New England Road Trips

One of Maine's northernmost scenic routes, the Maine Scenic Highway invites you to experience nature and wildlife at every turn. Moose, black bear, loons and eagles thrive inside dense forests along the route, which consists of rolling hills, distant farmland and deep, cold-water lakes. At the north terminus is Fort Kent State Historic Site, the only surviving American fortification built during border tensions with neighboring New Brunswick known as the Aroostook War.

From Roxbury to Madrid, the two-lane SR-17/SR-4 scenery is the definitive great outdoors with its mountains, lakes, ponds and streams. The tree-lined roadside displays daisies and buttercups in spring, verdant green in summer and fall's various shades of autumnal colors. The winter white slopes dare you to ski down Saddleback Mountain, or just admire it from SR-4.

The Woodland Heritage Trail Scenic Highway (US 2) travels across the forested foothills on the northern edge of White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. The Appalachian Trail crosses crosses over the byway east of Gorham.

The Lake Sunapee Scenic Loop is a 25-mile drive around New Hampshire's Lake Sunapee, passing through rural residential areas and forest and along lakeshores. The route skirts the borders of John Hay National Wildlife Refuge and Mount Sunapee State Park.

The Contoocook River, for which the byway is named, meanders beside parts of US 202 in southern New Hampshire. The river and other bodies of water peek through the heavily wooded terrain. An autumn drive through this forested area is particularly lovely.

Rhode Island may be the smallest state, but it delivers in terms of big views, like this short jaunt across Narragansett Bay on SR 138. Leaving the grandiosity of Newport's mansions behind, the Newport Bridge spans sparkling waters on either side of Conanicut Island. This elevated perspective offers a look at the massive granite cliffs guarding the bay's entrance.

As you loop up Mount Equinox on this paved toll road completed in 1947, breathtaking scenery unravels before you, with the 5.2-mile drive culminating in a gorgeous 360-degree panorama at the top of the 3,848-foot peak. A visitor center at the summit offers observation areas as well as exhibits about the Carthusian monastery situated on the mountain's slopes.

In spring and summer, abundant foliage frequently hides the Housatonic River from view as you drive the Housatonic River Valley Scenic Route (US 7), a rustic two-lane byway in Connecticut's heavily wooded northwestern corner. Hills framing the river blaze with color in fall.

Boulders edge up against leafy, wooded glens on either side of the SR-9 expressway as it roughly follows the winding path of the Connecticut River, connecting Middletown with the Connecticut coast. Charming small towns along the byway offer a pleasant stop.