Tag Archives: Fall Foliage

Scenic Chair Lifts & Sky-High Leaf Peeping

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🎢 Scenic Chair Lifts & Sky-High Leaf Peeping: New England’s Autumn Adventures

Oh hey, Leaf Peepers 🍁—ready to elevate your fall foliage game? If you’re tired of craning your neck through car windows or dodging reflections off the windshield, New Hampshire and Vermont have a better idea: take to the skies.

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🎿 Chair Lifts & Gondolas with a View
Ski resorts across the region open their lifts to non-skiers each autumn, offering a bird’s-eye view of the blazing reds, golds, and oranges below. You’ll be strapped in, feet dangling, soaring over treetops like a migrating hawk. Feeling bold? Snap a few photos mid-air—if your nerves allow. Prefer something enclosed? Opt for a gondola ride, where you can enjoy the same stunning views from the comfort of a cozy cabin.

Photo Credit Deb Neumann

 

🎢 But Wait—There’s More (Thrill Seekers, This One’s for You)

🎢 Thunderbolt Mountain Coaster – Berkshires, MA
If your idea of leaf peeping involves adrenaline and velocity, head to Thunderbolt Mountain Coaster in the Berkshires. This alpine coaster climbs 1,500 feet before plunging down Mount Institute in a blur of hairpin turns and forested speed. You might not catch every leaf, but your heart will definitely skip a beat.

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🚂 A More Sedate Journey

🚂 Conway Scenic Railroad – White Mountains, NH
For a gentler ride through fall’s splendor, hop aboard the Conway Scenic Railroad. Winding through the White Mountains, this vintage train offers panoramic views of Crawford Notch’s cliffs and fiery foliage. Want the ultimate experience? Splurge on a seat in the glass-domed car—360 degrees of autumn magic.

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🌳 Walk Among the Treetops

🌳 Canopy Walk – Vermont Institute of Natural Science
Ever dreamed of strolling through the treetops? Vermont makes it real. The Canopy Walk at VINS invites visitors of all abilities to wander above the forest floor, immersed in golden leaves and birdsong. It’s peaceful, poetic, and perfect for families, nature lovers, and anyone craving a gentle thrill.

Murch Canopy Walk Âť HF&G

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🧗 Zip Lines & Obstacle Courses

🧗 Adventure Park – Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, CT
Zip lines used to be a novelty—now they’re a staple of fall fun. At the Discovery Museum’s Adventure Park, you’ll zip through a kaleidoscope of leaves, suspended in midair like a squirrel on a mission. But that’s just the beginning: 14 treetop trails await, complete with swinging bridges, ladders, and cable runs. Friendly staff are on hand to help you gear up and get climbing.

The Adventure Park at Discovery Museum: Zipline & Rope Course

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🍂 Leaf Peeping, Reimagined

New England’s fall foliage isn’t just for slow drives and scenic overlooks anymore. Whether you’re gliding above the trees, racing through them, or walking among their golden crowns, there’s a thrill for every kind of adventurer. Seniors, families, daredevils—everyone’s invited to move leaf peeping off the ground and into the sky.

Photo Credit Deb Neumann

 

It’s Officially Fall

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NE Fall

New England Fall photo credit Deb Neumann

🍂 Fall in New England

It’s been building to this moment all month. The mornings have grown cooler, the air carries a crisp bite, and—what’s that I see? Alongside cheerful pumpkin displays, the leaves are beginning to change color. Today is September 22, and with the flip of a calendar page, we’re officially in fall. It’s the Fall Equinox.

Pumpkin Patch- photo credit Deb Neumann

🌞 Fall Equinox

The Fall Equinox marks the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator heading south. We’ll experience roughly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness—a perfect balance. Since the time of the Druids, this day has signaled the end of the harvest and the beginning of preparations for winter. This year, winter officially begins on December 21, the Winter Solstice—also known as the shortest day (or perhaps the longest night) of the year.

🍎 Fall Traditions

Fall is a favorite season for many. The heat of summer fades, and vibrant colors line the roads and byways. It’s the perfect time for apple picking and leaf peeping. Around the Equinox, fall color begins to burst forth—starting in Maine and New Hampshire, then gradually sweeping south through Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island by mid to late October.

Norton colors

Along the water in Norton-,photo credit Deb Neumann

🚗 Where to View the Fall Foliage

Cycling the Kancamagus photo Deb Neumann

If you time it right, the White Mountains of New Hampshire are breathtaking. Try a drive along the Kancamagus Highway, which connects Lincoln in the south to Conway in the north. My brother and I once took his motorcycle up there—we froze in the mountain air, but those spectacular views without a car roof in the way? Worth every shiver.

Jack o Lanterns Keene NH photo Deb Neumann

🌄 Mohawk Trail

Closer to home in Massachusetts, the Mohawk Trail offers stunning foliage and sweeping vistas. The western stretch, as you approach New York State, is especially vibrant.

🏔️ Mount Greylock

I’ve heard wonderful things about the views from Mount Greylock’s summit. Nestled in the heart of the Berkshires, it’s the highest peak in Massachusetts. I haven’t made the drive yet—traffic’s rumored to be horrendous—but maybe this is the year to bite the bullet and go for it.

 

Swans in Flight Photo Deb Neumann

 

 

It’s a Banner Year for Fall Colors

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Fall Colors Abound

The fall foliage colors are amazing this year. Being in southern New England they just started turning this week but they began peaking last week in the more northern states. My cousin got to head north  to Maine and New Hampshire and shared some beautiful video on Face Book. If you have a minute you can check out her video here.    https://www.facebook.com/kathy.collins.7127/videos/10214903348962786/?t=0        In Southeastern Massachusetts we’ve had a no’reaster sitting off the coast of Nantucket all week. Lots of rain and high winds have made leaf peeping locally a bit of a challenge. Now if you like taking pictures in the rain- go for it. I’ve been a little too busy to mess with rain gear but it hasn’t stopped me from admiring the color changes.

Last Chance for 2019

Just as my cousin headed north for her vacation I’m heading south. I’m heading to the Florida Keys so today is the last chance I’ll have to get any fall foliage photos for this year. It looks like it’s stopped raining so maybe I’ll get lucky.  I think I can spare an hour to go poking around before I finish my packing. What do you think of these?

Leaf Peeping locally

I didn’t plan my vacation very well but it was the only time I could get in at the resort I wanted. Sometimes you just have to take what you can get. The newscasters have been talking about the colors along the Mohawk Trail this year and out toward the Berkshires. I won’t have time to make that drive but these photos from Raynham and Easton aren’t bad if I do say so. This is what I get to see everyday as I commute to work. Not a bad view. Of course I had to swing by the Norton Reservoir. That was always a pretty spot. It used to be on my drive when I worked in Foxboro.  I do miss that. I guess that’s all for now. Catch you all on the weekend.

Oh No! Where did the Summer Go?

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Summer’s Last Gasp

Picnic table

It’s still summer. August is still summer and it’s only August 31. According to the weather folks tomorrow, September 1, is the first day of meteorological fall. Oh boo hoo! Fall in New England is nice but I miss summer already. Labor Day weekend is the last long weekend, our last chance for summer fun.

Fall leavesSigns of Fall are all around us

The seasons change and the signs are there. School has started. I got stuck behind a school bus on the way to work. The turkeys are getting restless. I saw two big turkeys by the side of the road on my way home tonight. A big maple tree on Route 140 has begun to turn colors! Already! The nights are cool and mornings have a crispness to the air. A sweater or jacket might be in order. I can open a window and turn off the air conditioner. Football is top of mind as the boys of summer fade away. Another fall sign that’s not so nice is the ragweed. Seems like we have a bumper crop this year. Excuse me while I sneeze.

Road trips are callingWaterfall

Along with the cooler nights will be the fall colors. Leaves will be changing. Our roads will be filled with leaf peepers but even I plan to be one of them. Maybe a trip down the Mohawk Trail or back to New Hampshire to visit a place called Diana’s Baths. They are a series of waterfalls and cascades. I have it on good authority that although they are lovely any time of year, fall is especially pretty.

 

Cranberry Harvest Festivals

In Massachusetts, home to Ocean Spray, fall means the cranberry harvest. From mid- September until late in the fall,  cranberries reach their peak of color and flavor. The landscape is dotted with the bright red cranberry bogs as they wait for the harvest. Cranberries can be harvested wet or dry. Interested in visiting a cranberry bog? We’ve got lots of farms for tours or products.

Down on the cape the cranberry harvest season begins around Labor Day and usually runs into the middle of November. The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association has created a cranberry harvest trail guide.

Cranberry bog

I love cranberries. Maybe fall’s not so bad after all!