maine itinerary

Hello, We are travelling from Boston to Acadia National Park in Oct and would like to stop along the way for 2 nights in an area with good fall foliage colors. We prefer smaller towns that do not involve a long drive from the Maine coast. Any suggestions? THanks! Would Bethel be an interesting place/

When exactly in October? By mid -October the leaves will all be on the ground anywhere north of the coast.

Would Bethel be an interesting place/

I don't think so. More like a wide spot in the highway. Better stick to the coast. Try Portsmouth, NH, just across the Maine border. Or Bath, ME where you can visit the Maine Maritime museum.

We've driven the Maine Coast in mid-late September (twice) and the fall foliage was good, but Bar Harbor was just about ready to "close down" both times.

So as mstep says, it will depend how early in October you're planning this.

If fall foliage is your priority, and you are in the area at the right time (in October), then New Hampshire and Vermont might be better. Having said that, Acadia NP is very nice indeed, as is the seaside town of Camden along the way.

Peak leaf season is a little different every year depending on that year's climate factors. We did a week in Bar Harbor/Acadia the first week of Oct. some years ago and the leaves inland (the drive from the airport in Bangor south through Ellsworth and on to Mt Desert Island) were in glorious full color but those in Bar Harbor and other parts along the coast were just starting to turn.

It was a great time for B.H./Acadia though. While the town was busy during the day when the cruise ships came in, we were out on the trails or exploring other parts of the island so it didn't bother us. By the time we were ready to trade boots for beer, most of them were either back on the ship or on their way. B.H. shuts down for the season right around/after Columbus Day weekend (or so we were told). With the exception of just a couple of non-essential gift shops, everything in town was open.

It's too early for any action yet but here's a Maine color-tracking website for 2018:
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/projects/fall_foliage/index.shtml

We were in Bar Harbor around the 10th-13th of Oct. in 2016. The color was excellent, and the streets and restaurants were crowded day and night at that time. But again, every year is a little different. Regarding your question about Bethel: it’s certainly far enough inland that it will reach peak color before coastal Maine. I haven’t been there but we did go through Gorham NH, not too far from Bethel, on our 2016 trip. Color was peaking there at least a few days before the coast.

Consider Boston to North Conway New Hampshire (2 1/2 hours) and then North Conway to Acadia (4 Hours). This would take you through great foliage areas. The advantage to this route is you would not be back tracking.

One trip that I enjoy is Rangeley Maine to North Conway with a trip up the MT Washington auto road.

As noted in the above posts, The foliage is not always predictable, however usually after the first week in October, Maine is on the down side. In the mountains in New Hampshire I have seen good foliage as late is 4th week in October some year, but also seen it past by Columbus Day week-end.

Also should note that up to and including Columbus day week-end lodging can be hard to come by.

Consider Boston to North Conway New Hampshire (2 1/2 hours) and then North Conway to Acadia (4 Hours). This would take you through great foliage areas. The advantage to this route is you would not be back tracking.

Yes- we did that (after a cruise through beautiful foliage in southern Vermont too) - and it was all great. Just after Columbus Day in our year.

We also drove to the summit of Mt Washington, which was a unique experience, and also visited the Mt Washington Hotel nearby at Bretton Woods - it's a really remarkable building with a lot of history.

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