I had the pleasure of taking my two best friends and cousin on the 2024 New England fall foliage road trip from New York City, and we had the best time.
If this is your first time and are looking for ideas, check out THIS BLOG POST I shared after our first New England fall foliage trip in 2021.
This year, 2024, peak foliage in the White Mountains in New Hampshire was on the first week of October. I didn’t make it up there until October 12 due to last-minute planning. If I could rate the foliage, this year was a C- for me (2021 foliage was a B-)!
Even though we got lucky with a sunny day (Saturday, October 12th, 2024), there weren’t much colors up in the White Mountains (area near Lincoln at the start of our Kancamagus Highway drive. However, as we drove towards Conway on the Kanc, there were a bit more colors at lower elevations, but it was nowhere near my expectation.) That leaves me even more reasons to come back, so I will be back BEFORE or AT PEAK. Also, unless you’re planning to do this all in one day, advance hotel/Airbnb booking is highly recommended.
The Kancamagus Highway driving tips
Kancamagus Scenic Byway, aka “The Kanc”
The Kancamagus Highway is a 34.5-mile scenic drive along New Hampshire (NH) Route 112. It is known as one of the best Fall Foliage viewing areas in the US. The path cuts through the White Mountains National Forest, and areas toward Lincoln have higher elevations (that explains the lack of colors when we were here compared to down the ‘Lower Falls’ area near Conway.) This was my main goal/area to get to this entire trip!
For next year, follow this instruction as I think it’s the better way to do this drive (the other way from Conway to Lincoln works, too, as it just depends on where you are!):
1. START from Lincoln to Conway, New Hampshire
If you’re coming from New York City/Boston, like us. We drove North as close to New Hampshire as possible the night before. The next morning, we started the drive at around 8 am and made it to Lincoln around noon (with some traffic).
There are a lot of stops along this route, so feel free to pull over (I meant to park; some parking lots require a $5 daily fee) as well as crazy traffic. There was an accident at the other end of this route back in 2021, and we lost almost half of our day. So always be prepared and have a plan B. Most people who do this drive are people from nearby states who travel in big cars/families/groups or tourists from all over the world. Some aren’t great drivers, so you’ve got to be flexible and quick at decision-making.) You should do this drive as early in the day as possible; otherwise, you’re going to sit in traffic the entire drive. This year, we were late for the peak, so traffic wasn’t as bad.
I will highlight all of the best stops on the Kanc in the latter portion of this blog post, so keep on reading.
The Kancamagus Highway or the Kanc – New Hampshire
2. Drive from Conway to Mt. Willard trailhead
The best leaf-peeping opportunity (once you make it up here!) to me (well, this is a secret, and only those who read my blog would know!) is the scenic drive from Conway to Mt. Willard trailhead/Hart’s Location in Franconia Notch. It is because you’re driving uphill and the foliage is right in front of your eyes (instead of behind you if you were to go the other way around). We initially planned to hike Mt. Willard but skipped it because it was cold and we ran out of daylight.
Feel free to have lunch anywhere around this area as long as you don’t deviate too far from the path. Note that you get fewer hours of daylight around this time of the year, so don’t spend too much time dining in (unless you’ve got a place up here to stay for the night or do plan to stay here for a few days)
the best drive, in my opinion, for fall foliage in North New Hampshire
3. Then continue heading North and drive over to Echo Lake
Make sure it’s the Echo Lake Beach in Franconia, not Conway. If you follow my route, it’s a loop drive.
Artists Bluff is a 1.5-mile loop trail. It is an extremely popular, easy, but crowded trail (kid and family-friendly!). After this trip with a failed attempt at hiking this trial, it made so much sense why some nature bloggers recommended hiking before SUNRISE ON A WEEKDAY. We hiked it at SUNSET on Sunday, October 13, and we couldn’t make it to the top because there was a massive line to go to the top. It was so chaotic, so we decided to turn back.
Again, I repeat… DO NOT HIKE THE ARTISTS BLUFF IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT BEFORE SUNSET THIS TIME OF THE YEAR.
From here, you can finish the loop by heading South to Lincoln and then heading West to Vermont or East towards Maine (we did the latter and made it to downtown Portland before 9 pm for Maine lobsters at Luke’s!).
best loop drive for fall foliage in New Hampshire
Here’s our itinerary:
1. Leave Brooklyn at 4 pm, stop for clam pizza in New Haven, and stay in Needham
Friday, October 11
If you have people flying into Boston, I think it’s a better idea to rent a car and start your New England road trip from there.
My friends wanted to spend a few days in New York, so they all arrived at JFK and/or LGA. Leaving New York City anytime after 4 pm on Friday is always super tough. We did spend a chunk of our time sitting in traffic and didn’t make it to New Haven, Connecticut, until 3 hours later (it usually takes 2 hours!). Regardless, we did what we could to make it closer to New Hampshire near midnight (with a few gas, bathroom, and snack stops)
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DINNER: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, New Haven, Connecticut
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HOTEL: Sheraton Boston Needham Hotel, Massachusetts
2. Drive the Kancamagus Scenic Byway + White Mountains/Franconia Notch Loop
Saturday, October 12 – sunny but cold day (42F)
The next morning, after a quick coffee and bakery stop, we headed straight to Lincoln, New Hampshire. We got some coffee, used the bathroom, and bought some candies at Chutters. It was a chilly day (42F), so we decided to skip the Mt Willard trail (also because we ran out of daylight by the time we got our lunch). Echo Lake was our last stop before we tried to hike the Artists Bluff.
Best stops on the Kanc:
In terms of the best stops on the Kanc, do whatever is convenient and works for you since traffic in certain areas can get bad.
(*) denotes places along the Kanc that we stopped by on this trip
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Lincoln* – bathroom break, coffee, and get candies at Chutters
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Sugar Hill Overlook* – not much colors, mostly bare trees
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Pemigewasset Overlook
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Hancock Overlook
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Waterfalls:
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Sabbaday Falls
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Rocky Gorge
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Lower Falls
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Champney Falls
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Rocky Gorge
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Lower Falls* – nice rocky area by the waterfalls
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Albany Covered Bridge* – must-quick-stop for photos!
KANCAMAGUS HIGHWAY
Sugar Hill Overlook
Lower Falls
Albany Covered Bridge
CONWAY SCENIC RAILROAD
The viewing point was right behind White Mountain Cider where we got our lunch, and we got lucky with the timing since we got to witness the train going by.
THE DRIVE THROUGH FRANCONIA NOTCH STATE PARK
(from Conway to Mt. Willard – Hart’s Location)
ECHO LAKE BEACH
Echo Lake, Franconia
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CANDY STOP: Chutters – Lincoln, New Hampshire
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LUNCH: White Mountain Cider Co – Bartlett, New Hampshire (great sandwiches, take-outs, ciders, apple cider donuts)
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DINNER: Luke’s Lobster Portland Pier – downtown Portland, Maine
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HOTEL: Grand Beach Inn, Old Orchard Beach, Maine
3. PORTLAND (MAINE), SALEM AND BOSTON (MASSACHUSETTS), & GOING HOME
Sunday, October 23 – rainy & super gloomy day
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COFFEE + BREAKFAST: Scarborough Grounds – Scarborough, Maine
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PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT – parking $5
PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT HOUSE
Portland Head Light – Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine
PIONEER VILLAGE – SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS
As shared in the VLOG, I wish we had more time and the weather wasn’t as bad. It was so gloomy, cold, and rainy that day. Next time, I would love to spend at least a full day in Salem in October and do a few tours to really learn about the haunting history of the town.
$5/person – BOOK HERE!
ACORN STREET & BEACON HILL –
Boston, Massachusetts
I wanted my friends and cousin to see the famous Acorn Street and Beacon Hill (the neighborhood with prestigious row houses and Halloween-decked-out stoops), but we didn’t get to hang around for long because of the rain. We dined at a Spanish place on Newbury street, called TORO, got ice cream at Amorino Gelato. and bought some gifts at Anime Zakka.
Acorn street
One of the most photographed ‘colonial Boston’ streets in the city!
It was definitely a hectic day (VERY TYPICAL FOR US!) because we wanted to see everything and do everything. I understand that it might not be your style, so feel free to book a stay and do things at your own pace. From Boston, we made a straight drive back to Flushing, Queens, for had hot pot and made it home at around 1 am.
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DINNER: TORO (Spanish)
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ICECREAM: Amorino Gelato – Boston Newbury Street
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HOTPOT: Shoo Loong Kan – Flushing, Queens
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VIDEO ARCADE/GAME SHOP: Gatcha – Tangram Mall (same as Shoo Loong Kan, paid parking)
In total, we did this trip in 2 nights/2.5 days.
READ MORE:
Best Places to Visit in Vermont and New Hampshire for Fall Colors
New York to Rhode Island – a Weekend Roadtrip
3 Days Maine Road Trip – Plymouth July 4th Fireworks, Portland Head Light, Maine Puffins & Lobsters
