New England Fall Road Trip (Part 2 - Vermont)

In October 2021 we set off on a two week road trip through New York and New England to view and photograph the famous fall foliage.

In this second installment of our New England Fall Photo Journal, we make our way through the beautiful state of Vermont.

Part 2: Vermont

Search for the best fall towns to visit and Stowe will be on every list. We were looking forward to Stowe the most when planning the Vermont portion of this trip. The picturesque town and scenic drives are the epitome of fall. 

If you’re familiar with this region of the United States, you know that Northern New York and Vermont are separated by Lake Champlain. To get to Stowe from Lake Placid (our last stop in New York), we drove in a giant “U” shape, following the water down the New York border, crossing over, and driving back up to Northern Vermont. This allowed us to stop at several waterfalls along the way.

Beautiful fall colors and charming towns aside, Vermont is also famous for things like cheese, cider, donuts, cider donuts (yes, that’s one thing) and being home to the Original Ben and Jerry’s shop! Road trips aren’t complete without adding stops like these to your itinerary, so that is exactly what we did.

Unfortunately, we were welcomed by a closed Ben and Jerry’s and a way too crowded cider mill. So, after a moment of disappointment, we ventured onward to Stowe. We’d still try to stop again next time we visit though!

Stowe was everything we hoped it would be. We took a break from the constant driving and hiking and enjoyed a night in town. We relaxed at a cidery, went out for a meal, and enjoyed drinks at various spots around town.

The only downside of spending that much time close to, or in, a tourist town is the lack of primitive camping. After a few planned locations fell through, our last resort was a soccer field parking lot. It did the job. We spent the night and woke up the next morning ready to take on the day. Seth’s birthday that is. What better way to spend your birthday than to make it a laundry day? 

We actually started the day with a delicious breakfast at the Butler’s Pantry before heading to the laundromat. In all seriousness, laundry day is great, not only to have a complete and fresh wardrobe again, but also as a time to look back on the trip so far and talk about your favorite parts.

We weren’t done site-seeing around Stowe, so after packing up we decided to drive one of the most popular scenic routes in New England: Smugglers’ Notch. The scenic portion of this highway runs just over 3 miles and curves through the mountain lined with vibrant orange and red trees on each side.

On our way back down, we made a pit stop at Stowe Mountain Resort and rode the gondola to the top.

The views were unforgettable and the freshly made German waffles and hot chocolates we enjoyed were just as magnificent. 

We eventually moved on to Lake Willoughby with the hope of catching a sunset. This area of Vermont felt very secluded and we enjoyed getting away from the crowded locations to relax for the evening. We stopped for some photos before setting up camp. 

We didn’t make many other stops in Vermont after this but continued our journey eventually crossing over to New Hampshire where we were greeted by the White Mountains National Forest.

Check out Part 3 where we pick up in New Hampshire.

That’s it for now!

Catch ya in the next one.

Taylor and Seth

Hi, we’re Seth and Taylor and we love sharing all things related to outdoor adventure!

We love anything that gets us outside — hiking, biking, backpack, road tripping, and so much more! We love sharing our adventures and hope it helps YOU get out to see more.