There is a certain feeling as the days grow shorter and those of us who live in New England wake to cooler mornings. I start to think maybe I should put on a fleece shirt, and when I go to sit on the deck, my coffee gives off steam (In August)! Here in New England, “It is the way…”

There is also a sense of uncertainty and anticipation among those who have made reservations for this fall. As early as July, I sense stress in the readers comments on this blog and my Facebook page about their plans. I understand a bit of what they are feeling. After all, they are basing their decisions to travel at least in part on what others are saying about the autumn to come. And we all know vacations are not cheap. Hotels, car rentals, gas, and food add up. We want this vacation to be incredible!

Here are three things to remember.

• First, no one can give you a definitive guarantee that you will see peak fall foliage, NOT EVEN ME.
• Second, A “good” New England fall foliage trip takes a little planning to figure out what you want to see and when to see it.
• Third: The very best way to enjoy your vacation is to not focus solely on the fall colors but enjoy other attractions as well. (Plan B’s)

If you have subscribed to my blog and listened or at least considered my comments, I’ve put out the best information that I can to help you make good decisions on where to stay, find peak fall foliage, and have an enjoyable time. (It’s not too late, put your email down below)

Many times someone will ask if they should change their reservations. I tell them always that if they base their decisions on just finding peak fall colors then trying to “time it” works about as well as gambling on the stock market to get rich. Neither happens very often.

Let’s Cross Lake Champlain on the Ferry! Build those Plan B’s

Whether you coming from New York and into Vermont or visa versa, this can be an adventure all in itself. I get lots of questions and below was just one of them.

Mary writes… “We, right now are planning to stay overnight in Westport NY on Thursday, Oct. 4, and ride the ferry across Lake Champlain the next morning. That will put us around Stowe/Smuggler’s Notch by noon. She also second-guesses herself by saying: “We could drive around Lake Champlain and straight up to Danville. That way we could get over there earlier.  Do you think that would be a better plan, although my husband is now set on taking the ferry.”

Jeff says, “I vote for the ferry, I like ferry rides and it’s not always about the foliage… It’s about the experience!“

To me, the important part of this is the overall experience. Her husband wants to take the ferry across and I’ve done this exactly once and to me, that particular day had many nice memories but the color was nice but not outstanding. Remember the fall colors around Lake Champlain turn later than the rest of Vermont.

We arrived in Vermont with a plan to travel across Lake Champlain on the Charlotte Ferry. We came down Route 7 turning onto Ferry Rd. You may be wondering why we would be taking the Ferry into New York.

Fort Ticonderoga, New York

Fort Ti was a critical location ever since the Revolutionary war. The French and the English had captured it time and time again. Today you can visit without having cannonball or musket shot raining down on you. Plus the fall colors can be spectacular looking back across the lake at Vermont.

As you get off the ferry, you drive a short way north to Fort Ticonderoga. This was my first visit to the fort with my girlfriend (now wife). We left early that afternoon following the western edge of the lake south and we crossed back into Vermont at the southern tip of Lake Champlain.

So in closing, I just want to say that if you plan like you aren’t here for the fall colors and you build in locations (plan B’s) that have more things to do besides sitting in the car, I think you will have a marvelous time.

If you want further material on helping to choose the locations for your trip and balance the desire for peak fall colors and being entertained then visit this fall foliage primer to start with. Also, I have this on finding Peak Fall Foliage in New England. For focusing on one state or another, look at my locations by state. This will allow you to choose articles about a single state in New England and I don’t mean a state of confusion.

Jeff Foliage Folger

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

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