Aussiefolk

Vttraveler

What dates are you planning to make this trip?

tomfuller

I'm guessing you are taking the Lake Shore Limited east from Buffalo (Depew?). Are you flying to Buffalo or do you live near there? To get to Essex Junction-Burlington VT, you have to go to Springfield MA and then go north on the Vermonter. You'll have to check the schedule of both trains to see if you have to spend the night in Springfield.
Your other choice to go north to see fall foliage would be to get off the LSL in Albany and then take the Adirondack north. If you have your passport, you could even go to Montreal on that train.
Depending on the timing of the peak colors, you might see good color on the train coming east from Buffalo. Other airports to consider would be Rochester, Syracuse, Albany or Springfield MA.
I always prefer Amtrak to buses. (multiple bathrooms vs. one sometimes stinky one on the bus).

Aussiefolk

Aussiefolk

Thanks for your detailed reply tomfuller. Not sure what train I had in mind from Buffalo (was using the Rome to Rio app to plan the journey). I am from Australia and will be arriving in Montreal at the end of a Vikings cruise (Bergen to Montreal) 26 Sept. Plan to go by train from Montreal to Toronto and visit Niagara Falls from both Canada and US - hence being in Buffalo 1 Oct.
i had been led to believe that White Mountain was a ‘do not miss’ destination for viewing the foliage so planned my itinerary accordingly. Will certainly go back to the drawing board now with your information in mind. I very much appreciate your input - it’s a bit tricky to plan such a journey with little knowledge of the area and also from the other side of the world. Train travel is far more appealing to me but there seemed to be only the bus option across the White Mountain.
Once again, many thanks for your suggestions.

Vttraveler

I just wanted to be sure you have the train schedules for the routes mentioned in the other post, the Lake Shore Limited and the Adirondack.
I think you could also take the LSL all the way to Boston and head into New Hampshire and/or VT from there, but this would be by bus, not train. There is also a train called the Ethan Allen Express from Albany NY to Rutland VT which is SE of Burlington
https://www.amtrak.com/timetables.html

dfrostnh

I think each state has towns/cities with the same name. Just to clarify - do you mean Buffalo to Burlington VT then Littleton NH then Plymouth NH to Boston? Had to double check since at first I thought you might mean Plymouth MA (pilgrims).

I take a bus from Boston (Logan Airport to South Station) north to Concord NH. I believe the bus continues north via I93 to Plymouth. Even though it's a bus, Boston to Concord NH is maybe 1 1/2 hours at most and Concord is a beautiful town, very walkable downtown. I93 goes right through the White Mountains and I think you would have a nicer drive going north rather than south. I like the way the scenery opens up. Most of I93 in NH is fairly scenic as is I89 from Concord NH to Burlington VT. Burlington is on Lake Champlain and even a ferry ride back and forth across the lake would be lovely. It's a college town with plenty to see and do.

Personally, I prefer seeing mountains in the background rather than being in the middle. But I'm sure plenty of people can provide different arguments. It's definitely a pretty time of year. You might consider booking a foliage bus trip for just a day. I think you could also take the train from Boston up the coast to Portsmouth NH and then a bus to Concord NH.

J62

A few thoughts.

Burlington is less than 2hr drive (bus ride) from Montreal, so going from Montreal to Toronto/Niagara/Buffalo then back to Burlington does not make sense. It will take you most or all of several days to get from Buffalo to Burlington by train or bus, with several connections as there is no direct route.

If Niagara falls is on your must-visit list then consider going the opposite loop direction, although getting to NYC from Buffalo is not fast either - limited schedules, and often delayed trains. We all know that tomfuller is a "take the train regardless" kind of guy, but to me sometimes time is more valuable than "must always take a train." Also consider flying from Buffalo to NYC (or Boston) as this will save you a lot of time.

Are you able to rent a car? That would give you a lot more flexibility. For me, the best fall foliage views are seen meandering through the countryside, not sitting/walking in a single town. If you can rent a car, let us know as it opens up a lot of possibilities on routes & towns to visit.

tomfuller

Since you are arriving in Montreal first, consider taking the #68 Amtrak Adirondack south to Schnectady NY (about 7 hours) leaving Montreal at 10:20AM. Spend the night in SDY and then take the Amtrak Maple Leaf the next morning (10:24AM) from SDY all the way to Niagara Falls NY. I believe there is lodging in Niagara Falls NY and Niagara Falls ON within walking distance of the train stations (or taxi/Lyft).
You can take the Maple Leaf back from Niagara Falls to Albany NY. The next day you can take the Lake Shore Limited from Albany-Renseleer to either Springfield or all the way to Boston.
The LSL arrives at Boston South station. If you want to continue by train, you can go across Boston to Boston North station and take the Downeaster train up into Maine (Portland?)
You may be able to get a bus from Portland ME to the other towns you wanted to see.

Aussiefolk

Aussiefolk

Thanks J62. My thinking for going by train Montreal to Buffalo then Buffalo to Burlington was more opportunity to see the leaves. Am I right in thinking that 26 Sept could be too early to head south. My prime objective ve is to find as much fall foliage as possible.

Aussiefolk

Thanks dfrostnb. I’ll ceratinly look into your suggestions.

Aussiefolk

My travelling partner prefers to travel by train if possible. She experiences travel sickness on long bus trips.

Aussiefolk

More food for thought here tomfuller. Will have to spend more time following up all the wonderful suggestions. Thanks again.

J62

Yes, Sept 26 is too early to see much, if any color, except a few random very early red leaf sumac bushes on the roadside or in swampy areas, but if the weather is cool in early autumn then we may get some of the brilliant reds & oranges (= maple trees) by 1st week of October.

Peak season will be roughly 10/4 to 10/12 in the area you are traveling. The definition of peak is often in the eyes of the beholder. I prefer the early color of brilliant reds & oranges even if there is some green mixed in. Oaks which are darker leaves - dark reds or browns are later than maples, and tend to hang on the. Ash, birch (both yellow), etc are also common and add to the mix.

Since you will be in the area for 12 days you will definitely see plenty of fall foliage, and those 12 days will be warmer than if you traveled 1-2 weeks later as days get cooler quickly.

One thing you could consider somewhere like Burlington is to take a ski gondola to the top of one of the ski mountains - not sure what is open in that area but your hotel will certainly know.

Sberg

You really should consider renting a car if at all possible. If you take a bus to each place you will be stuck there with no way to get around. There is little public transportation in NH (nothing in Littleton or Plymouth) and if you want to see the foliage you really need to drive. Driving in rural NH and Vermont is very easy. The only place you would not want to drive would be around Boston. Maybe you could pick up a rental in Littleton and return it in Plymouth or somewhere else? That way you could drive around NH for a few days. Then take the bus from Plymouth or Concord or Manchester or wherever you could drop the car to Boston?

tomfuller

I agree with Sberg about a rental car. Rent one in Springfield MA and travel north into Vermont and New Hampshire. Return the car in Springfield and take the Lake Shore Limited from Springfield into Boston.
Amtrak is much easier for your trip from Boston to New York Penn station than any bus IMO.

Aussiefolk

Aussiefolk

Thanks Sberg. I had originally planned to drive most of the itinerary but chickened our. I haven’t driven in th US for years and, of course, we drive on the other side of the road in Australia!! The thouyght of driving in the countryside sound appealing - will certainly consider it.

Aussiefolk

Thanks tomfuller. I’ll think about renting a car for a few days. As I sad to Sberg it had been my intention to drive most of the way but as I haven’t driven in the US for years I thought it best not to.