Exploring New England fall foliage by train
New England’s fall foliage season is approaching once again.
Discover New England is encouraging leaf peepers to let the train take the strain to cut down on road congestion.
Northern New England is served by vaious train services offering an ideal way to sit back, relax and take in the autumn colours.
This summer Amtrak announced its much anticipated extension of the Ethan Allen Express. This scenic train will reach central Vermont in just under five hours from New York City.
The route hugs the shore of the Hudson River Valley before turning northeast into the western side of the Green Mountain state.
The new extension sees the route snake gently onwards north for a further 2.5 hours of spectacular views through the historic liberal arts college town of Middlebury and the tiny city (two square miles) of Vergennes before arriving in Burlington.
Also, in New England Amtrak’s Vermonter runs a daily service between Washington D.C, New York and St Albans in northern Vermont, making nine stops in the state crossing from east to west.
The train makes stops in Hartford CT, Greenfield MA, Claremont NH, Brattleboro, White River Junction, Montpelier, Waterbury and Essex Junction in VT.
This scenic route takes six hours from New York’s Penn Station into Brattleboro – with the onward trip along the Connecticut River Valley, west – then along Lake Champlain for a further four hours
Top Tip: be sure to grab a seat on the left-hand side of the carriage heading North out of New York for the best views of the Hudson River and Lake Champlain.
Just as the Ethan Allen Express and Vermonter serve the western border of New England, so the Downeaster ties the region’s most north easterly station of Brunswick Maine to New England’s largest city, Boston in Massachusetts.
Offering five, 146 mile round trips a day the Downeaster has run since 2001 and makes a total of 12 stops running along the coast through northern Massachusetts and crossing into New Hampshire before heading up through Maine and to Arcadia, New England’s only National Park.
New Hampshire’s world-famous Mount Washington Cog Railway is the leaf peeper’s friend.
The world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway, it ascends the highest peak in the Northeast at an average gradient of 25%,and at some points approaching 38%.
The train takes passengers all the way to the summit of Mount Washington at 6,288ft, offering unparalleled views across the Presidential range of the White Mountains, and from Quebec to the Atlantic Ocean.
Top Tip: Take your jacket: The summit of Mount Washington is known for its winds. It can snow even in summer and winds can hit gale force for up to 110 days a year.
Discover New England is a regional destination marketing organization founded in 1992 by the six New England state tourism offices.
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