Porsche Travel Experience Northeast Tour

Exploring New England on the Porsche Travel Experience

Experience the colourful fall of New England behind the wheel of a Porsche

2 September 2021

Three Porsche 911s driving through beautiful autumn forest

Fall in New England – few other places put on an autumnal show quite like this beautiful part of the USA. Join us on a road trip from New York to Vermont on the Porsche Travel Experience Northeast Tour

Memorable, legendary, colourful

New England in the autumn. A time and a place where the trees do their thing more dramatically than anywhere else in the world. The interplay of colours caused by the marked difference between day and night-time temperatures immediately entrances every traveller. Driving through the states of New York and Vermont on the Porsche Travel Experience Northeast Tour, you'll quickly become a "Leaf Peeper", awed by the vibrancy of the colour-saturated splendour of the leaves. We encourage lots of stops to get out and enjoy this colourful spectacle at first hand, and we travel in October, because it is then that the green leaves transform into a patchwork of flaming orange and glowing red hues.

Three Porsche 911s driving passing covered bridge — The typical covered bridges enrich the impressive spectacle of nature

The first signs of autumn are when the leaves of the red maple start to change from green to fiery red, before being joined by bursts of colour from the sugar maple and yellow hazel. After a while they're joined by the red oaks, beeches, elms and many more of the 800 native tree species found in this region of incredibly rich biodiversity. And that's exactly the secret behind the colourful splendour of the “Golden Autumn”. It’s a perfect backdrop for our journey through autumnal New England on the Porsche Travel Experience Northeast Tour, beginning in Lake George and heading north towards Lake Placid, the home of the "Miracle on Ice" Olympic Games of 1980.

Glowing lakeside woods in the autumn, with mountains behind — Lake Placid: the former Olympic village wins gold for its vivid display of colour

Two states. One spectacle on the Porsche Travel Experience Northeast Tour

Even the small front gardens of the numerous New York State towns we pass through have colourful decorations on display, and giant pumpkins to remind us of the season despite the fact the weather is surprisingly balmy for this time of year. The first classic Leaf Peeper destination on our route is the Adirondack Mountains, not far from Lake Placid. This six-million-hectare national park is the largest continuous protected area in the United States and reveals a breathtaking explosion of colour during the Golden Autumn. It is also home to some spectacular mountains. There are 46 peaks above 4,000 feet, as well as an abundance of great lakes. It’s not an exaggeration to say that a drive through this splendid, wild landscape will reward you with many perfect photo opportunities.

Solitary winding road through colourful autumn forests — A dramatical, beautiful landscape in its full blaze of autumnal colour

Next we take the Northway to Lake Placid, then a 15-minute ferry ride across Lake Champlain to Charlotte, Vermont. Now, the scenery is even more spectacular and this mountainous state entrances visitors with its many lakes and even more plentiful forests. We travel across majestic roads through the Jay and Giant Mountain Wilderness Areas to the historic village of Waterbury, an idyllic spot with its famous covered bridges that are a characteristic of the region, as are its picture-postcard traditional shops and antiques stores. It’s rumoured there are as many as one hundred covered bridges in Vermont. We won’t get to explore them all on this Porsche Travel Experience Northeast Tour, because our next stop is one we don’t want to miss – the fabulous Woodstock Inn set in the heart of a picturesque village in the Green Mountains. It is surrounded by dozens of maple syrup farms where Vermont's liquid gold is boiled for hours in the sugarhouses. Formerly known as Richardson's Tavern, the Woodstock Inn became legendary during the railroad boom years when the high society of Montreal and Boston enjoyed illustrious winter parties here. Years later, Laurance and Mary Rockefeller transformed it into an elegant hotel, where visitors are greeted with the comfort of a roaring fire set in a grand hearth in the lobby.

Exterior view of an elegant hotel in autumn — The Woodstock Inn, an icon of Vermont, is quintessential New England

As the sun goes down, our warm autumnal evening draws to a close and night falls with a light frost. Just the right conditions for the legendary colour spectacle of the Golden Autumn. It’s an iconic end to our epic adventure on the Porsche Travel Experience Northeast Tour – made all the better behind the wheel of a Porsche.

This story is part of the 25 Years of Porsche Travel Experience anniversary series. We take you on a virtual world tour around the globe – with a new, fascinating episode each week. Click here to read all stories.

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