This was a 3-day trip we took in 2019 between 6 and 8 October. We arrived on October 6th, and on the 6th and 7th, we drove and explored Poland Springs Maine. The foliage was not as good as we would have liked so we decided to drive north the last day before having to head south and back home.

The next morning we headed north on Route 26. Within 10-15 miles we knew we were going to be seeing some great colors. Pretty soon you could hear the classic sounds of a leaf-peeping car… Ohh, look at that… Ahhh what beautiful reds!… OMG, look at that!!! You get the idea.

What follows are some of the spots we stopped at on 7-8 October 2019. It also gives you a good idea of what I mean when I say you can drive a short distance, and either find the best fall colors and then have it fade to nothing. Here is the map you can follow along.

That said, let’s talk PEAK…

Poland Springs Maine (Point A on the map)

Yes, during the first 2 days, it rained on Jeff Foliage, and yes, Jeff made pictures in the rain… I know many of you think Jeff only shoots in perfect weather because face it Mother Nature would NEVER give Jeff anything but the best weather... If this is what you think, then you are sadly mistaken.

This shot was taken in the rain… Not a torrential downpour, but it was rather damp. We were constantly in a misting rain the first two days. Whenever I got out of the car (no I don’t remember where) I had to keep drying off my lens. So YES, it was raining… And yes, most of my images from the 6th, 7th, looked like this…

But we did find the Andover Historical Society, The Poland Springs Zoo, and A giant hand-crank phone memorial for the last instance in the U.S.A (check Woodstock Maine). The rain stayed with us for the 6th and 7th so we were overjoyed when the 8th started cool and sunny.

Grafton Notch Maine (Point B on the map) 8 Oct heading home

As I started to say, we started to find peak fall colors on the hills north of Bethel Maine as we headed north. It definitely got better as we went north up Route 26 on our way to Grafton Notch State Park. (and that is the way it’s supposed to be because color usually travels from north to south) The distance from Poland Springs to Grafton Notch State Park is just 53 miles which made the change on this short distance very dramatic. It was helped by the fact that the rain was clearing up.

In just 50 miles (actually a lot less), the fall colors were really pronounced. By the time we got to Screw Auger Falls in Grafton Notch Maine, my neck was getting sore from whipping back and forth to see all the colors.

Screw Auger Falls in Grafton Notch State Park

We stopped in a few areas in Grafton State Park, but I’m just going to say for now that it was peak or nearly so depending on where you looked!

Lake Umbagog and Errol, New Hampshire (Points C and D on the map)

We continued on Route 26 into New Hampshire. If you check the map, we stopped at Umbagog Lake (photo below on the left) for a quick shot and then outside Errol at a bridge over the Androscoggin River (photo below on the right). We went into Errol New Hampshire to get gas and check out the LL Cote store. (This store is like visiting L.L. Bean or the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery Maine… They are all fun visits)

Milan and Berlin (Point E on the map)

We then headed south on Route 16 towards Berlin. On the way, we took a little detour so we could make a stop at Milan Fire Tower. We took the stairs up to get the view.

We went back to Route 16 and continued south. When we got to Berlin, not all the hills were quite as peak but were still very nice.

Gorham and Pinkham Notch Area (Point F on the map)

The entire ride from Gorham to Pinkham Notch and Mount Washington was 50-70% and remember if you do see 75% or better you may need CPR, I know my heart was fluttering with all these colors. As you see below, Pinkham Notch New Hampshire is not quite at its peak but I don’t think any of you will complain about a few green trees.

Jackson New Hampshire (Point G on the map)

Here is where it got tough…

As we continued down Route 16 from Pinkham Notch to Jackson, Lisa and I started to notice more green on the hills above the road. By the time we got to the Jackson Covered Bridge, I had to give up hopes of getting the hillside behind the covered bridge in color. It just wasn’t that far along as of the 8th of October, it was spotty at best.

BUT!!! Just a week later… on 15 October

We visited Jackson between the 13th and 15th of October and the colors were bright and beautiful no matter where we looked. it was as perfect as we could hope for.

Note that this last image is NOT 8 Oct, but is from 15 October. Sometimes it just takes time to get the colors you want. It’s a very good example of just being patient. If you are visiting for a week, and you aren’t seeing the best foliage at the beginning of your stay, it’s possible you could sit in a deck chair with a drink in your hand, and wait for the color to come to you!

But for this trip on 8 October, we continued south on 16 and passed through Conway. Since the colors had faded away, we didn’t stop.

Chocorua Lake (Point H on the map)

But I never pass up stopping at Chocorua Lake and checking on Mount Chocorua. I’ve viewed this Mountain in nearly every season, and it’s just one of those places that are beautiful year-round.

This is where I am ending this route, but you can continue on Route 16, or take Route 113 into Tamworth. I have another scenic route that will take you to some spots I found there.

Happy fall foliage hunting!

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Jeff Foliage Folger

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

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