Good Fall Foliage Morning!
This report was from 6-8 Oct 2019. Mother Nature had done it again. Another half-rain, part cloudy, and a little bit sunny few days for us. October always seems to be unsettled weather and yes this makes our job difficult. This week Lisa and I went to southern Maine, up through Mid-Maine, staying in Poland Maine at the Poland Spring Resort. (6-8 October) We headed home on the 8th which was our only sunny day. Read on my friends…

Day 1, “Some” Fall Colors in Southern Maine

We drove up into Maine on Sunday taking I-95 to Route 16 to Route 153 to Route 26. As last week’s Maine foliage report told me, the fall colors In Southern Maine were light and green trees are still prominent. This changed a little by the time we arrived in Poland Maine on 6 Oct. South of Poland you get between 5% to 15% color change but North of there is much better. (as of 9 Oct)

First, we stopped at a farm stand to buy pumpkins and check out their produce. The autumn colors, South and West of Poland Maine were only about 15%. So far the goal of this trip was to practice what I tell you to do… plan, adapt, and have a plan B… (we did)

As Jeff says, “There is no crying about fallen leaves or no color” (but I do get a bit whiny).

Parsonfield-Porter covered bridge

My first stop that day was the Parsonsfield-Porter-covered bridge. I had been by this area a few times but it wasn’t till it was pointed out to me by the proprietors of the Old Sale Shoppe on Route 153 at Tailor City, that we went looking for this covered bridge. upon their recommendation, we went and found it.

The bridge still spans the Ossipee River just east of the currently used section of the North Road, which formerly carried traffic between the towns of Porter and Parsonsfield. The more scenic image of this covered bridge is from the new road that bypasses this covered bridge.

I think this viewpoint from the main road affords the best view of the fall colors and the bridge. BUT! Be careful because there is traffic on this road and there is not a lot of space to walk.

Maine Wildlife Park

It was overcast and not enough fall color to catch my interest as of this point in southern Maine so we started going through Lisa’s list (plan Bs) of things to do in this area. First up is the family-friendly Maine Wildlife Park just south of Poland in Gray Maine. Lions, and Tigers, oh my!… Ok, you caught me, it’s more like Deer, Bobcats, and Moose, oh my!
From the Giant of the North Woods (moose, if you didn’t know it) to bears, deer, Bobcats, Lynx, Raptors, and a lot more, there is a lot to see. (budget-friendly)

You and the kids can see all the animals that are best seen at a distance. Most of the animals are here because they can’t survive in the wilderness so the volunteers take care of them and work to rehabilitate the ones that they can return to the wild.

Staying at Poland Springs Resort

I don’t feel this place deserved a full listing but it was ok (maybe 3 stars), it’s a resort with a golf course, so if you love golf it’s for you. We stayed at the lodge and found that it’s comparable to a Motel 6 (in looks and amenities). They have more expensive options, but we like to make our $$ go further. The lodge is dated, but clean and works for an overnight stay. The “free” breakfast is the same at any motel we have stayed at. Nothing memorable, so if you like a little effort put into your stay, then look around for other accommodations or stay at the more expensive options at the resort.

We ate dinner just down the road at Cindi’s Dockside, and they specialize in anything lobster. If you’re wondering about fresh lobster, there is a big tank in the dining room.

Day 2, the rain comes in, finding the Lovejoy

We drove up to Bethel and while it wasn’t doing more than misting for much of the morning it started raining by lunchtime. Just like last week in Vermont, we had low clouds which both obscured and enticed the eye. Our Maine Gazetteer is quite old and we had marked the Lovejoy Covered Bridge as “Gone”. No explanation, but I suspect we couldn’t find it and thought it was lost. (we were wrong) Pick up your Maine Gazetteer here in my Amazon Shop.

As you can see here, the Lovejoy Covered Bridge is still present, and except for height bars that limit vehicles to 9’6″ in height, you can still cross it.

Another nice factor is that this one is easily accessible via paths to get a view from both up or downriver. In fact, there is a view that gives you a similar view to the pool view at the Slaughterhouse Covered Bridge in Northfield Vermont. (seen here) but it isn’t as pretty from the side. Or maybe it is? You decide.

We drove in the rain through many different areas catching the fall colors on the hills. Each turn in the road gave a new perspective on the developing fall colors. But I was to find out over the next couple of days that better color was further north.

We were still not seeing peak fall colors south of Bethel or Andover but that would be changed the next day. We stopped at little general stores and saw Maine’s version of a cowboy museum. It’s amazing what you will find.

Heading North in Maine to find the fall colors on 8 Oct

We finally got a sunny day and our agenda was heading North on Route 26 to Bethel Maine. My first stop was to find the multi-directional signpost near Norway Maine. I still haven’t visited all these countries (in Maine) yet…

You will have to West of Norway to Route 35 and then follow it to the Junction of 5 and there you will find it. From here we made our way back to Route 26. Every mile further north showed us better and brighter colors.

This took us to Grafton Notch State Park. I’ve only been through this notch 1-2 times but today We were going to stop at Screw Auger Falls. I’d heard about it from Steven Beckwith who had told me about Grafton Notch.

Grafton Notch State Park, NOW WE’RE TALKING!

As noted before, the further north we got, the better the colors got. From this point on, till the end of the day, we found wonderful autumn peak colors. We traveled over to Errol and South on Route 16… But I’m getting ahead of myself…

Entering Grafton Notch State Park got me going. The colors on the hills were just about peak and as I’ve said before, Once you hit 75%, everything above this is gravy. I would say we were closer to 90% or a bit more.

There were no bad views as of the 8th of October 2019. As it was, I had to keep pulling over for different views like this stand of Birch. Who doesn’t love white birch and peak fall colors?

Then we got to Screw Auger Falls and proceeded to explore. We did the usual by dropping money in the green post to pay for our Visit. Then I explored downstream and then upstream and I could have spent the whole day wandering along this one stream.

But we needed to head home to Salem and we had miles to go before we could sleep (or write up this trip and 646 miles in total over 3 days)

So we said goodbye to Screw Auger Falls and headed to Errol where we picked up Route 16 and started to head south into New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Fall colors

From Errol where we found full peak colors, there were a bit more green colors by the time we hit Berlin NH. But they were around 65-75% towards Peak and the colors maintained this level (or better) all the way to the foot of Mount Washington. I will call Pinkham Notch at 70-85% towards peak. What do you think?

The last shot of the evening was a long shot of Mount Chocorua and the lake. As of the 8th of October, it showed that the colors while clearly there, had not (as of the evening of the 8th) turned fully. But hopefully by this coming weekend, (13-15th) will be more vibrant.

This gives you an idea of the fall colors on the 6-8th of October. Just head further North and take your Gazetteers with your and look for some new locations. This is my affiliate link for the New Hampshire Gazetteer (or a Vermont Gazetteer, or both in the same book) [affiliate link] . They are very helpful for mapping your route for your trip to New England to explore these backroads. Either way, I wish you safe and happy travels, and remember to let me know what you find in the comments in this article or on the fall foliage Facebook Group page.

Jeff Foliage Folger

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

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