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Maine Foliage Driving Tour

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(page 3 of 5)

Not far, at the junction of Routes 5 and 35, travelers encounter one of New England's most famous road signs. Arrows indicate mileage to some exotic-sounding Maine towns: Denmark, Naples, Sweden, Paris, Mexico, Norway, and a few others. Nearby Melby's Market and Eatery serves up local gossip and good food.

Day Two

Head north on Routes 5 and 35 to Bethel, the well-known ski town that is home to Sunday River. The views include Evans Notch, one of the region's most dramatic mountain passes. If you're getting anxious for a covered bridge, continue driving north about five miles toward Newry. Bear left on Sunday River Road, and right onto Skiway Road. Spanning the Sunday River is Artist's Covered Bridge, so named because of its attractiveness to many 19th-century landscape painters.

From Bethel, drive west on Route 2 to Gilead. We stopped at G&T Country Store for inexpensive sandwiches: egg salad, grilled cheese, and tuna. We passed up the freshly made lemon meringue pie and regretted it all afternoon. They also sell homemade biscuits. This local lunch counter is the spot to stock up on sandwiches, water, snacks, and juice before heading into the White Mountain National Forest.

Today is devoted to a hike in the White Mountain foothills. Hikes can range from a half-hour stroll along a river to a demanding nine-hour march up and across rugged granite ridges. If you are not in the mood for a strenuous day, just find a pull-off, safe from logging trucks, and pick your way along the big rocks along the Wild River. (We could have spent all day in the shallow riverbed.)

The region's best hiking is along the northern stretch of Route 113, which bisects the Evans Notch area of the White Mountain National Forest (a narrow two-lane road, closed during the winter). These leafy woodlands along the valley floor are uncommonly well-endowed with streams and tumbling waterfalls. The ridges, which run to about 3,000 feet (less than half Mount Washington's height), afford remarkable views stretching from Lake Sebago to the towering Presidential Range, which is often dusted with snow by early autumn.

One terrific hiking trip of medium difficulty, suitable for both novices and experienced hikers, is East Royce Mountain. The round-trip requires two to three hours, depending on your vigor and inclination to dawdle streamside along the way.

Heading south on 113, the East Royce trailhead will be on your right (marked with a small U.S. Forest Service sign fronting an unpaved 20-car parking lot). The 1.5-mile hike (one-way) begins with a gentle ramble along Royce Brook then heads upward, becoming more strenuous as you approach the summit. The trail is well-marked but rugged in spots. The best views of the notch -- and the entire eastern range of the White Mountains -- open up on a series of ledges about a quarter mile below the summit. Enjoy a picnic lunch, then retrace your steps back to your car.

Several other excellent hikes, including those in the wild Caribou-Speckled Wilderness Area, are easily accessible from Route 113. They're detailed in a free list of area hikes published by the White Mountain National Forest. Revive yourself with ice cream and baked goods at the Stow Corner Store & Bakery in Stow.

Prepare to slow way down as you drive through North Fryeburg. Pretty farms give way to rolling hills in a land that reveals why this area was settled long before other parts of Maine. Known to locals as the intervale, rich soil in this floodplain produces bountiful crops of potatoes, sweet and field corn, beans, and squash. Now it makes sense that the state's largest agricultural fair is held in Fryeberg.