Five - Not to miss Fall Foliage Locations in New England

I’m starting a series of these where I’ll give you some of the five best locations for the fall colors. I will try to include approximate dates or at least the date I caught the image. Click here to see a top 10 list of just Vermont scenic locations.

1. Mt. Katahdin, Maine

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is a U.S. National Monument in Northern Maine. It’s also the end point of the Appalachian Trail that starts (or ends) down in Georgia.

Below Mount Katahdin Maine in fall colors — Mount Katahdin in the Northern woods of Maine is now Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.
View in my gallery.

I found this vantage point by driving up the Greenville Rd from Moosehead lake and then we picked up the “Golden Road” which is a logging road. We followed it down to the Abol River Bridge and I parked and walked back on the bridge to get these early fall colors.

This was 29 Sept 2016 and it was still just a bit early as of yet. But still very pretty. One thing you need to worry about is the slate gravel on the golden road. We were warned about how sharp the gravel was and that it can slice your tires. Well, the next morning we had a slow leak and had to switch over to our donut tire… Let the traveler beware in these out-of-the-way spots.

Addendum: This is an article that I think is very important. So I’m including a link to my fall foliage primer. It may provide answers to your queries, but if it doesn’t, feel free to leave a comment at the end of the article.

2. Beaver Pond, Lost River Gorge

You can find the Beaver Pond in Kinsman Notch just west of Woodstock New Hampshire.

I think the best time to visit the Beaver Pond, is in the early morning. Sometimes, the pond is like a mirror with a great reflection. I’ve written about this many times and you can read more about it here.

Kinsman Notch also known as the Beaver Pond, click here to purchase in my gallery.

The basics are to travel up Route 93 in New Hampshire and get off on Route 112 (yes, the Kancamagus…) But don’t head east through Lincoln and over the Kanc. Instead, head West towards Woodstock (New Hampshire) and follow it till it turns into Lost River Road. It’s only 5-6 miles and there is a small parking lot on the left next to the pond. Enjoy!

3. Sleepy Hollow, Pomfret VT

The Sleepy Hollow Farm in Pomfret Vermont is one of those legendary Iconic spots that make it into every book written about Vermont. Postcards, greeting cards, and calendars will almost always have it.

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If you find your way to Woodstock Vermont (not the New Hampshire Woodstock, this time) you can travel from the town common and through the covered bridge. Make a right and head towards the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park. You can stop and visit or continue past it and after a few twists and turns, you are there…

Driving Alert: The town of Pomfret will close Cloudland Road from 23 September to 15 October this year to stop the level of traffic in front of the Sleepy Hollow farm. The farm has been causing so many traffic issues, that the town finally decided to stop all motorized traffic. Also on the other end of Cloudland Road which is Barbor Rd, that is also limited traffic so no slipping in that way Also if you try to park within walking distance, that will be stopped as well.

Pomfret Vermont farm in autumn — Sun lighting up the hill above the farm, view in my gallery.

No, not at Sleepy Hollow, you will arrive at the foot of Cloudland Road. Take this and travel up the dirt road about a mile and on the right, you will find Sleepy Hollow which is DOWN and on your right. The biggest problem is that there is no parking. You can pull over as far as you can but you will still be in the way.

On a slow day, you won’t have anyone honk but on a busy day, well you might have to go and pass it by and try back a little later. Good Luck!

4. The Old Stone Church, West Boylston MA.

The old stone church in West Boylston Massachusetts dates back to the early 1700s and has suffered fire and other issues but today it is lovingly maintained. Luckily there is parking just down the road but you will have to lug your gear back to this spot.

West Boylston, old stone church in autumn — Old Stone Church in Massachusetts fall colors. View in my gallery.

You can google it and a map with directions will pop up (or click this link) and I used my phone to get me here. I shot it during the week on 24 October and it still wasn’t peak in 2018. Also, there is a fair amount of traffic so be careful crossing the road. I shot this primarily from the causeway and the winds were 30+ MPH so I shot some of the shots with the Lee, 10 stop “big stopper” Filter. This shot above is a 30-second exposure and it removes the white-caps on the water and smooths out the clouds nicely.

5. Steam Trains, Essex CT

The fall colors in Southeastern Connecticut are usually near peak around the 23rd of October and this means it’s a perfect time to check out the steam trains that run on the Connecticut Valley Railroad.

Steam locomotive coming through the fall colors pulling passenger cars — No 40 coming into Chester CT. View this in my gallery

I was fortunate to have another photographer take me along the different train crossings to get shots of the train passing by. You can get your CT Gazetteer out (or Google Maps) to check intersection crossings. You might also take a ride on the train and using your phone GPS note the different crossings and mark them down on a map. Then later, get in the car and wait for the next time the train comes down the tracks.

Note, it only makes 3-4 trips per day and it’s impossible to catch it at all the crossings in one trip because it only slows down at the crossings so you will have to leapfrog several crossings to try and catch just one or two of them. If you miss it, you will probably see it coming back in reverse which is not as photogenic.

So, here are five not-to-miss (In my opinion) photo opportunities that can be found between early and late October. They are not meant to be done in a day but rather, things for different days or even different years.

Have a wonderful foliage day.

Jeff Foliage Folger

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

Visit my Amazon affiliate store for items that Lisa and I have curated for you. These items are either New England-made or things we think will make your fall foliage trip more successful.

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New England Fall Foliage

Exploring New England

Five – Not to miss Fall Foliage Locations in New England