborough, just south of Route 2. Follow Lanesborough one mile north to Rockwell Road on the right. This road leads to the summit of Mount Greylock - the highest peak in Massachusetts and one of the loftiest in the long Taconic Mountain range.
The trip to the summit offers a splendid view of the valleys and other peaks in the area. A few miles on Rockwell Road is the Mount Greylock Visitor center. Here you can get trail maps and general information about the area. If you've got the time some easy walking trails lead down and around the summit.
At the summit is the War Memorial Tower. The climb to the top of the 92-foot-tall tower offers magnificent views of five states for your efforts. Once your summit viewing is complete take the Notch Road down to meet the Mohawk Trail on Route 2 in North Adams.
North Adams celebrates the autumn season with the North Adams Fall Foliage Festival and Parade. This is usually the last weekend of September or the first in October. In North Adams is the Western Gateway Heritage State Park, which features an exhibit on the building of the Hoosac Tunnel. Close by east of North Adams off Route 2 and 8 is Natural Bridge State Park - here the remains of rock fractures and erosion has built a natural bridge formation.
Follow Route 2 east out of North Adams ascending the Hoosac Mountain Range until Hairpin Turn and then onto the Western Summit. Here you can stop and admire the vistas of Mount Greylock, Vermont's Green Mountains, and the valley below.
How fast or slow you take the next part of the journey depends on time. Continuing on Route 2 east takes you though Charlemont where the famous "Hail to the Sunrise" statue stands in Memorial Park. The eastern end of this scenic drive on the Mohawk Trail on Route 2 takes you out to Shelburne Falls where you can view The Bridge of Flowers - a transformed trolley bridge - and the Glacial Potholes below Salmon Falls, where time has produced unusual geological pools.
Scattered throughout the region are state parks, hikes along ancient trails, scenic views, and of course specialty shopping and dinning opportunities. So as you wind your way around on this tour take time to enjoy this area of a window into the area's heritage.
In summary, the Mohawk Trail is a not-to-be-missed fall foliage scenic trail in Massachusetts. Combine the drive with a getaway weekend in the Berkshires and many other attractions in the area, and you've a fall foliage destination package to create memories for many a fall to come.
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