A Few Fall Foliage Hikes
Hiking in New England is quite different than hiking out west. The mountains are smaller, though trees are denser. Switchbacks are rare, though lakes are plenty. Though we prefer the grandeur of western hikes overall, there’s something about the secluded spots and fresh fall air from fallen leaves that the east provides. We hiked these three trails during September 2024. They were well maintained and most had falling leaves of yellow, orange, and red along the way.
Our first hike was Mt. Major in Alton, NH. It's located on the south side of Lake Winnipesaukee and offers stunning views of the lake and surrounding area from the top. The trail began with a nice, wide gravel path with many sections of newly installed steps of granite.
Shortly after it turns into a dirt path trail with well marked signs throughout. The trail is primarily through green leaf trees though as you near the top they thin out and change color. There were several people up top at the overlook but we were able to find a nice secluded spot to enjoy the view.
Take note that the Boulder Trail is aptly named in that you will be walking up, over, and around them during this portion of the hike. There are many trails in this area. We took the longer route on the Brook Trail up to Mt. Major however we would have just taken the main one looking back as it wasn't worth the extra steps in out opinion.
For our anniversary we decided to take a trip up to the border of Vermont to Lake Willoughby. Here we hiked the Herbert Hawkes Trail. This is located on the less popular western side of the lake but doesn't disappoint in it's viewpoints! The road up was a bit nerve racking in our big truck as it barely fit us. Luckily it wasn't too busy. The trailhead has a small parking lot for 6-10 vehicles. This trail had more foliage and fallen leaves which always adds a nice effect.
There are a bunch of viewpoints and each are worth checking out if you can. All are under a mile and most are in the same direction. The summit vista is on the opposite side of the lake and gives a great view of the nearby mountains. The other three lead up and around the pinnacle of the hike overlooking Lake Willoughby. This is a very nice, secluded spot to enjoy the lake from above. We only passed a handful of people on this one and would highly recommend hiking this trail if you are in the area!
A third hike worth mentioning is Talcott Mountain in Simsbury, CT. Note that the trailhead here has a $15 fee for parking an out of state vehicle, free for CT plates. I hiked this trail with my buddy Scott while visiting family in the area. It's a steady uphill climb to start then evens out for a stretch of viewpoints overlooking rural Bloomfield and beyond to Hartford and even Mount Monadnock in NH.
The hike leads to The Heublein Tower which was built by Gilbert Heublein as a promise to his wife Louise of a "castle in the mountains." You can tour the tower, watch an educational film about it, or enjoy lunch at one of the many picnic tables while enjoying the nature around you. It rained heavily on our way back and the high parking fee wasn't ideal. Though, this is a nicely taken care of trail to a piece of history.
