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New England Gardening

When/where changing color of leaves on trees?

18 years ago

My sisters and I are planning a trip to go see the changing of the color of trees, possibly in October 2006. This is what my sister, who is retiring in May, wants to do. Where is the best place, are there tours one can schedule, and which time of the month is the best time to go see this event? Also, which airport would be more convient to fly into? We plan to be there for one week only. Thanks for any input that will help make this trip a success!

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Comments (3)

cjsmith
18 years ago
The leaves change earlier farther north and progress southward. When they're at their best varies by weeks each year depending on weather. You may want to plan a trip that travels up or down the area, so that you'll be more likely to hit it somewhere. Mid October is a good time.
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rockman50
18 years ago
In southern New England, the best scenery, with rolling hills and mountains for leaf watching can be found in far western Massachusetts (Berkshire County) and NW Connecticut (Litchfield COunty). These areas feature many classic and scenic New ENgland villages with good restaurants, B&B's, and other local attractions. In these areas, mid-October is your best bet for peak foliage. If you venture into Northern New England, then the Green Mountains in Vermont and the White Mountains in New Hampshire are also good bets. The topography here is more rugged (higher mountains) than southern New England. The foliage in these areas will peak earlier than further south (early October). At the higher elevations, peak occurs in late September. There are also many quaint villages and towns all over in the north as well. I'm not as familiar with Maine, but the Maine Coast, particularly the Bar Harbor area and Acadia National Park might be another spot for leaf watching--probably early to mid-october in those areas. Enjoy your trip and pray for good weather. October is normally one of drier and sunnier months in New England but keep in mind that we don't have a dry season!
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eloise_ca
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you cjsmith and rockman for the info you provided. This is a start for us as we've never been to the northern east parts. We've all been to Washington, D.C., and I've visited friends in Maryland and toured several gardens all around there including Williamsburg, but didn't make it further north. We are certainly looking forward to this trip.
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