Dh and I have 6 days in October to drive from Albany to Philadelphia. We’ll arrive in Albany by noon and immediately head north; our 6th day we need to be in Philadelphia by dinner. We were going to fly from Boston to Philly but after weighing the driving time and costs we decided to drive so our 6th day is largely taken.
Our very loose itinerary has us going through (drive bys, for the most part, are fine) Mohawk Trail (MA), Woodstock (VT), Ben and Jerry’s Factory (cheesy, I know but we’re inclined to stop by anyways), Montgomery (VT), Kancamagus Highway, North Woodstock (NH), Sabbaday Falls (NH), and Acadia. We came up with these sites largely from internet searches related to fall foliage so we’re open to making changes. Having said that, I’ve wanted to see Acadia for awhile so that’s a must.
In addition to feedback about our route and sites, if anyone has restaurant or lodging suggestions, I’d love to hear.
When in October? The peak foliage season can move fast.
Definitely do Ben & Jerry’s Factory tour!
Acadia? Do you mean the park in Maine? That is a real long drive! Frankly, I’d jettison that for this trip. Stick with NH and Vermont.
But if you really really want to see Acadia, I’d suggest you fly into Portland ME and head north from there to Acadia. Then work your way South.
Keep in mind that the east/west roads in northern New England (ME, NH and VT) will not be highways. They will be very pretty scenic roads.
The foliage season will end further north sooner than south…so you want the northern part of your trip to be first.
If you are coming after October 10 or so…you very well could miss foliage in places like Acadia.
The Kanc in October could conceivably take you the better part of a day to traverse – this is a no access, no off ramp highway that will be moving very slowly and absolutely peak season traffic will be the norm. That being said, Sabbaday Falls is off the Kanc, so that will fit in well if you decide to go. I second the notion that Acadia is much too far to fit in unless you start there , and drive towards Boston.
Also keep in mind that the leaves turning is a highly seasonal and unpredictable event. I’d stick to Acadia, then boony-ride through Maine and NH with a swerve to Vermont if you have your heart absolutely set on saying you’ve done Vermont. Do you have reservations?
Ah yes…reservations. You need to look into lodging ASAP.
On a weekday it won’t be bad. Definitely manageable.
Agreed that it is better on weekdays, but sometimes people look at it on a map and think for 34 miles, with a few pullouts to take pictures, we’ll be done in 90 minutes, tops…
I’d pick Vermont or Maine but not both. You just won’t have much time to enjoy where you are, with all that driving. And if you already have a flight into Albany, you might want to consider Lake Placid or a drive through the Berkshires in MA.
Foliage is fickle but you will likely see what you’ve come for.
Hoping @MaineLonghorn and @Consolation chime in.
I think a lot depends on when this poster is actually making this October trip. If it encompasses Columbus Day weekend, all bets are off in terms of reservations for hotels and driving times.
If it’s after Columbus Day, the foliage at Acadia could very well be a lot past peak. And if it rains…on the ground.
The areas of VT and NH that were posted are doable. And they really are nice.
What kind of lodging are you looking for and how many people…and price point. The Woodstock Inn is charming…but I’m betting there aren’t rooms available during foliage season this year…and it’s not a bargain. But call and see.
If this is the first couple of weeks of October, my recc would be drive or fly to Acadia and just stay there the entire time. It’s one of my favorite places on earth, and I never get tired of going. We typically camp, but there will be lodging available in early October. There is so much to do: hiking (a must!), kayaking, sightseeing, popovers at Jordon Pond House, etc.
Honestly the foliage won’t be great anywhere by the end of the month, and you have a lot of driving to do. If you decide not to do Acadia, I’d focus on western MA (Berkshire area) and VT (Grafton, Manchester, Middlebury, Woodstock, Burlington are some of my favs).
The Bennington area of VT is very nice too…and not as far as Burlington. And on the way to Philly.
Peak foliage in southern Maine is around October 14 ( I use that date because it’s my sister’s birthday and every year I think it’s one of the best days).
Peak foliage at our cabin in the Maine mountains is usually around September 30. It’s even earlier in parts of New Hampshire and Vermont. Here is a foliage map that shows the current conditions: https://newengland.com/seasons/fall/foliage/live-fall-foliage-map/
Before kids, my mom and I would take a foliage tour every year. As much as I love Maine, Vermont was the most spectacular. Some years, we would get a light dusting of snow and it took our breaths away.
There is also beautiful foliage in NY state - Catskills, Finger Lakes, and through PA if you are later in the season.
Thanks for the comments thus far. We have a wedding near Albany October 5 and need to be in Philadelphia the following weekend. So, we’ve decided to take a road trip from Sunday the 6th to Friday the 11th. Flights are all booked so it’s now time to find lodging and it sounds like I better get on it! Suggestions are welcome. The route we’re looking at has us driving 25 hours in 6 days (6+ of those are the last day) which we’re fine with. If anyone has any specific lodging or restaurant suggestions, please share!
Also, we originally wanted to fly into Portland but it didn’t work out. And, assuming we have a choice in lodging, midprice to higher is fine; we’re not campers so that’s out.
Since you are going north after the Albany wedding you might want to take the Adirondack Northway to get there. It is a very pretty ride and will take you past Lake Placid and Lake George straight to Plattsburgh where you can take the ferry to Burlington, VT (last I knew the ferries hold cars). You could also use the same route in reverse.
The ride from Albany out to the Finger Lakes (NY) is beautiful.
I think many of us feel leaf peeping is a state of mind, Not every turn brings oohs and aahs. The right journey is as much about local culture/sights/stops. Not miles covered. Acadia is great, but the rush can be too much.
And it’s already colder. 60 in Boston at midday. It’ll go up, but count on fall temps, which also affects how fast leaves turn.
Agree lodging can be a challenge. Ime, in places, costs go up. Many of us do one trip, rather than try to see all of it.
Leaves have already started to change at my house in southern Maine. I’m very south so it is actually a good location to access NH as well. This is west of Kennebunk area and Portland is pretty close by as well. Having had this summer home eight year I can say that we have never ventured super north but plan to hit Acadia next summer. We did, however, visit Bowdoin although D20 wants to be in a city!
This family doesn’t need to head to Burlington area if they are heading to Acadia and then to Philly.
Check out the Woodstock Inn. Lovely.
If you drive through the Bennington VT area, there are some lovely B and Bs you could look at.
Since I’m very unclear about what route you plan to take…or where you plan to stop, it’s sort of hard to give lodging suggestions…
Dh uses an app that plots out your route…it has us taking MA 2 to Mohawk Trail, VT 12 to Woodstock, VT 12 to 89N to Waterbury, VT 100 to VT 118 to Montgomery, VT 58 to I-91 to I-93 to Kancamagus Highway, North Woodstock, NH 112 to Sabbaday Falls and then on to Acadia.
I doubt we’ll ever be in this part of the country again and D2 raved about Acadia so we’d really like to see it. Vermont is one of the few states dh hasn’t been to so we’d like to see a highlight or two there. Thus, with the constraint of starting in Albany, that’s how we’ve routed our trip and picked our sites but, really, other than Acadia and a highlight in Vermont, we’re open. We actually tried to drop a site or two but it didn’t seem to make much difference in terms of driving time.
We know this is more of a “time in the car” than spending time at sites and we’re okay with that. So, any final thoughts/suggestions are welcome, including logical breaks so I know where geographically it makes sense to make dinner reservations and book lodging.
I would definitely make the Kancamagus part of your trip. Your timing will be at or right around predicted peak. There is definitely an ooh and aah around every corner there. 
https://www.visitnh.gov/foliage-tracker
If you are heading to Philly from points in Maine, I’d plan on a solid 8 hours.