A White Mountains Region Foliage Tour

This year’s foliage season provided the perfect conditions to make a special post highlighting the beauty of The White Mountains Region. Because the foliage was so good, I decided to take a vacation day and start my journey early. I wanted to capture as many videos and pictures as possible in order to stitch together a story of my day’s adventure to share with you here.

The ride took me through Marlow, Sunapee, The Lakes Region, and eventually into the White Mountains. I started on the Conway side of the Kancamagus and eventually worked my way toward Lincoln. From Lincoln, I worked my way into the beautiful Sugar Hill area. I hope the pictures and video give you a sense of what a treat this trip was. Exploring the White Mountains Region during foliage season is worth putting on your bucket list.

I hope you enjoy the video and pictures below. I will let them do most of the talking in this post. It’s always hard to edit videos for the site, but this one was especially hard. I think I captured the day from beginning to end! The video definitely contains more content and you can pause it to read or enjoy things longer as needed.

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The Journey North

I started early in the morning in the hopes of catching the sunrise for some of my pictures. It was pretty foggy for about the first hour or two into the ride. At first, it was disappointing, but once I got the camera out, it actually provided a great start to the day’s story. Surprisingly, the mix of foliage and fog provided some fun pictures to share.

I traveled North on Route 10 through Gilsum, Marlow, and up to Sunapee. The fog rolling down the Ashuelot River made a great backdrop for my first foliage pics of the day.

I drove past a field of milkweed but then decided to turn back. The dew was still clinging to them and they added to the feel of transition in the air. I love all four seasons, but the crisp cool air of fall, the colors, and the shift into winter make fall my favorite.

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Mount Chocorua

Mount Chocorua and Chocorua Lake were on my itinerary for the day. I have seen loads of great pictures on social media of both of these scenic spots. This trip allowed me to add some to the story of my travels across New Hampshire.

To learn more about the legend of Chocorua, visit my historical marker section and view the marker from Tamworth. I often think of how Native Americans must have lived in this region and the impact settling the “New World” had on their way of life.

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The Kancamagus Highway

Not long after Chocorua, I found myself in Conway and turning left onto the Kancamagus Highway. Traffic was reasonable and I was glad I took the weekday to explore. I know it can get quite busy on the weekends along the Kancamagus. Going during the week allowed a quieter pace and access that allowed me to get in a full day of exploring.

The video has footage of me trailing behind a motorcycle with miles of gorgeous foliage streaming by. It looked like a great way to get some last miles on a bike before stowing it away for the winter. White Mountains peak foliage is a must for any New Hampshire bucket list.

Two covered bridges were on my list of places to explore this day. The Albany Covered Bridge popped up early into the Kancamagus drive. The stop allowed me to stretch my legs after a 2 1/2-hour drive north. I’ve made it a quest to try and visit each of New Hampshire’s historic covered bridges as I plot adventures across the state. You can view my video and pictures of them at the hyperlinks shown.

Views from the Pemmigiwasset Overlook.

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Beaver Pond

For those of you that might have been following this site for a while, you know that my adventure to tackle as many New Hampshire waterbodies as possible was one of my inspirations for this site.

Beaver Pond along Route 122 became a favorite spot for us during our visit in 2019 for a post on The Kancamagus Highway. Dropping a kayak in and highlighting it on the NH Fish and Game map was another fun goal for the day. The foliage might have been the brightest here and it was amazing to float around and soak it all in.

Sugar Hill Foliage

Sugar Hill was an area that I was excited to explore. I have seen beautiful pictures on social media of Saint Matthews Chapel, Sugar Hill Meetinghouse, and the surrounding mountains. I was looking forward to experiencing this area for the first time.

Having split from the town of Lisbon in 1962, Sugar Hill is New Hampshire’s newest town as well as one of its smallest. Sugar Hill boasts a population of fewer than 600 residents. It gets its name from a large grove of sugar maples in town which makes for spectacular foliage.

There is something special about this place that is hard to put into words. Undoubtably, I will be looking for opportunities to explore this area further.

Saint Matthews Chapel

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Shoreline

The Swift River Covered Bridge

I was hopeful for the opportunity to use the drone to capture some video and pictures at some point during the day. The Swift River Covered Bridge was my last stop and provided a perfect chance to weave it into the story.

On my way back home, I spotted a hot air balloon highlighted against the backdrop of the moon and New Hampshire mountains. It seemed like a perfect picture to end a perfect day.

I hope you enjoyed this post and feel inspired to explore some parts of New Hampshire you have always been curious about.

I recently came across this poem by Henry David Thoreau that was posted on Facebook. It seems like a perfect way to wrap things up.

“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.”

Check out more of New Hampshire’s White Mountains Region with my post on a ski trip to Wildcat Mountain!

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Until the next post: “Live Free and Explore!”