Arriv guide · New England
New England foliage drive
New England, USA · 4-day fall foliage road trip · 9 places
By ArrivLast checked
A Boston fly-in, then four driving days through the White Mountains, Vermont, and the Berkshires. Trailheads, viewpoints, and drive times, in that order of importance. 4 days in New England with the early starts marked, because daylight is the thing that runs out first, and the parking lots go before the daylight does. Sort gear the night before, since every early start on this plan exists for one reason. The parking fills, and the lot at a popular trailhead is full long before the trail is. This guide maps 9 hand-picked places across boston hub, white mountains, and vermont in New England, USA, grouped the way you would use them once you are on the ground. The map below is the useful part, because it shows how far apart the stops sit, which a plain list of names always hides. Duplicate the trip in Arriv to set dates, swap stops, and plan with your group.
Stays on this map
Hotels and rentals near these pins.
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How to use this New England guide
- Follow the day-by-day order as a starting spine, because it already accounts for what sits near what. 4 days is the intended pace, and once you duplicate the trip you can stretch it or compress it to fit the flights.
- Day 1 assumes you are checked in and moving, so the first big block starts on a morning that is already yours. Land the night before if the schedule allows it.
- 9 stops carry a note about reservations, timing, or where to eat after the main event. Read those first, because they are the ones that change what you end up booking.
- The lists are themed on purpose, which is why they hold together as sets: Boston hub, White Mountains, Vermont, and more. Use them when you have finished the scheduled stops and still have an evening to fill.
- Pin the map so you have it on your phone at the airport. Duplicate into Arriv when you are ready to lock dates, add hotels, and share the plan with everyone coming to New England.
Building a longer drive from this guide? Use the road trip planner for drive times between stops.
4-day New England itinerary
Tap a stop to see it on the map. Adjust freely once it’s your trip.
Day 1Boston to the White Mountains
Boston Public Garden
Flume Gorge
Flume Gorge Visitor Center, 852 Daniel Webster Hwy, Lincoln, NH 03251, USA
Tip — Flume Gorge — have the timed ticket
Day 2Kancamagus and Franconia
Franconia Notch State Park
Kancamagus Highway
NH-112 & Kancamagus Hwy, Woodstock, NH 03262, USA
Tip — West-to-east on the Kanc, pullouts included
Day 3Across to Vermont
Woodstock Green
Day 4Berkshires toward Boston
Stockbridge Main Street
Where to go in New England
9 places across 4 themed lists — use these when you want options beyond the day plan.
Boston hub
Boston, MA 02116, USA
A fly-in walk if you land before noon, and from here you either sleep in the city or drive north the same afternoon. North is the better call.
White Mountains
Flume Gorge Visitor Center, 852 Daniel Webster Hwy, Lincoln, NH 03251, USA
A boardwalk through a granite notch, two and a half hours from Boston via I-93. Peak October needs a timed ticket, which you want in hand before you turn off the interstate.
NH-112 & Kancamagus Hwy, Woodstock, NH 03262, USA
34 miles of NH-112, and you should budget two to three hours once you allow for the pullouts. Lincoln to Conway is the classic west-to-east run, which is the direction this plan follows.
Franconia Notch, Lincoln, NH 03580, USA
The Basin, Cannon Mountain, and the bike path along I-93, which pairs naturally with Flume. Stacking both of those plus the Kanc into a single day does not work.
Main St, North Conway, NH
The east end of the Kanc, where the inns fill over the 9–12 October weekend. Book refundable, and keep one night that can slide south if you find the color has already dropped.
Vermont
36 River St, Woodstock, VT 05091, USA
About two hours from North Conway, and a useful hub because more than one road leads out of it. That matters if you get here and the northern color has already dropped.
US-4, Quechee, VT
Fifteen minutes from Woodstock, and a short walk to the overlook before you are back in the car. That is the whole stop.
Berkshires
Rockwell Rd, Lanesborough, MA
The highest point in Massachusetts, sitting two hours south of Woodstock. The summit road closes in winter, though October is usually open, so check before you commit the morning to it.
Stockbridge, MA 01262, USA
The Berkshires lunch stop, and then two hours back to Boston, which makes it the natural last stop. Midweek rooms last longer than the Saturday inn does, which is worth knowing if the dates can move.
Make this New England trip yours
Use this guide to duplicate the itinerary into your trips. Set dates, swap stops, invite your crew — then continue planning on the web or take it on the go in the Arriv app.