Where are the Secret New England Fall Foliage Routes?

The real secret to finding great fall foliage routes in New England is simple.  All you have to do is just get out and explore the back roads.

This article isn’t about giving you a bunch of “secret” routes that no one knows about. These are the side routes that people often ignore because the maps rarely give an indication that it might be a good route to take. (But I do give you one at the end of this article!)

In this article, I’m going to show you how I explore and find those scenic (not-so-secret) routes.  We can take a virtual tour via Google Maps so you can see what we found there. Also, you’ll find guidance on exploring my art of getting lost page.

Before we start on the secret routes, these are among the best, most popular, and most well-known fall foliage routes in New England. Why? Because they are easy. (We all like easy)

• Route 100 in Vermont From Smuggler’s notch south
• Route 112 (the Kanc) in New Hampshire
• Route 2 (the Mohawk trail) in Massachusetts (Concord to the Berkshires)
• Route 169 (the quiet corner) in Connecticut

These routes are the best fall foliage routes for a reason. They have all, or at least some, of what people are looking for:
scenic outlooks a thousand feet above the valley floor, or vistas as far as the eyes can see, old barns that were young when the country was just beginning, waterfalls, charming historic towns/villages, and meeting houses or churches

If you are a seasoned fall foliage leaf peeper, you will be wondering how I left off about 200 more just as popular fall foliage routes.

Many of us have been on Routes 5 and 7 in Vermont, and Routes 2 and 302 in New Hampshire, and… Well I could go on since we all know of great fall foliage routes, but what I want you to focus on is ignoring the well-traveled routes and see what else is out there.

The biggest downside to these well-known routes is that everybody writes about these routes.  Then hundreds of thousands (maybe millions…) of leaf peepers travel these routes from Sept 25th to Nov 1st in any given year.

This is why, if you don’t want to go to the trouble of exploring, then you should stay on the established fall foliage routes, and you will have a nice scenic fall foliage trip.  On the other hand, if you read on, I will impart a few rules/tips that I try to follow when I’m out exploring.

What if I’ve driven the popular routes and want to find that ‘road less traveled?’

Fall foliage prime directive:
The first thing I want you to do is to explore like a 7-year-old. They have an all-consuming curiosity about the world around them. You should try for this also. It doesn’t matter what you find, just get out there and have fun doing it…

Here are some simple suggestions to find great fall foliage routes.

Suggestion #1: Use your maps Look for roads that pass near, ponds, rivers, and streams which often reflect the fall colors. No downside there!

Suggestion #2: Cemeteries Great fall foliage routes will often pass by cemeteries that have well-tended trees and usually have been around for hundred-plus years, so they have very mature foliage trees (like maples).

Suggestion #3: Look for Rail Trails While on the road, look on the side of the road for a metal bar across a path with red, black, and yellow bands on it. This is a conservation rail trail. This is where an old rail system used to pass between towns and now is a bike/walking path. (and snowmobiles in winter) This is the perfect time to get out of your car to stretch your legs.  Remember that in the days of steam trains, they needed water for the boilers, and you could find a pond near the trail where the train filled up during its journey. These are also generally flat-graded paths for easy walking.

Suggestion #4 Unusual Road Names No matter where you are, look at the names of the roads around you. If you are on Route 4 in NH then you are on a more modern road than what was in use 100 years ago or even 50 years back. Look for the signs with potential, like, “Old main road”… The main road that you are on is probably smooth and straight. The “old main road” may be a road full of curves that in the late 1800s buggies traveled over because most roads ran along rivers and rivers never ran straight.

Suggestion #5 Ask the Locals That’s right! Ask at the front desk where you are staying, or go to the local store, gas up, get a snack, and ask! (Make sure you buy something!) Most will be happy to tell you about some spots that you would never find on your own.

Tips that I suggest so you don’t get too lost.

Tip #1 Tools I’ll mention this again, for finding fall foliage routes I travel with the DeLorme Gazetteers and a GPS. (This is an affiliate link) The map book is great for planning the trip and seeing what might be in the immediate area. The GPS is for telling you exactly where on the map you are and they usually have a built-in database of things like gas stations and of course the nearest coffee house. In the era of smartphones, people think they don’t need a map. When exploring back roads, especially in northern Vermont and New Hampshire, smartphones may not get reception. A good map is a very good idea when you don’t know the area.

Tip #2 Google Maps is a great tool for planning You’re going to say “if I have the map book why Google?”  Very simply, the Gazetteers don’t have every street on them (a lot, yes) but not all. Also, you can check the terrain and look at it in 3D or Street View (where available) so that said, I want you to take a little trip with me. I’m going to show you what I do when I research a trip.

Secret fall foliage drive, Route 4 in New Hampshire

Many of you reading this may say, “I know Route 4, and it’s no secret!” Well, get on the computer and follow along via Google Maps. And I want you to tell me at the end of this if you haven’t found something new.

Height of Land to Gristmill Road

This is rather short and simple, We had left the Danbury General Store on Route 4 and after a while, Lisa consulted the Gazetteer and said to take the next left, it’s called the Height of Land… I thought that place was near Rangeley Maine. Well, apparently New Hampshire has their own as well.

I’ll be the first to say I didn’t find any town common or meeting house, not even a gristmill on Gristmill Road, but Lisa and I explored.

Around each turn, there was one more example of fall colors with a tidy little cabin, and a shed that was bigger than the house! (they have big vehicles up there)
We found ourselves passing a house as we started coming down out of the hills and the valley was laid out before us. It was more about the journey that we were taking and sharing.

Soon enough we were back on Route 4 and we continued towards Lebanon New Hampshire, and then to Pomfret Vermont. The wondrous views we were going to see had just begun.

If you would like to see all we found later this day in Pomfret Vermont then check out this article on a Vermont back road ramble in autumn.

Jeff Foliage Folger

Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage

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