Day 64 The Ultimate USA Road Trip Mount Washington Burlington
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert René Plücken (MRA Master)
Last edit: 05-05-2023
Route Summary I have further supplemented the Road Trip with even more special points that you can visit in the USA. Today we drive from Mount Washington in the mountains of New Hampshire to Burlington Vermont on the shores of Lake Champlain. The route is almost 300 kilometers long with beautiful roads with great views and a number of beautiful stops.
We ride scenic winding roads through the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont, with multiple stops planned along the route for points of interest and photo opportunities.
I rate this route with 5 stars.
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Animation
Verdict
Duration
10h 30m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
298.65 km
Countries
RouteXpert Review Less than 4 kilometers from the starting point The Glenn House is Pinkham Notch, a mountain pass in the White Mountains. The pass is the result of erosion by the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Wisconsinian Ice Age.
Pinkham Notch was eroded into a glacial U-shaped valley whose walls are formed by the Presidential, Wildcat, and Carter-Moriah ranges. Due to the volatility of the area's climate and the rugged nature of the terrain, a number of rare or endemic ecosystems have developed throughout the indentation. At Ellis River you can admire the Crystal Cascades, a waterfall of about 30 meters.
We drive on the US302 and along this beautiful winding road we pass a number of beautiful bridges. Two in particular are definitely worth a stop.
The first is the Jackson Honeymoon Covered Bridge, built by Charles Austin Broughton and his son Frank. Charles was a sergeant in the 18th Regiment of the New Hampshire Volunteers, Company E during the Civil War. He was a true carpenter, an avid violinist and a skilled bear hunter. For ten years he was an agent for the Swift River Lumber Company in Albany, New Hampshire. The Honeymoon Bridge is eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The second bridge is The Bartlett Covered Bridge, which was abandoned in 1939 and closed to traffic. It was later rebuilt for $20,000. In the 1950s it was used to store snow fences. In 1966 the bridge and the surrounding land was sold to a private individual. It was repaired by Milton Graton that same year. The owner built a gift and antique shop in the bridge. The current owners of the bridge and gift shop are Marc and Mary Ellen Frydman. In 1990, the Frydmans renovated the bridge. The renovation consisted of strengthening the arches, replacing cracked elements and removing one layer of decking. The Bartlett Covered Bridge is eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nice place for a slightly longer stop.
We stop at the “Mount Washington Cog Railway”, also known as “The Cog”, it is the world's first mountain climbing cog railway. Climbing Mount Washington, the railroad uses a Marsh rack system and both steam and biodiesel locomotives to transport tourists to the top of the mountain.
It is the second steepest rack railway in the world, after the Pilatus Railway in Switzerland, with an average gradient of over 25% and a maximum gradient of 37%. The railway is approximately 3 miles (5 km) long and climbs the western slope of Mount Washington, beginning at an elevation of approximately 2,700 feet (820 m) above sea level and ending just short of the mountain's 6,288-foot (1,917 m) summit. . The train climbs the mountain at a speed of 2.8 miles per hour (4.5 km/h) and descends at a speed of 4.6 mph (7.4 km/h).
Motive power is primarily provided by a fleet of seven high-performance biodiesel locomotives, each custom designed, built and maintained on site. And in a nod to its steam heritage, the railway also continues to operate a pair of coal-fired steam engines in the warmer months, both well over a century old. Steam locomotives take about 65 minutes to ascend and 40 minutes to descend, while the biodiesel engines can ascend in just 36 minutes.
We drive on the beautiful winding US302 to Littleton, a nice place for a break and sightseeing. Take a stroll down New Hampshire's prettiest main street and step back in time. This walkable downtown is all about the kinds of shops you don't see very often anymore: candy stores, toy stores, mom-and-pop stores, and retro diners.
Littleton's Main Street offers the perfect mix of nostalgic historic storefronts like Lahout's Ski Shop, the oldest ski shop in the country; Jax Jr. Cinemas, with its retro marquee; and the Little Village Toy & Book Shop, an absolute gem of a toy store; along with more modern retailers. Numerous coffee shops and clothing stores alternate with traditional shops.
Chutters Candy Store is home to the world's longest candy counter, and the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen features art, jewelry, and home decor made by New Hampshire artisans. Littleton's historic district is the perfect starting (and ending) point for your visit to New Hampshire and is especially a good place to shop for souvenirs.
We drive from New Hampshire to Vermont, also a state with beautiful mountains and wonderful nature. We deviate briefly from the route to drive the Historic Auto Toll Road, zig-zag up Mount Mansfield, where stunning views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains await. The drive is approximately 4.5 miles (7.2km) of stunning natural beauty. At approximately 4100ft (1,250 meters) elevation ie a parking lot, from here you can explore, relax and take it all in. Please note there are no dining or dining options available on this toll road, which is open in the summer and fall from 5/27/23 to 10/15/23 and the cost is $29 and $11 per passenger.
From Mount Mansfield it is about 70 kilometers to the end point of this day. We overnight in beautiful Burlington, home to a thriving arts scene, museums and educational opportunities, great shopping, three colleges and a university, as well as a full range of four-season outdoor activities. It's no wonder this small, friendly town consistently earns national awards. Fountains, a paved pedestrian mall, and historic buildings provide the backdrop for the Church Street Marketplace, where specialty shops and national retailers mingle with restaurants and cultural venues. Outdoor cafes, street vendors and entertainers keep things lively long after sunset. Festivals are held throughout the year with events such as New Year's First Night Celebration and the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival drawing visitors from all over the Northeast. A short walk from Church Street takes visitors to nearby Burlington Waterfront Park, where ferries, tour boats and a 12-mile walking/biking trail connect to the Lake Champlain Islands via a bicycle ferry in the summer. Bicycles, roller skates, kayaks and sailboats are all available for hire and the views across the lake are spectacular.
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Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
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Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
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Vermont
About this region
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the United States. It borders the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Vermont is the only state in New England that does not border the Atlantic Ocean. Vermont is the second-least-populated U.S. state after Wyoming and the sixth-smallest by area of the 50 U.S. states with a recorded population of 643,503 according to the 2020 U.S. census. The state capital is Montpelier, the least-populous state capital in the United States. The most-populous city, Burlington, is the least-populous city to be the most-populous city in a state.
For some 12,000 years, indigenous peoples inhabited this area. The historically competitive tribes of the Algonquian-speaking Abenaki and Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk were active in the area at the time of European encounter. During the 17th century, French colonists claimed the territory as part of the Kingdom of France's colony of New France. After the Kingdom of Great Britain began to settle colonies to the south along the Atlantic coast, the two nations competed in North America in addition to Europe. After being defeated in 1763 in the Seven Years' War, France ceded its territory east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain.
Thereafter, the nearby British Thirteen Colonies, especially the provinces of New Hampshire and New York, disputed the extent of the area called the New Hampshire Grants to the west of the Connecticut River, encompassing present-day Vermont. The provincial government of New York sold land grants to settlers in the region, which conflicted with earlier grants from the government of New Hampshire. The Green Mountain Boys militia protected the interests of the established New Hampshire land grant settlers against the newly arrived settlers with land titles granted by New York. Ultimately, a group of settlers with New Hampshire land grant titles established the Vermont Republic in 1777 as an independent state during the American Revolutionary War. The Vermont Republic abolished slavery before any of the other states.Vermont was admitted to the newly established United States as the fourteenth state in 1791. During the mid-19th century, Vermont was a strong source of abolitionist sentiment, although it was also tied to King Cotton through the development of textile mills in the region, which relied on southern cotton. It sent a significant contingent of soldiers to participate in the American Civil War.
The geography of the state is marked by the Green Mountains, which run north–south up the middle of the state, separating Lake Champlain and other valley terrain on the west from the Connecticut River valley that defines much of its eastern border. A majority of its terrain is forested with hardwoods and conifers, and a majority of its open land is devoted to agriculture. The state's climate is characterized by warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters.
Vermont's economic activity of $34 billion in 2018 ranked last on the list of U.S. states and territories by GDP but 34th in GDP per capita. In 2000, the state legislature was the first to recognize civil unions for same-sex couples.
Read more on Wikipedia
For some 12,000 years, indigenous peoples inhabited this area. The historically competitive tribes of the Algonquian-speaking Abenaki and Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk were active in the area at the time of European encounter. During the 17th century, French colonists claimed the territory as part of the Kingdom of France's colony of New France. After the Kingdom of Great Britain began to settle colonies to the south along the Atlantic coast, the two nations competed in North America in addition to Europe. After being defeated in 1763 in the Seven Years' War, France ceded its territory east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain.
Thereafter, the nearby British Thirteen Colonies, especially the provinces of New Hampshire and New York, disputed the extent of the area called the New Hampshire Grants to the west of the Connecticut River, encompassing present-day Vermont. The provincial government of New York sold land grants to settlers in the region, which conflicted with earlier grants from the government of New Hampshire. The Green Mountain Boys militia protected the interests of the established New Hampshire land grant settlers against the newly arrived settlers with land titles granted by New York. Ultimately, a group of settlers with New Hampshire land grant titles established the Vermont Republic in 1777 as an independent state during the American Revolutionary War. The Vermont Republic abolished slavery before any of the other states.Vermont was admitted to the newly established United States as the fourteenth state in 1791. During the mid-19th century, Vermont was a strong source of abolitionist sentiment, although it was also tied to King Cotton through the development of textile mills in the region, which relied on southern cotton. It sent a significant contingent of soldiers to participate in the American Civil War.
The geography of the state is marked by the Green Mountains, which run north–south up the middle of the state, separating Lake Champlain and other valley terrain on the west from the Connecticut River valley that defines much of its eastern border. A majority of its terrain is forested with hardwoods and conifers, and a majority of its open land is devoted to agriculture. The state's climate is characterized by warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters.
Vermont's economic activity of $34 billion in 2018 ranked last on the list of U.S. states and territories by GDP but 34th in GDP per capita. In 2000, the state legislature was the first to recognize civil unions for same-sex couples.
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Route Collections in this region Ultimate USA road trip part 07
Michel van Hagen challenged me to follow the Roadtrip of Dr. Randy Olsen as a basis to create the Ultimate USA Road Trip for the MyRoute app RouteXpert Library. I took up that challenge and started in February 2022.
The scientist Dr. Randy Olsen, who became known for using his knowledge of algorithms to find 'Waldo' in the well-known American 'Where's Waldo' book series, has been challenged by Tracy Staedter, from Discovery News, to use the same algorithm to create the perfect Road Trip by creating the US, which will visit almost every state in the US. Alaska and Hawaii are not included in this Road Trip due to their geographical location.
The following three requirements formed the basis of the route: In all 48 countries there must be at least one stop at famous points, monuments, historical sites, national parks, etc. I have added additional interesting points, beautiful tours and routes.
After more than 26 months, the job is finished and, with a lot of support from Nick Carthew, I have created 129 routes that run through the 48 states of the USA and part of Canada. This is the seventh collection that takes you from Salem in ten days through Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Canada, Pennsylvania and Ohio to Mackinaw City, Michigan.
The scientist Dr. Randy Olsen, who became known for using his knowledge of algorithms to find 'Waldo' in the well-known American 'Where's Waldo' book series, has been challenged by Tracy Staedter, from Discovery News, to use the same algorithm to create the perfect Road Trip by creating the US, which will visit almost every state in the US. Alaska and Hawaii are not included in this Road Trip due to their geographical location.
The following three requirements formed the basis of the route: In all 48 countries there must be at least one stop at famous points, monuments, historical sites, national parks, etc. I have added additional interesting points, beautiful tours and routes.
After more than 26 months, the job is finished and, with a lot of support from Nick Carthew, I have created 129 routes that run through the 48 states of the USA and part of Canada. This is the seventh collection that takes you from Salem in ten days through Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Canada, Pennsylvania and Ohio to Mackinaw City, Michigan.
View Route Collection