Early stages of planning a trip - I have a wedding to go to at the end of sept in east Burke Vermont….

Was thinking of flying into Boston - getting a car - then can fly out of another place (maybe Portland?) or can make it back around to Boston.

How much time do I have - around a week. I know that's not enough time - but I don't have to see everything at each place….I can maximize each day to get the most out of each day…is seeing the places below realistic with a week time? Anything I should add or change? Any advice?

Early stages of places to see along the way on my trip:
Boston
Portland
Bar harbor - Acadia national park
White mountain national forest


As always - appreciate any input and thank you ahead of time!

I got you covered: https://texags.com/forums/54/topics/3312536/replies

Awesome!!!

What did you enjoy more Acadia or white mountains area?? If you could do it again - how many days at each of the parks would you do? And Boston - how many days would do if you could do it again?

Just trying to decide if I should stick to one over the other or if I can hit them both up during my week….I'm usually pretty good at getting tons in….did a ton in smoky mtns over memorial in about 2 days - of course I didn't get a tons of hikes in but got enough during that time period I feel I grasped a good feel for the area…of course I went from sunrise to right past sunset each day

We definitely enjoyed Acadia more. 2 Days there would be good, 3 if you really want to explore.

Some more notes on Acadia:
Bar Harbor was fun to explore, my family loved the BeeHive hike, I enjoyed the Great Head Hike too. Things we didn't do that I would to have liked to do were do a bike ride on the carriage trails and take a guided boat out to learn about lobstering and marine life. I came pretty close to buying a live lobster to cook at our rental house but got cold feet. We did the Cadillac Mountain sunrise but it was foggy, but I can see how it would be a great way to start the day if it were clear out.

White mountains aren't too impressive to me after visiting the rockies and sierra nevadas. It's worth driving through, maybe do a hike in the slot canyon or go up to Mount Washington but I'd just give it a day and spend more time in Boston or the coastal cities unless you just really want to be in the mountains over a city. None of the towns in the White Mountains were that appealing to me.

We really only scratched the surface in Boston. There is just so much history there, if you are an American history buff you can spend a LOT of time there. We blazed through the freedom trail in one day, I would have loved to spend 2-3 days there to really take it all in.

I also thought Portsmouth New Hampshire was a really cool town I would have liked to explore more. We did the Strawberry Banks museum which was a fun way to see a bunch of old houses and learn some history.

So in short I would spend more time in the cities (Boston, Portland, Porstmouth) than the white mountains while giving 2-3 days for Acadia. But that's just my personal preference. We really enjoyed the slow drive up the coast as well, but you can do it quicker if you hit the interstate.

Quick train from Boston to Salem if that interests you

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I also thought Portsmouth New Hampshire was a really cool town I would have liked to explore more.

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My wife and I will be on a scouting trip to Portsmouth this October regarding a potential move. The hospital she works at has a site up there so it would just be an internal transfer.

I agree with archangelus (in his trip report thread) about the difference between NH and Vermont. We've traveled up there at least twice per year for the last 10-15 years or so (except during covid) and we've only ventured into Vermont a couple of times. Every time, it felt like we were an outsiders and not welcome...it was weird...so we went back to NH.

The good news is that you will be in the northern part of Vermont...the end of Sept will be either pre-peak or near-peak for fall foliage. You'll probably be too early to see much color change in Mass or the southern half of Maine, NH and Vermont.

Also, Maine is a small state but has one of the longest coastlines in the U.S. due to how many nooks and crannies there are. Driving up the coastal highway (HWY 1) will take a lot longer than you expect. I recommend highlighting some towns or areas you want to visit for the coastal highway and then jump back over to I-295/95 to get from one to the other.

ETA - if you are driving a back road and pass a farm with a sign for apple cider donuts....stop.

ETA 2 - I looked up the coastline info and here you go...

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The general coastline of Maine only measures to be 228 miles (ranked 9th), but the tide coastline (which includes all of the inlets and bays in Maine) measures to be 3,478 miles (ranked 4th behind Alaska, Louisiana and Florida).

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Just got back from 5 days in the same area. Your itinerary seems like a lot in a week, but potentially doable. We spent 2 days in Bar Harbor and wish we would have spent another day there. The town is really cool and the hikes have some amazing views. Lots of different terrains from ocean cliffs to forest. We did the Great Head trail hike and really enjoyed that. Heard the Jordan Lake trail is good too, but we didn't have time to get to that one. Went up Cadillac Mountain, but not at dawn. Great views there as well.

We did drive down Highway 1 and it was a great drive. Lots of cool towns along the way.

We spent the night in Portland and the next day visiting some of the lighthouses. The Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth was a good stop and very picturesque. You can't go in any lighthouses, but you can walk up to it. It also has a larger park around it with some historical information that was interesting. Other than that, didn't see much of the rest of Portland.

Spent our first night in Boston and took in a Red Sox game. That was a great time. Had planned to return to Boston on our last afternoon and see some of the Freedom Trail, but it was raining. The traffic in Boston can get heavy and parking anywhere is expensive. If you rent a car, plan on leaving it at your hotel and taking Uber or the trains to get around.

It really depends on what you want from the trip. If you are looking for some hiking and outdoors stuff, focus on Acadia National Park. If you want more history, stick with Boston and some of the coastal cities. It is a great area and would definitely go back.

You don't need a car in Boston, just get a metro card or use the trains. I think the downeaster even goes to Portland from Boston.

It will be too early for the foliage on the kangamamgus highway, but it's still a pretty drive. If you are into mountains, you can take the train or drive to the summit of Mount washington.

Would this be for a wedding September 23?

Not sure if they are attending my wedding, however, as a born and raised Vermonter who is having their wedding in the NEK (east Burke) end of September, I can say that Portsmouth NH, Portland ME and Boston are all good options. Visiting Boston if you're a huge history buff like myself takes days to see it all. I recommend taking some time there. I also adore the historic port towns along the coast. I am from northern vermont and it is a shame that people say Vermont isn't welcoming. Most people skip right over the small farm towns that make Vermont a true gem. I'm from a town 2000. Mostly farms and farmland. Everyone has been there for generations and we are some of the nicest people you will meet. A chose Texas simply because it reminds me of the place that I was raised. Shame that most people only venture to the southern part of the state and Burlington, which to me are just and extension of the cities in Massachusetts (to name a state). I love 20 min from NH and 45 min from Canada and there is a lot of beauty to behold in the green mountains. As far as the white mountains, I highly recommend the cog railway at mt Washington. It will be September at peak fall foliage which is why we chose the date we did. Stowe would also be very high up on my list of places to see. Especially if you're looking for apple cider and homemade donuts on a crisp fall day.

Any recs for this upcoming family road trip?

Over 2.5 weeks will be visiting:
Boston
Rockport MA (Cape Ann)
Freeport ME
Bar Harbor (4th of July fireworks & Acadia NP)
Saint John NB
Antagonish NB (going to the Highland Games)
Halifax NS
Moncton NB
Bangor ME
Boston

Looking for any recs for best hikes (preferably ones that kids and grandma can do), sailing / whale watching/ wildlife cruises, restaurants, breweries, museums and anything else kids 10-14 might enjoy.

I did whale watching out of Rye Harbor. Saw lots of whales, good food right on the dock. Boston museum is fun for kids and adults as well as the aquarium. Red sox games are fun as well as the duck boats for a short tour of Boston. If your kids like trains, they would probably enjoy the cog railway up mount washington.