Fall Colors = Suggestions? - Montana Owners Club

VanMan · 06-28-2008, 01:01 PM

We need suggestions! What to see and do (or NOT see and do). Where to stay and eat (or not stay or eat), etc. We are planning a trip for Sept/Oct from North Central TX (DFW area) to VT/NH to view the fall colors. This will be our first trip to New England and down the Eastern Seaboard. This may also be our last if gas keeps going up!! We plan to go up diagonally (somewhat of a straight shot on a map), then come back down to the Washington DC area (Shenandoah Valley, VA) to meet our daughter for a week at a timeshare resort. We will then move eastward to the coast and down through Charleston and Savannah before turning westward toward home.

slewis · 06-28-2008, 01:37 PM

Goshen in Indiana in September is nice! Sorry that's all I got....
Sandy

lwcdg · 06-28-2008, 04:26 PM

Don't forget the Blueridge Parkway when in the area.
One of our favorite areas for us.
Chuck

gjetzen · 06-28-2008, 07:45 PM

My wife and I did the same thing as your are talking about last fall.
Vermont and New Hampshire were a bust for fall colors last year. The best colors for us were in New York all through the Finger Lakes Region. Spent some time with friends in Orwell Vermont and they told us it was an off year for color, they had told me something about not having enough rainfall affecting the colors so you may want to keep tabs on rainfall amount in the New England states. New York colors were just breath taking. We were through Vermont and New Hampshire the last week of September and through New York the first week in October. We stayed at the Herkimer KOA in New York which is just off Interstate 90 for 4 days. This is IMO a very nice campground with wide and long sites. We did some touristy things, went prospecting for Herkimer diamonds one day went to a haunted house in downtown Herkimer one day, went to the Remington firearms museum and toured the firearms plant and ended our last day at the Bass Pro shop all within an hours drive from the campground. There are also a lot of quaint little "walking" towns along the Finger lakes that are interesting all along US 20 (I would not recommend pulling the trailer over US 20 because it is extremely hilly). There also seemed to be a lot of apple festivals going on that time of year. Hope this info helps.
gjetzen

Joyce H · 06-29-2008, 01:19 AM

The northern end of the Shenandoah Valley is spectacular in the fall. Highly reccommend Candy Hill Campground in Winchester, VA as your base for exploring this area including the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway. Candy Hill is conveniently located just off (VA 37) the by pass around Winchester,VA. Very easy access to I-81 via VA 37. Our summer place in the mountains of WV is about an hour from Winchester. We store our unit in their very secure storage area and usually spend a night there before and after trips getting the unit ready to roll.
You can check out their website at

http://www.candyhill.com/

VanMan · 07-04-2008, 09:15 AM

Thanks for the suggestions. We'll probably spend a couple of weeks prior to the "DC break" and then a couple of weeks from DC down the east coast. Any Civil War "must sees" other than Gettysburg?

ggranch · 07-05-2008, 05:16 AM

Civil war must see. Harper's Ferry is a good bet. It is the scene of John Brown's raid on the Federal armory. Also of note is the railroading in that area. Very dramatic. Bob

ggranch · 07-05-2008, 05:17 AM

Civil war must see. Harper's Ferry, Virginia is a good bet. It is the scene of John Brown's raid on the Federal armory. Also of note is the railroading in that area. Very dramatic. Bob

DonandJudy_12 · 07-09-2008, 04:42 AM

Iowa is gorgeous in the fall. Check out the Covered Bridge Festival in Winterset the middle of October. (Movie The Bridges of Madison County and the birthplace of John Wayne) Interstate access from I-80 and I-35. Also, around the Des Moines area Saylorville Lake, Jester Park, good campgrounds, not fhu, but electric and water available. I travelling on I-35 you can stop at Terribles Casino in Osceola, $20.00 to camp fhu, but they give you $10.00 to use in the Casino. The buffet is okay, not like Prairie Meadows in Altoona. Judy

Waynem · 07-09-2008, 03:14 PM

Western Massachussetts, New Hampshire, Vermont are your best bet for fall colors. You may consider going up through the Green Mountains into Vermont, and on over to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The Mohawk Trail in Western Mass. (Rt-2) is pretty in the fall.

Another alternative would be to run up I-81 to Watertown, NY and take RT 3 through the Adirondack Mountains. Be prepared to make big loops to get from point A to Point B going across New England. See if you can ask locals the best route to travel. Some of the roadways in New England will bounce you around if you get on them. Heck! Some of the freeways do that.

Edited: Check the CG white pages thoroughly as many are seasonal and the season varies depending on geography, and many of the CG's in New England do not take pets. Those that do want all the paper work available on the pets. (Shot records)

levietta · 07-18-2008, 03:31 PM

Hey! Don't forget Maine. Everyone in New England knows that Maine offers the very finest fall foliage tours, and we are the most consistent with deep, vibrant colors. Still, if you don't cross the line into New Brunswick, Canada (Houlton), and run north and south along the St. John river valley (well known as a Canadian scenic byway) you are missing something special. Remember that the colors change first from North to South, and then from the higher elevations to the lower. Wherever you decide to go, stay safe, and God bless.

dsprik · 07-18-2008, 04:42 PM

Gatlinburg in Oct. Fall colors in the mountains. Lots of people. Fall Craftsmen Fair (9th thru the 26th). Great weather. Great scenery. Did I mention lots of people???

mlh · 07-21-2008, 09:31 AM

I live 10 miles off of the Blueridge Parkway in the Roanoke valley. The Parkway streches from the Shenondoah NP 470 miles across the crest of blue ridge mountains, to the Smokey Mt NP. It is, I think, the prettiest place that I have ever seen. Try it in the middle of October. From most of the over looks you see several mountain ranges. You will love it. Try it.
Lynwood

VanMan · 07-31-2008, 02:31 PM

Thanks for all your input. We'll start putting together an agenda. The only real criteria is that we be in the Shanandoah Valley the week of Oct. 4 -> 11 to spend a week with our daughter (timeshare and D.C. sightseeing). This will be our longest trip so far, so we are really looking forward to it.

Waynem · 07-31-2008, 03:05 PM

Skyline Drive out of Front Royal is real pretty. We didn't do it towing, but did a day trip out of a great campground (North Fork Resort) However, three is a Tunnel just south of 211 that the My Hanna, with a front AC, will not clear. Also, you don't want to take Hanna east on 211 toward Sperryville, instead go West towards Luray. You talk about some twisty-turneys, wOW!

Others living in the area may be able to give more information on tunnel and road conditions. But if you are just gong to to day trip it in the TV, it's a great drive.

mail2us · 08-02-2008, 10:40 AM

While in Vermont visit the Barre Vt area near the capital of Montpelier. The Barre area, has two smaller towns called Websterville and Graniteville where the granite quarries are. You will be amazed how far down they go to get granite and how it is taken out of the ground. It's not a long visit but that cental Vermont area also has great foliage.

The dry conditions will and did affect alot of regions last year in the turning of leaf color. It may impact areas again this year depending on their annual rainfalls.

Buy some Vermont maple syrup and visit Ben and Jerrys in Waterbury Vt. That's where I met my DW Judy of 43 years!!!Be safe. Dennis

PS: Not at Ben and Jerrys!!!

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