With October officially upon us, there still are no shortage of opportunities to take in the explosion of color that marks fall in New England.
MassLive already has run down the best spots to see peak fall foliage in New England during the weekend of Oct. 6 through Oct. 9. And if you want to leave the driving to someone else, Amtrak has some opportunities for leaf-peeping across the region.
But if you’re feeling the call of the highway, you might want to add these road trips to your itinerary this autumn, courtesy of the lifestyle website InsideHook.
Granted, some of them might take a little work.
The website ran down 11 scenic autumn road trips, from West Texas to Wisconsin — and all points in between.
Two of them, fortunately, are closer to home in New England. Here’s a look.
The Kancamagus Highway, New Hampshire
This 34.5 mile drive along state Route 112 in the Granite State is well known for being one of the best fall foliage viewing areas in the country, according to Kancamagushighway.com. The road has been designated an American Scenic Byway, based on its “rich history, aesthetic beauty and culture,” the website noted.
According to InsideHook’s Matt Kirouac, a New Hampshire native, the trip is worth it because the highway “zigs and zags … through the mighty White Mountain National Forest and its myriad gorges, waterfalls and rivers, steadily ascending to an elevation of about 3,000 feet.
“Folks come from all over the world to drive roads like these, aglow in tunnels of fragrant trees and free from modern development (i.e., fuel up before heading out, because there are no gas stations along the way),” he wrote.
Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park, Maine
Including Acadia National Park might seem like a gimme for any New Englander in the know. It is, after all, one of the most popular national parks in the nation.
But according to InsideHook’s Kirouac, you’re missing out if you don’t book a stop at Jordan Pond. It’s the “ultimate setting for autumnal serenity,” he wrote.
“Among the purest and deepest glacier-carved lakes in the Northeast, the pristine pond is surrounded by a (mostly) flat trail that hugs the shoreline. Along the way, listen and look for loons as the surrounding mountains cast luminous reflections off the stillness of the pond’s surface,” Kirouac wrote.
