Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
New England Fall Colours and Acadia at a slower pace
6 days from Boston in the foliage weeks with only two hotels: two nights in North Conway for the White Mountains and the Cog Railway, then three in Bar Harbor beside Acadia National Park.
6 days · Round trip from Boston · up to 12 guests
Guests on Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park. From our day tours. Photo: See Sight Tours
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 6 days, 5 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Boston
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Under 5 km on foot on every day, usually 1 to 3 km, in short stretches on level paths, boardwalks and town pavements with a bench, cafe or the van seat in between. The Cog Railway and the summit roads of Mount Battie and Cadillac Mountain do the climbing. Every sight with steps has a step-free or seated alternative, and you can sit out any part. Days 3 and 6 have about 4.5 to 5 hours in the van, in two legs with a long lunch between, and the longest leg, about 3 hours, has a coffee stop.
- Meals included
- 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 865 (estimated price)
- Season
- Late September to mid-October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Riding the Mount Washington Cog Railway, in service since 1869, to the summit of the Northeast's highest peak
- Waterfalls beside the road in Crawford Notch, seen from the van-side pull-offs
- The view over Camden harbour and Penobscot Bay from the top of the Mount Battie road
- Cadillac Mountain by road in the middle of the morning, with the islands of Frenchman Bay below
- Hot popovers on the lawn at Jordan Pond House, then an hour in a horse-drawn carriage on the carriage roads
- Watching the captain haul lobster traps on Frenchman Bay, with seals on the ledges
- Three nights in Bar Harbor, with a free afternoon on the Shore Path and the village green
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 865 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Boston to North Conway
Boston Logan airport to North Conway, New Hampshire, about 2 hours 45 minutes
- Dinner
- Stay in North Conway
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
Fly into Boston Logan (BOS) by about noon; there is no reason to take a dawn flight. Your See Sight Tours guide meets you at arrivals and the driver loads the bags into our van.
Afternoon
We leave the city on Interstate 95, cross the short New Hampshire coast near Portsmouth and turn north on Route 16 through the lakes and woods around Ossipee, stopping about halfway for lunch on your own, toilets and a stretch. As the road rises, the maples on the hillsides turn orange and red. We reach North Conway, a small town in the Mount Washington Valley, by about 3:30 pm and check in to the hotel for two nights, with a lift to your floor or a ground-floor room. The rest of the afternoon is free: a rest after the journey, or a slow walk along the flat main street to the old railway station of 1874, with benches on the way.
Evening
The welcome dinner is at about 6:30 pm.
Included
- Pick-up at Boston Logan airport (BOS)
- Welcome dinner in North Conway
Easier option: Rest at the hotel after the drive.
More active option: Walk the main street to the railway station and back, about 2 km.
Free time: Afternoon free from about 3:30 pm
Activity: Land at Boston Logan by about noon. Lunch is on your own at the halfway stop.
The Cog Railway up Mount Washington
North Conway through Crawford Notch to the Cog Railway base station and back, about 2 hours 30 minutes in two legs
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in North Conway
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
Breakfast is unhurried, and we leave at about 9:15 am for the hour's drive through Crawford Notch, a steep pass where the road runs below granite cliffs and the colour is often at its brightest in early October. At the base station we board the Mount Washington Cog Railway on a late-morning departure. It has carried passengers to the summit since 1869, pushing up three miles of track with grades as steep as 37 percent, over the curved trestle called Jacob's Ladder and above the tree line. The ride is seated both ways. At 6,288 feet (1,917 m), Mount Washington is the highest peak in the northeastern United States, and on a clear day the view reaches into four states and Quebec. You can stay close to the train and the summit building during the hour at the top. Summit trips run only when the weather allows.
Afternoon
Lunch is near the base, then on the way back we pause at Silver Cascade and Flume Cascade, two waterfalls a few steps from the road.
Evening
Back at about 4 pm, with dinner together in North Conway.
Included
- Mount Washington Cog Railway round trip to the summit, weather permitting
- Lunch near the base station
- Crawford Notch with stops at Silver Cascade and Flume Cascade
- Dinner in North Conway
Optional experiences
- The Conway Scenic Railroad Valley train from North Conway, about an hour in vintage coaches, in the late afternoon (price shown at booking)
Easier option: Stay in the warm summit building at the top, and see the waterfalls from the van-side pull-offs.
More active option: A short walk on the rocks around the summit with the guide, weather permitting.
Free time: An hour at the hotel before dinner
Activity: About 1 km on foot. Warm layers, a hat and gloves for the summit. Boarding the train is a step or two with a hand from the crew.
Camden and on to Bar Harbor
North Conway to Camden, about 3 hours split by a coffee stop, then Camden to Bar Harbor, about 1 hour 45 minutes
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bar Harbor
- Drive about 5 h
Today crosses Maine from the mountains to the sea, the longest day in the van, about four and three-quarter hours in all.
Evening
We accept it so that you then have three nights in one place; a stop in between would mean a single-night hotel. We split it with a proper break. We leave North Conway at about 9 am, stop halfway for coffee and toilets, and reach Camden at about noon for lunch by the harbour, where the windjammer schooners tie up. Afterwards the van drives up the road on Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park to the summit car park, with a view over the harbour and the islands of Penobscot Bay a few level steps away; the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote about this view. The stone tower has steps for anyone who wants the higher view. In the afternoon we follow the coast road through Belfast and Bucksport onto Mount Desert Island and reach Bar Harbor by about 5 pm. Dinner is on your own, close to the hotel.
Included
- Lunch in Camden by the harbour
- Mount Battie summit by road, Camden Hills State Park
Easier option: See the view from beside the van at the Mount Battie car park.
More active option: Climb the stone tower on Mount Battie, or walk the length of Camden harbour after lunch.
Free time: Evening free in Bar Harbor
Activity: About 1 km on foot. The longest legs are about 3 hours, split by a coffee stop, and 1 hour 45 minutes, with lunch and Mount Battie in between.
Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond and the carriage roads
Bar Harbor, the Park Loop Road, Cadillac Mountain and Jordan Pond, about 1 hour 15 minutes of driving in short legs
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bar Harbor
- Drive about 1.5 h
Acadia National Park takes up much of Mount Desert Island, and today we see it by van with short walks.
Morning
We leave at about 9:15 am for the Cadillac Summit Road, with summit road access booked by us for mid-morning. At 1,530 feet, Cadillac is the highest point on the Atlantic coast of the United States, and from the summit car park a short paved loop with benches looks over Bar Harbor and the islands of Frenchman Bay. Then the Park Loop Road along the coast: a stop above Sand Beach, and Thunder Hole, where waves boom into a slot in the granite when the tide is right; where the group prefers, we watch from the railing at the top rather than the steps down to the rocks.
Afternoon
Lunch is at Jordan Pond House, where hot popovers with strawberry jam have been served for more than a century, on the lawn above the pond. Afterwards a horse-drawn carriage takes us for an hour along the broken-stone carriage roads and over stone bridges. We are back in town by about 3:30 pm.
Included
- Acadia National Park entry
- Cadillac Mountain summit, road access booked by us
- Sand Beach overlook and Thunder Hole on the Park Loop Road
- Lunch with popovers at Jordan Pond House
- A 1-hour horse-drawn carriage ride on the carriage roads
Easier option: Stay on the Jordan Pond House lawn after lunch, and, where the group prefers, watch Thunder Hole from the railing at the top.
More active option: Walk a level stretch of the Ocean Path from Sand Beach to Thunder Hole, about 1.5 km, and meet the van there.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free from about 3:30 pm
Activity: About 2 km on foot in short stretches. Climbing into the carriage is a step or two with help from the driver.
A lobster boat and a free afternoon
Bar Harbor harbour and town, on foot and by boat
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Bar Harbor
- By boat
No van today.
Morning
After a late breakfast we walk a few minutes to the harbour for a mid-morning trip on a working lobster boat, a little under two hours on Frenchman Bay. Seats are on deck and in the cabin. The captain hauls a few traps, measures each lobster with a brass gauge and explains why the small ones and the egg-carrying females go back into the sea. Harbour seals often rest on the ledges, and seabirds work the water around the boat. Back on shore by about noon, the rest of the day is yours. Many guests walk part of the Shore Path, a level gravel path beside the water that starts at Agamont Park with benches along the way, or sit on the village green with a coffee. Others take a nap, browse the shops or book the optional whale cruise.
Evening
In the evening we meet for the farewell lobster dinner, with time to say thank you to the guide and driver.
Included
- Lobster boat trip on Frenchman Bay, about 1 hour 45 minutes
- Farewell lobster dinner in Bar Harbor
Optional experiences
- A whale-watching cruise from Bar Harbor in the afternoon, where the season still runs (price shown at booking)
Easier option: Sit in the boat's cabin out of the wind, then rest at the hotel in the afternoon.
More active option: Walk the whole Shore Path and back, about 2.5 km, or cross the sand bar to Bar Island at low tide.
Free time: Afternoon free from about noon
Activity: About 1 to 2 km on foot. The gangway down to the boat can be steep at low tide; the crew lend a hand.
Bar Harbor to Boston by way of Freeport
Bar Harbor to Freeport, about 2 hours 30 minutes, then Freeport to Boston Logan airport, about 2 hours
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 4.5 h
Afternoon
The second long day of the trip, about four and a half hours in all, and like day 3 it is split by a sit-down lunch so no leg runs over about two and a half hours. After breakfast we leave Bar Harbor at about 9:30 am, cross back to the mainland and drive south on Route 1 and Interstate 295, with a short stop for coffee on the way. We reach Freeport at about noon for lunch together and an hour to stretch your legs in the flat, compact centre around the L.L.Bean flagship store, which has benches outside and a giant boot by the door. At about 1:30 pm we carry on south past Portland and Portsmouth to Boston Logan, arriving at about 3:45 pm. Please book a domestic flight leaving after 6:30 pm, or an international flight leaving at 7 pm or later, since check-in opens about 3 hours ahead.
Evening
If you would rather not fly the same day, ask us about a night in Boston before you go home.
Included
- Lunch in Freeport
- Drop-off at Boston Logan airport (BOS)
Easier option: Stay at the lunch table with a coffee instead of walking the shops.
More active option: A walk along Freeport's main street before we leave.
Free time: An hour in Freeport after lunch
Activity: Book domestic flights leaving after 6:30 pm and international flights at 7 pm or later (about 3 hours for check-in).
- Bostonstart
- North Conway2 nights
- Bar Harbor3 nights
- Bostonend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Late September and early October bring crisp days, with afternoon highs of roughly 13 to 18°C (55 to 65°F) in the valleys and on the coast, cold nights in the mountains, and ice or even snow possible on the summit of Mount Washington. Mornings on the coast can start foggy and clear by midday, one more reason we do not start early. Harbour seals and seabirds are likely from the lobster boat. Moose live in the White Mountains but are not often seen from the road.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers over 60 who want the White Mountains and Acadia in the foliage weeks without daily hotel changes or early starts
- Anyone who walks comfortably for about 20 minutes at a time but not for hours
- Couples and solo travellers who want three nights in Bar Harbor and time to themselves
- First-time visitors who want the Cog Railway, Cadillac and Jordan Pond included and booked
Not for you if you want
- Wheelchair users who need a fully step-free trip: the train, boat and carriage each have a step or two
- Keen hikers looking for trail days; see our faster New England Fall Colours and Acadia trip
- Travellers who want a Boston city break; add nights before or after
- Anyone who cannot sit in a van for legs of up to about 3 hours on days 3 and 6
- Anyone who needs a guarantee of peak colour on a given date
Most guests are 60 and over
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
5 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- North Conway2 nights
- Bar Harbor3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 5 nights: 2 in North Conway and 3 in Bar Harbor
- Hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms and a lift to every guest floor, or ground-floor rooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Boston Logan airport (BOS) on day 1 and drop-off there on day 6, at set group times
- Our own van and professional driver for the group throughout, with fuel, parking and tolls
- The Mount Washington Cog Railway round trip
- A lobster boat trip on Frenchman Bay
- A horse-drawn carriage ride in Acadia
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from the day 1 pick-up to the day 6 drop-off
- The lobster boat's captain and the carriage driver in Acadia
Activities
- Mount Washington Cog Railway to the summit, weather permitting
- Crawford Notch, Silver Cascade and Flume Cascade
- Camden harbour
- Mount Battie and Camden Hills State Park entry
- Acadia National Park entry and Cadillac Mountain summit road access, booked by us
- Sand Beach overlook and Thunder Hole
- Jordan Pond
- A 1-hour carriage ride on Acadia's carriage roads
- Lobster boat trip from Bar Harbor
- Freeport
Meals
- 5 breakfasts
- 4 lunches: near the Cog Railway, in Camden, popovers at Jordan Pond House, and in Freeport
- 3 dinners: a welcome dinner and a second dinner in North Conway, and a farewell lobster dinner in Bar Harbor
Not included
- Flights to and from Boston
- Travel insurance
- Passports, and an ESTA or US visa where needed
- Lunches on days 1 and 5, and dinners on days 3 and 4
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, driver, boat captain and carriage driver
- Optional activities, such as the Conway Scenic Railroad and a whale cruise
- Personal expenses
- Hotel nights before day 1 or after day 6
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 865 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Five nights in hotels with lifts or ground-floor rooms, our van and driver with a See Sight Tours guide from Boston Logan and back, the Mount Washington Cog Railway, Acadia entry and Cadillac summit road access, a lobster boat, a carriage ride and Mount Battie, with 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners. Flights, drinks and tips are extra.
How much walking is there?
Under 5 km on any day, and usually 1 to 3 km, on level paths and town pavements with benches or the van close by. The Cog Railway and the summit roads do the climbing, and every stop with steps, such as the Mount Battie tower, has a viewpoint without them; at Thunder Hole we can watch from the railing at the top.
Are there early starts?
No. Every day starts at about 9 am or later. We book Cadillac Mountain summit road access for mid-morning rather than sunrise, and the Cog Railway and lobster boat on late-morning departures. Day 1 asks you to land in Boston by about noon.
How long are the drives?
Days 2, 4 and 5 have 2.5 hours or less in the van. Days 3 and 6 are about 4.5 to 5 hours in all, because Bar Harbor is that far from the mountains and from Boston. Each is split by a sit-down lunch, and the longest leg, about 3 hours, by a coffee stop.
Do the hotels have lifts?
Yes. We choose hotels with a lift to every guest floor, or put you in a ground-floor room, and name each hotel when we confirm your dates. Tell us when you book if you need a walk-in shower, grab rails or a room near the lift.
How big is the group, and who leads it?
Departures run with 7 to 12 guests in one van. A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the pick-up at Boston Logan to the drop-off there, and a professional driver handles every drive. The boat captain and the carriage driver lead their own parts of the day.
I am travelling alone. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own costs CAD 865 more for the five nights, shown before you book. Solo travellers are welcome and get the same rooms and seats as everyone else. We do not yet match solo travellers with a roommate.
When does the trip run, and will the leaves be at their peak?
Departures run from late September to mid-October, the usual peak for the White Mountains, with the Maine coast a little later. The exact week shifts every year, so no one can promise it, but even outside the peak the mountains and the coast are colourful in these weeks.
What happens if the weather closes the summit of Mount Washington?
The Cog Railway goes to the summit only when it is safe. If the summit is closed, the railway may run a shorter trip or none that day, and the guide fills the day with Crawford Notch, its waterfalls and, if the group likes, the Conway Scenic Railroad.
How does booking work?
Send a request to book with your preferred departure, the number of guests and any room needs. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private style is your party only, with your own guide and van, on a date you choose in the season, from CAD 8,885 per person, and you can set an even slower pace. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section for a quote.
Do Canadians need a passport or visa?
Canadian citizens need a valid passport to fly into the United States and no visa for a visit. Most other visitors need an ESTA or a US visa. Check that your travel insurance covers medical care in the United States, which is expensive.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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