1. Should be a good time for peeping.

2. The Cog Railway is fine as long as you're ok with the price.

Expect BIG crowds and extended travel times as roads back up with heavy traffic. Get to Artists Bluff early, parking fills as that is a shuttle lot for other park destinations. Plan and know an alternate route out of Franconia Notch as the Parkway (I-93) can become a parking lot in the afternoon.

Have fun, read today's Boston Globe for info on being prepared for hiking. Fall is no joke, bring layers, food, etc even on a simple hike like Artists Bluff.

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> 1) Can I expect to see fall foliage in the above mentioned areas or am I too early for peak foliage

That will most likely either be peak or close to peak foliage. This map provides a decent approximation.

> 2) Any recommendations to go up the summit without driving up Mt. Washington Auto Road? I am thinking Tours/Guides?

Like going in a tour guides van? I know there are services that offer this, but, meh. It's all a little overrated in my opinion. Haven't done cog railway in a long time but I liked it as a kid and I think it is rightfully popular with tourists for the novelty.

I don't recommend that you hike Mt. Washington!! If you choose to anyway, realize there's a very good chance you will not make it to the summit due to poor weather conditions. Tourists who have done bigger mountains die trying to hike the mountain all the time. If you get trapped/lost and survive you will be on the hook for your rescue bills and as of recently, maybe face criminal charges.

> 3) Any hikes or drives that have similar views to the Mt. Washington Summit?

Mt Washington has a fairly unique view because it is so huge but NH has tons of mountains with beautiful views that can be hiked by novices especially if the novice likes a physical challenge. I like Welch and Dickey, Mt Major, West Rattlesnake Mt, and Mt Willard for a fairly straightforward day hike.

>I don't recommend that you hike Mt. Washington

Oh no, I wouldn't try that. I think for a hike, I am only looking at easy/moderate hikes (chose Artists Bluff for that reason). And yes I was thinking tour guides van - the Auto road drive has some scary reviews on TripAdvisor which is why I wanted to know what people thought of those. Thank you for the detailed response.

>The best easy view of the Presidentials is from Mt. Eisenhower
>
>My protip is to check out Mt. Willard. Easy hike with an outstanding view

Thank you for these! I will start looking into these.

>Have fun, read today's Boston Globe for info on being prepared for hiking. Fall is no joke, bring layers, food, etc even on a simple hike like Artists Bluff.

Thank you! Yes, planning to do that quite early in the morning - hoping we reach before it gets crowded as it is an hour and a half drive from where I will be staying.

I just want to be sure because it always makes me sad when out of staters are hurt or die because they don't know what they're getting into :(

If you REALLY want to see Mt Washington's summit, cog railway or a tour van will be fine. I wouldn't drive it because with my luck my car would shit itself on the way up, but it shouldn't be a difficult drive.

But if you're just looking to see the sights and Mt Washington is just something on the list, I strongly recommend taking a nice hike instead. Have fun!

>I just want to be sure because it always makes me sad when out of staters are hurt or die because they don't know what they're getting into :(

I totally understand that - you have convinced me to book the 2-hour guided tour I found here: https://mt-washington.com/guided-tours/2-hour-guided-tours

I took my daughter up on the Cog a couple of years ago. It’s a nice ride. I’d recommend buying your tickets in advance.

I was up there last weekend and the leaves had barely started changing so you’re probably good on the foliage for your days

I live in the last town in MA in a directly straight line south of artists bluff, it's 2 hours. Unless you're significantly north of the border.

And I'm speaking without traffic. Don't speed on 93.

Yes, thank you for the info. Just replanned the stops I’ll be taking, so will only be reaching artists bluff around noon.

check the status of the auto road on the mt washington web site. It'll say if it's open or not and what weather is expected. This time of year it can be nice at the bottom and winter at the top.

www.mt-washington.com

You are going to hit a ton of traffic. Like, standstill traffic, for a long time. On the Kanc, especially, and 93 north between Manchester and Concord. It is peak foliage and Columbus Day weekend. Parking will also be a challenge. There are lots of less popular hikes that have great foliage viewing, and those may be your best bet.

The long weekend is usually the craziest time of the year up there. Insane traffic 😬 coming back down through the Notch.

The Cog is fun (buy tickets in advance?) but it is on the opposite side of Mt Washington.

The auto road is on 16 on the east side, the dog is on the west side off of 302 near the Mt Washington hotel.

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Here's a link that gives you information on when the leaves are turning and where to see that most color. The leaves where I am (lakes region) seem to be turning earlier than usual, so you should see some vivid colors. The Cog Railroad is fun (a bit pricey) and there's also a van that takes people up Mount Washington, too.

Here's a link that gives information on when leaves are turning in the different regions of the state.

https://www.visitnh.gov/seasonal-trips/fall/peak-foliage-map

I think you’ll see some beautiful foliage, just mentally prepare yourself for traffic and crowded parking.

The summit craziness disperses substantially just past the cog railroad tracks. 🙂

Here’s a linkfor you to check weather. Have fun!

please just fill up your gas tank and get some snacks before you start driving through the notches/highways up here. You will be stuck in traffic for 3-5 hours once you're around the notches/kanc highway. Not sure if you will regret or not, but i assume you will. It is absolutely the worst day to visit. If you're going to come, come tomorrow or wednesday.

as far as foliage goes, it is pretty close to peak foliage as of yesterday. Still some green but a lot of yellow. This past weekend would have been better to come up as far as the views to suffering cost of traffic. There will be tons of tour buses over the next two weekends.

My personal suggestion would be to go to the mad river glen to ride the single chair ($20) and enjoy the views there or look for some other resorts that have fall foliage rides in VT. I do not think you will be as miserable since it's a little less well known compared to the stuff in the white mountains for fall foliage and the roads are more painful for bus/tours to get to.

Check out Evans notch. It'll be much quieter and it's a gorgeous drive.

any suggestions

I was also searching for some recommendations for a less crowded trip. found this route for the north section of white mountains.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/SdmYyGr6ddWYVjFRA?g_st=ic