Advice on New England itinerary

[Ridersmom]

If you want to see Moose we have found the area around Lake Umbaggog good. The town nearest it is Errol. Pittsburg is the other big town in the North of NH. Bears are much harder to see. Moose walk the roads, bear stay in the woods. We have a few familiies that live in my neighborhood and are seen on occasion. /We leave them alone and they leave use alone. NEVER, EVER feed bears.

You can easily travel to Canada from NH. Quebec City is gorgeous and a short drive.

You can hike in wet weather but you need to make sure you have shoes that will grip. Slipping can be quite dangerous. Two of my kids do winter hiking. All I ask is they call me to confirm they still have 10 fingers and 10 toes when they get down from the mountain.

Good, easy hikes with a great reward at the top are Mt. Kearsage (off 89) and Mt. Major (in the Lakes region.) both are only a few hours and the views from the top are outstanding.

Rain is common year around but it is not usually all day. You can have a bright and beautiful morning with a gray and rainy evening. But it also keeps the green growing.

Come end enjoy this beautiful part of the country.

[Wismgari]

Originally Posted by Ridersmom

If you want to see Moose we have found the area around Lake Umbaggog good. The town nearest it is Errol. Pittsburg is the other big town in the North of NH. Bears are much harder to see. Moose walk the roads, bear stay in the woods. We have a few familiies that live in my neighborhood and are seen on occasion. /We leave them alone and they leave use alone. NEVER, EVER feed bears.

You can easily travel to Canada from NH. Quebec City is gorgeous and a short drive.

You can hike in wet weather but you need to make sure you have shoes that will grip. Slipping can be quite dangerous. Two of my kids do winter hiking. All I ask is they call me to confirm they still have 10 fingers and 10 toes when they get down from the mountain.

Good, easy hikes with a great reward at the top are Mt. Kearsage (off 89) and Mt. Major (in the Lakes region.) both are only a few hours and the views from the top are outstanding.

Rain is common year around but it is not usually all day. You can have a bright and beautiful morning with a gray and rainy evening. But it also keeps the green growing.

Come end enjoy this beautiful part of the country.

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Thanks again for another very helpful reply! I have added Errol to the maybe list - time dependent I have also added Mt Kearsage and Mt Major to the list - I had a quick look and they look beautiful!

We went hiking in unseasonably cold and icy weather in Illinois and Wisconsin in March so we have a lot of the stuff we need already Hopefully we won't need them and at least every lake we see shouldn't be frozen this time!

Any other suggestions that come to mind feel free to keep them coming

[Ridersmom]

How experienced a hiker are you? I'm seeing both my two younger kids this weekend and I can ask them for suggestions, they all seem the same to me. There is a cog raolway that goes up Mt. Washington and an auto road. My kids think you should only hike on foot. I've seen the cog railway and it is quite verticle. Mt. Washington is the highest peak in the east and has snow year round but can be climbed in the summer, late spring and early fall.

I drive all over the state for work and as I drive, I'll think of you and let you know if something catches my eye. Unfortunately, during tourist season, my thoughts while driving are sometimes not welcoming as I try to get to court on time and someone is driving slowly and admiring the folliage along Lake Winnepasaukee.

[Wismgari]

Originally Posted by Ridersmom

How experienced a hiker are you? I'm seeing both my two younger kids this weekend and I can ask them for suggestions, they all seem the same to me. There is a cog raolway that goes up Mt. Washington and an auto road. My kids think you should only hike on foot. I've seen the cog railway and it is quite verticle. Mt. Washington is the highest peak in the east and has snow year round but can be climbed in the summer, late spring and early fall.

I drive all over the state for work and as I drive, I'll think of you and let you know if something catches my eye. Unfortunately, during tourist season, my thoughts while driving are sometimes not welcoming as I try to get to court on time and someone is driving slowly and admiring the folliage along Lake Winnepasaukee.

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I would say we like a hike, but are not the most experienced... Mt Washington may be beyond me, but I have considered driving it (although that also looks scary! ). We managed the moderate trails in Yosemite, but the advanced ones were beyond us! We mostly like to see pretty views without a vertical climb!

We may be one of the tourists driving slowly in October... Sorry in advance to all New Englanders!

[CrispyA]

Sounds like a good trip. I would recommend longer in Acadia if you can - it is one of our favourite National Parks that we have visited and there is lots to do there. Personally, the Universities are okay but don’t necessarily take that long to see. We preferred MIT to Harvard but you don’t necessarily need all that long to visit them.

[amy56]

Originally Posted by Wismgari

I would say we like a hike, but are not the most experienced... Mt Washington may be beyond me, but I have considered driving it (although that also looks scary! ). We managed the moderate trails in Yosemite, but the advanced ones were beyond us! We mostly like to see pretty views without a vertical climb!

We may be one of the tourists driving slowly in October... Sorry in advance to all New Englanders!

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We drove Mt Washington last summer, all the way back down are places to pull over to cool your brakes - whilst it seems OTT I would take advantage of every one - we just thought stopping a few times would be sufficient, but after a couple of breaks, our brakes started smoking and we then had to stop for a long period! Thankfully the car was fine afterwards, but we probably should of taken more stops - despite them seeming to pop up every couple of minutes! Lol!

[Ridersmom]

My DD recommended Oseola as a nice, relative easy, good view hike. In my youth, I climbed Washington. I think it would be scarier to drive. There is a race up but I think it's in June. Washington is great as the highest point but It can also be cloudy once up and cold.

If you drive slowing and pay attention to your driving, that's fine. It's those who don't seem to understand, they are not the only ones on the road that drive me crazy (or worse are looking at the scenery and not where they are going).

I, too, love Acadia and there are some good hikes but read the descriptions carefully. some may seem easy but have ladders on the trails, which I cannot do.

Also, if you are driving up the coast (not the Maine Turnpike. This is a great lunch stop mainediner/. It was a must do for my kids growing up.

[Loretta]

I’ve lived on the Cape for fifty years and Chatham, Sandwich and Falmouth are lovely towns and worth a visit if you have time.

[Ridersmom]

I agree that Chatham and Sandwich (isn't there a glass company there worth a visit?) are lovely. To me, Falmouth has some nice areas but also some very built up areas.

I love the Cape and when my kids weren't in school we would vacation in September and October-off season rates and the weather could be lovely.

I am always disappointed when people just go to Hyannis and then say they were disappointed in the Cape.

[amy56]

Originally Posted by Ridersmom

I agree that Chatham and Sandwich (isn't there a glass company there worth a visit?) are lovely. To me, Falmouth has some nice areas but also some very built up areas.

I love the Cape and when my kids weren't in school we would vacation in September and October-off season rates and the weather could be lovely.

I am always disappointed when people just go to Hyannis and then say they were disappointed in the Cape.

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We didn’t just go to Hyannis, we went all over the Cape & there were some lovely parts (notably Chatham as I mentioned earlier), but overall we much preferred New Hampshire and Maine 👍