Jcmarino

Thanks everyone. Lots of great info here. I can't wait to visit the area, I have never been before.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

In Halifax, take time for the Maritime Museum, and when driving south in Maine, you just need to wander around at L.L. Bean. You may not think you need any need gear, but you'll be guaranteed to find something nifty.

Jcmarino

OH yea, LL Bean was on my radar! Love mussels and lobster, fall foliage, sailboats, museums, lighthouses etc.... Cadillac Mountain, looks like a must as well as Peggy's Cove. Might hit the Portland Photo shop as well! Hope to get off the beaten path a little bit and capture the local's favorite places.

rps Loc: Muskoka Ontario Canada

St. John and St. John's are very very different cities and also about a thousand miles apart. Although Newfoundland is part of Atlantic Canada, it is very very different from the maritime provinces (NB, NS, PEI) and well worth a separate trip.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Sould be just about peak colors toward the end, but less that peak is still magnificent. OCT 10 is peak time in Vermont So end of Sept is good. People who go for the fall colors are called Leaf Peepers. The ski areas all have tram rides to the top of the mountian Views of fall colors are breath taking. Not to be missed even if out of the way. Well worth a day trip. You can Google all the ski areas to fid=nd the closest ones. I am jealous.

hondo812 Loc: Massachusetts

what kind of traveling are you planning?
car?
boat?
tour bus?
will you be able to hike?

I agree with the majority of the posts in that mid-september is probably too early for peak foliage. I am located just south of Boston and we don't usually get peak foliage until about a week before Halloween. Some stuff changes early...swamp maples go red pretty quick but oaks take their sweet time.

I think if I were into hiking a bit I'd add the Rangley, ME area to my list. It's a ways up there and I seem to recall there is a good sized mountain for climbing/hiking but you may be more focused on the rugged coastline.

If you are looking for americana look no further than US RT 1. It will have spots of horrible traffic but it will also send you through some very scenic parts of Maine.

Your location says you are in hiding so no idea where you are from but a swim at Old Orchard Beach in Maine is a right of passage. The water will be cold. Go at low tide and your feet will be numb before you get knee deep. The water is very clear though and the beach is nice and sandy. Lot's of Canadians vacation down that way so you will see "Ici on parle francais" signs all over the place.

New Hampshire and Vermont have their maple sugar candy. I think it's a state law that anyone with an odd numbered address in Vermont sell maple products. Be sure to sample the salt water taffy in Maine. It gets that lobster taste out of your mouth.

If you do venture inland....RT 2.

My advice is you are looking for a scenic drive? Visit motorcycling sites and ask them. They are all about enhancing their view AND avoiding cars. They will also tell you all the best places to eat.

hondo812 Loc: Massachusetts

I follow this guy over on the JUX photo blog. I like his shots and many of them are in Maine. It should give you some ideas.

https://jimpeak.jux.com/892468

tomw

Foliage season is very variable, and in recent years the peak seems to be getting later.

As to average temperature, if you know New England you know it's a joke. The "average" is the arithmetic mean of a series of extremes. A rare day will be average - most will be 15 or more degrees hotter or colder. Be prepared to dress for anything.

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

Hope this is of help and I hope that I am not infringing on copyrights by posting the attached.

Acaidia Nat. Park - Maine
Attached file:
(Download)

lhdiver Loc: Midwest

It is a beautiful area! Be prepared for rain, it does a lot. Also bring the polarizing filter to make those colors pop!

winger071 Loc: Downtown Lebanon Ct

If your going that far north Prince Edward. Island is the island to go .going there in early Sept .Been to Hawaii and to the Caribbean will take PEI anyday over the others

oldgeezer3 Loc: SoCal

One of the places in St. John's, N.B. is "Reversing Falls." There is a place in the harbor where the tide makes a waterfall going upstream (tide going in) then as the tide goes out, the waterfallis what we think as "normal." Seeing that is on my bucket list!

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

if you can, possible, get out to the Gaspe' peninsula - you will not be disappointed.

MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

This should get to the link: http://jimpeak.jux.com/892468
I removed the "s". Someone here on the hog taught me that. Thanks to whoever it was.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

We lived in western Mass. for the past 7 years, and my comments are based on that. Fall Colors is very much a sport in much of New England, and locals often go from place to place, so you will fit right in. However, as has already been said, the location for best colors for any given date may vary widely from year to year. For that reason, there is a map available that shows current colors, ranked from "just starting" to "past prime". I don't know where the map originates ... I always got my access from the web-site run by WWLP (they also show it every night on their newscast). If I were you, I'd keep my plans very flexible until the last minute, and then use that map to go find "the good stuff".

If you'd be open to something a little different, I'd suggest the WW&F, a 2-foot-gauge railroad in the vicinity of Wiscasset (not far north from Portland). In standard railroads, the rails are 56-1/2" apart; in 2-foot-gauge, they are 24' apart, so that (plus their vintage steam locomotive) creates a completely different sense. Two-foot-gauge was imported into Massachusetts from Wales, but found its true home in Maine, and it was one of the things Maine was known for (along with lobsters and lighthouses).