Like our other drives on this leaf peeping adventure, the route between North Conway and Smugglers Notch, Vermont was on small, scenic back roads. It wasn't because of brilliant planning, but we were very pleased that with the exception of a few miles we had avoided interstate driving.
According to Google Maps the drive between North Conway by way of "the Kanc" and Franconia Notch State Park to where we were staying at Smugglers Notch was about five hours. We hit the road early and turned it into a full day adventure.
Smugglers Notch Resort is located in Jeffersonville, which is just a short, very winding 13-mile drive from Stowe. The large resort has numerous outdoor activities ranging from hiking, mountain biking, tennis, swimming in the summer, and skiing and snowboarding in the winter. The summer crowds were gone, and the winter crowds weren't there yet. Even though there were plenty of fellow "leaf peepers", it was fairly quiet.
We enjoyed spending one of our two full days in Stowe. With a population of just over 5,000, Stowe is fairly small in size. Amazingly, it plays host to over 1 million visitors annually who come to enjoy the variety of outdoor activities, craft beers and ciders, restaurants and shopping. We visited on a Sunday and businesses along Main Street and popular places such as the Cold Hollow Cider Mill and Ben and Jerry's Original Ice Cream Factory were doing a very brisk business.
 |
| Pedestrian Covered Bridge over the Little River |
 |
| Cold Hollow Cider Mill |
 |
| Free Samples at the end of the tour (all tours were sold out so we couldn't participate) and plenty to choose from for purchasing!! |
Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory
After a good night's sleep with visions of Ben and Jerry's Half Baked Ice Cream (Cookie Dough and Brownies) dancing in our heads we were ready to do a bit more exploring. Just a short 10 minute drive north of Smugglers Notch is the small village of Jeffersonville. There is a nice, covered bridge (Grist Mill Covered Bridge) that spans the Brewster River. The bridge was built in 1872 and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
 |
| The Grist Mill Historic Covered Bridge |
 |
| The Brewster River from the Grist Mill Covered Bridge |
Near the bridge was a trailhead for the Brewster River Gorge Trail. To be honest, there were a number of trails in the area and we were never sure of the name of the trail we were walking. It could have been the Brewster River Gorge Trail, or it could have been another trail. Whatever trail we were on was a nice, fairly flat trail that ran beside the river. We enjoyed it for a couple of miles before turning around and hiking back along the same trail.
 |
| We weren't sure if we were on the trail we wanted to be on, but it was a nice one! |
We rewarded our efforts at a really good burger shack called the Burger Barn. They had a huge selection of cooked to order burgers on their menu. While we can't remember what we picked, we do remember them being very tasty! Check it out if you're close by, you'll be glad you did (note: the Burger Barn is "cash only").
Next up............on to New York for more leaf peeping and special time with Ben and his sweet Allie!
 |
| Allie! |
