Last updated on November 6th, 2023 at 04:46 pm
If you want to experience the best of autumn wonderland, then look no further than fall in Vermont. As a matter of fact, New England is everyone’s dream in the autumn season, and truly, it never disappoints. You can read about New Hampshire in Fall in our other post, but today we will cover things to do in Vermont in the fall.
Being on the east coast, we are spoiled with choices of places to visit in fall, be it Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah National Park, Fall in West Virginia, Smoky Mountain National Park, New England, or Upstate New York (a big one on my list!). But let’s dive into Vermont now.
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Best Time to Visit for Autumn in Vermont
Vermont in October is at the peak of its fall glory. Typically, the first two weeks of October is when your chances of leaf peeping are highest in the northern region of Vermont. If you want to narrow your odds down to the exact peak fall week then I highly recommend constantly checking Vermont Fall Foliage Tracker before you make any travel arrangements.
Contrary to all my other travels where I book things in advance, I always wait till early September for fall travels. But that’s also because I have the luxury to jump in my car and drive down there.
Vermont Fall trip Itinerary (3, 4, or 5 days)
If you are visiting just for a weekend, then plan on only exploring Stowe (details below). But if you have a few extra days, then this itinerary will take you through the best of fall in Vermont, including some hidden gems. We’ll also cover the most photographed spots in Vermont below!
Day 1 – Stowe: Start your Vermont autumn trip in Stowe. Spend the entire first day exploring the town and driving through scenic routes as well as passing through Vermont’s famous covered bridges (more details below)
Day 2 – Drive around Stowe: Drive South on scenic Rt 100 to Waterbury to check out Ben & Jerry’s original factory and Cold Hollow Cider Mill.
Day 3 – Stowe or Nichol’s Ledge: For that added leisure, stay back in Stowe and explore the remainder of the town. Take a bike ride or hike through the beautiful biking and hiking paths enjoying mother nature’s canvas. However, if you want to get out of town and see some hidden gems of Vermont, then I highly recommend driving to this hidden gem – Nichol’s Ledge Hike (more on this below).
Day 4 – Woodstock & Quechee: Head to Woodstock and Quechee which are home to the most photographed places in Vermont. More on this is below.
Day 5 – Manchester: Finally, if you have the extra day, check out Manchester, a historic city draped in autumn beauty.
Stowe in Fall
Things to see & do in Stowe
If you want to see the best of Vermont fall, then you have to spend time in Stowe! After all, there is a reason why the Von Trapp family (from the Sound of Music popularity) chose Stowe to be their home when they left Austria.
Stowe is also a very popular ski town but let me tell you; it gets very busy in the fall as well. Below is a list of the most scenic roads, the most photographed spots, and the best thing to do in Stowe.
- Scenic fall drives near Stowe – Rt. 100 and Rt 108 are the two scenic byways you must hit when in Stowe.
- Mt. Mansfield Gondola – Even if you don’t take the Gondola ride for aerial fall foliage views, stop by the parking lot to soak in the gorgeous 360 degrees views.
- Smuggler’s Notch Drive – The drive north on the spectacular Rt. 108 will lead you to Smuggler’s Notch State Park. Continue driving past the State Park, at least all the way until Smuggler’s Notch Base Lodge for the best views, or even further north if you can.
- Plenty of splendid stops on the Drive on Rt. 108 from Mansfield to Smugglers notch. Keep your eyes open and make pitstops as often as you want.
- Von Trapp Family Lodge – Whether you get a chance to stay here or not, if you are a fan of European houses and the Sound of Music, you’d want to take a tour of this family’s historic home in the US.
- Postcard view of Stowe Church – The parking lot of Salon Salon is the perfect place for that postcard view of Stowe church. Take this as an insider tip!
- Biking and Hiking – There are plenty of family-friendly biking paths in Stowe that give you the perfect opportunity to soak in the beauty of autumn in Vermont
- Covered Bridges – Vermont and covered bridges go hand in hand. In fact, as you drive on some of these scenic routes, you are bound to pass the bridges. In the photo below is Brookdale covered bridge, not too far from Mt. Mansfield. Just Google “covered bridges” if you haven’t crossed one on your journey.
Where to stay in Stowe
I’d suggest booking something within the town of Stowe, but the availability is close impossible if you wait until the last minute (like us!). We ended up staying in a gorgeous Airbnb in Waitsfield, VT, which was about 30 mins south of Stowe. A few accommodation suggestions are below –
Fairfield by Marriott Waterbury/Stowe
Where to eat & drink in Stowe
Below are some of the places to check in and around Stowe for drinks and creamery –
- Von Trapp Brewery
- The Alchemist Brewery
- Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea – It’s just a few minutes away from Cold Hollow Cider Mill and serves great coffee if you are looking for caffeine on this scenic drive.
- Cold Hollow Cider Mill – They have a great tasting cider menu but don’t miss their famous donuts that are served in the gift shop. A perfect place to stop by for lunch!
- Ben & Jerry’s Factory (Flavor Graveyard and store) – Being a popular tourist spot ( I mean, this is where THE Ben & Jerry’s started), the line here can be extremely long. We didn’t have the patience to wait in line, but we did visit their Flavor Graveyard, which is home to all their long retired flavors in the past. You can also take the ice cream factory tour, which I’d imagine would be a fun activity with the kids.
Why did I not list any eating recommendations?
I will be completely honest about our dining experience in Stowe last year (2021), and I hope your experience is better than ours. It is true that the pandemic has brought a shortage of labor, and restaurants in smaller towns, such as Stowe, VT, are suffering directly from these staff shortages. What this meant for us was that none of the restaurants could accommodate us for dinner, even if we went as early as 5 pm or 6 pm. While some restaurants were closed, others were not entertaining guests even half their capacity.
So, what did we do?
After no luck searching for food, we finally stopped at a grocery store, bought a bunch of stuff, and cooked ourselves a sumptuous meal at our Airbnb. And I have to add that it was probably one the most delicious meal I’ve had on a trip. Point in case, be flexible to make your own meal if you are put in our situation.
Nichol’s Ledge Hike – Outside Stowe
Just outside Stowe, 45 mins’ drive from town, is this hidden gem that few know about. Nichol’s hike ends with a stunning aerial view of gorgeous lakes draped in autumn foliage. The hike itself is short and not extremely strenuous, but it definitely is steep. It shouldn’t take you more than 30 mins to reach the top of the hike.
If we can do it with 2 babies, then you can do it too, especially for those mind-blowing fall views! Don’t believe us? See the photos and be your own judge.
TIP: The drive to Nichol’s ledge parking lot was probably the most gorgeous and least trafficked road we’d seen in Vermont in the fall. Sometimes you just have to take the road less traveled to experience the best.
Woodstock and Quechee
Often called the most photographed region of Vermont, although I personally really enjoyed Stowe more, this region has a charm of its own. The maple farms and farmhouses covered in fall colors are nothing short of a postcard image.
Things to do in the fall
Here’s a list of must-see places in Woodstock and Queeche.
- Woodstock – Woodstock has the old historic city charm with lovely restaurants, which again are booked out if you haven’t made a prior reservation for dinner.
- Sleepy Hollow Farm, Woodstock – This is the most photographed spot in Vermont. However, the iconic red farmhouse has been repainted gray by the new homeowner. So if you see photos from here with a red farmhouse, they are all prior to 2021.
- Sugarbush Maple Farm, Woodstock – Definitely stop by a maple farm while in Vermont. We visited Sugarbush Maple Farm, and it was such a cute spot with a Maple trail in the woods explaining the process of how maple syrups are made from maple trees.
- Quechee Gorge – The highlight of Quechee is the Gorge itself, take the short hike down to the bottom of the gorge or enjoy it from the Quechee bridge.
- Quechee covered bridge – Quechee bridge is another pretty bridge you should take a quick stopover at.
- Taftsville covered bridge – Taftsville bridge is just around the corner from Quechee bridge, so why not stop by this historic bridge as well?
- Hike Mt. Tom & the Pogue (we didn’t make it here) – If you have time for a hike in Woodstock, then you must hit the Mt. Tom trail. On your way to the summit of Mt. Tom, you will pass by the Pogue, a picturesque pond in the middle of the forest. The total hike distance is 5.5 miles, and it’s a moderate hike as you will be walking on a historic carriage road system through the forest.
Where to Stay in Woodstock or Quechee
Woodstock & Quechee are very close to each other so just book accommodation at either of these places. Again we stayed in an Airbnb near Quechee.
I cannot stop gushing about how surreal Autumn in Vermont is, and I hope I have given you enough reasons why it must be on top of your bucket list!
Hoping that this post was not only inspiring but also helpful in planning your next fall trip. If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to share it with family and friends.
Happy leaf peeping!
