Hard to believe but fall foliage season is here again! And Mother Nature is wasting no time creating a beautiful canvas of color across the landscape in New Hampshire. Colors in the Great North Woods are already starting to shine. Take a look!
First up on our itinerary is the Polish Princess Bakery in Lancaster. Housed in a historic building right on Main Street, this has become a local favorite for their amazing homemade breads and pastries. Not to mention all the other delights you’ll find like fresh made pizza. And of course seasonal drinks! Is there really any other way to start a leaf peeping adventure than by fueling up with a pumpkin spice latte?
Next we headed to Weeks State Park. Drive up the auto road to the summit of Mt Prospect and wow, you’re greeted with some pretty awesome views. Walk around the estate grounds to see the 360 degree views of surrounding mountains including the Presidentials, the Green Mountains, the Kilkenny Range, Percy Peaks and the Upper Connecticut River Valley. One of my favorite places to take in all this spectacular scenery is from the stone fire tower, climb to the top for even more astounding views!
From Lancaster we made our way up the road to Stark and the iconic and historic Stark Covered Bridge. You really can’t go wrong with a stop for a photo opp at a covered bridge, perhaps even more so during autumn. Framed by a canvas of colorful leaves, it’s popular for its quintessential classic country charm.
Next we made our way up the road to Crystal Falls. I hadn’t heard of this spot before – but who can pass up a chance to chase waterfalls? Especially at this time of year! One of the advantages of this one is its accessibility – if you’re not up for hiking into a waterfall – this one you can see right from the road. It’s located off Dewey Hill Road in Stark. With multiple cascades that drop 35 or so feet it’s definitely a must see.
From there we got back on the road and headed to Milan. It’s always great to build in a little time for an activity like biking. On this trip we’re hitting the West Milan Trail. We accessed the trail from the West Milan North Trail Head. You’ll want to pay close attention once you get on the trail, you won’t go far before the trail will go off to the left, the turn off is not well marked. If you start heading up a steep hill you’ve gone too far. You’ll know you’re on the right route, if you find yourself biking alongside the Upper Ammonoosuc River. There’s some great spots to get off your bike and walk down to the water to appreciate the foliage along the riverbank.
Our final stop of the day is at Milan Hill State Park and the fire tower located there. What an incredible spot to see the seasonal scenery and fantastic mountain vistas! On a clear day you can see mountain ranges not only in New Hampshire, but Maine, Vermont and Canada too. How cool is that?
The color is really coming along nicely in the northern region of the State, making the coming days and week a great time to plan a trip. A reminder to follow all our travels this fall on Facebook and Instagram!