Lately, my new hobby has been creating digital scrapbook pages, mostly of my road trip adventures. These are some of my favorite memories and I’m very excited to have them all captured in one place. I’m big fan of traditional scrapbooking as well but digital also gives so much creative freedom and can easily be kept. If anyone is interested in creating a similar scrapbook, I created all of my pages in Canva. Stay tuned for more pages to come!
Fall in New England is a magical time of year that feels like it should only exist in a hallmark movie. Last year, Patrick and I planned a ten day road trip traveling through some of the most beautiful places throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. I wanted to create a post based on the itinerary we used last fall that will highlight our trip throughout this region of New England. I would highly recommended visiting this part of the country in the fall if you’re able!
🍁 The foliage varies year to year, but typically the first two weeks of October are a safe bet on when to plan your trip. I’d recommend using and regularly checking a fall foliage tracker, this surprisingly gives an accurate prediction on when the leaves are expected to change.
🎫 Some areas I’ll mention in this post will require additional reservations (i.e., the Flume Gorge in New Hampshire & entrance fees in Acadia national park). It’s always best to purchase tickets and reservations as soon as possible.
🎃 This region of the country is extremely popular during the fall season, for very good reason! I would recommend booking accommodations as soon as you’re able because things do fill up quickly. Also, keep in mind, this area will be busy and crowded, especially in popular sites and tourist attractions.
📆 Although this is a busy and popular time of year to visit, be sure to look up hours of availability of things you’d like to do as it will vary in the fall season. We learned, a lot of places start to slow down and prepare to close up for the winter by mid October, so be sure you check timing of things. We almost missed a chance to tour a maple syrup farm because we didn’t realize they were closed certain days of the week in the fall!
Like I mentioned, it’s hard to recommend a specific time to book and arrange your fall trip since the fall foliage varies each year. However, it seems like the first two weeks of October are pretty consistent and a great time to visit. We also made sure to start our trip in Vermont and end it in Maine since it seemed like the leaves in Vermont were predicted to change sooner.
During the fall, it’s typically cooler temperatures and rainy days so layers are a must! Here’s a basic list to base your packing needs off of:
Throughout most of our road trips, we typically stay at campgrounds because it’s enjoyable and less expensive. For this trip however, it was a little different. We had difficulties finding campgrounds nearby the spots in Vermont we were trying to visit so we only stayed at airbnb’s during that part of our trip. If you’re hoping for convenient locations in each spot, hotels are probably the best option. Keep in mind, because this is a popular time of year for visitors, hotel prices can be expensive and rooms book up quickly. Similarly for airbnb’s, I booked most of ours 6-8 months in advance just to ensure we could find places nearby within our budget.
Some well known hotels in the areas on this itinerary:
Starting the trip will depend on where you are coming from. Since we were driving from Ohio, we started our trip in Vermont. If you fly in, you can decide which location you’d rather start at (you can’t go wrong either!). Most people seem to fly into either Boston or NYC to start their journey into the New England area. There doesn’t seem to be a convenient airport closer to Vermont or New Hampshire. For this itinerary, I’ll be sharing things to do in the Woodstock and Stowe areas of Vermont, the White Mountains national forest in New Hampshire, and Acadia national park and parts of coastal Maine.
We started our trip exploring parts of Vermont. We spent 3 full days here splitting our time between Stowe and Woodstock. After our experience in both, Stowe seemed to have more options for restaurants, activities, and shops compared to Woodstock so keep that in mind! If you’re interested in more details, be sure to check out my Woodstock, VT blog post.
Stowe, VT
Day one
🌛Airbnb nearby
Day two
🌛Airbnb nearby
Day three
Woodstock, VT
🌛Airbnb nearby
Our time in New Hampshire was short and sweet but the fall foliage was incredible! We focused our time here in the White Mountains area exploring the kancamagus highway and the Franconia state park. This was a heavily crowded and congested area so be prepared for lots of wait times.
Day Four
🌛Hancock campground
Day Five
🌛Hancock campground
We took this trip nearly a year ago and I’m still thinking about Maine. It’s truly a magical and dreamy place, that has it all; lakes, ocean, and mountains! This section of our trip was one of my favorites and I cannot wait to return someday. Over the years, Patrick and I have visited several national parks and Acadia is definitely in our top five, it’s such an amazing park. I have a separate blog post with more details about our time in Acadia, you can read here.
Day six
🌛Blackwoods campground
Day Seven
🌛Blackwoods campground
Day Eight
🌛Blackwoods campground
This part of the trip, we devoted time to exploring small towns along the coast of Maine. I wish we could’ve had more time here so I’d recommend spending some extra time in these towns if you’re looking for the slow, small town feel. If you’re interested in learning more, check out my coastal Maine blog post here for more details.
Day Nine
🌛 Airbnb in Kennebuckport
Day Ten
🌛 Airbnb in Kennebuckport
This is truly a trip of a lifetime and should be on everyone’s bucket lists, I can’t recommend spending the fall in New England enough!
Yosemite national park is one of the most magical national parks I’ve visited yet. It’s full of stunning landscapes, beautiful water falls, and jaw dropping valley views. Patrick and I recently took a two week cross country road trip and spent a weekend exploring Yosemite valley. Here’s a small guide of how we spent a few days exploring this incredible national park.
🎟 There’s a $35 entrance fee to enter the park which is valid for 7 days. If you plan to visit a few national parks in one trip, I’d highly recommend the ‘america the beautiful’ pass. It’s $80 and valid for one year which allows you to visit any national park throughout the country.
⏱ During peak season, Yosemite requires a reservation entry ticket. The dates for the summer months are posted on their website. This year, it’s a little different, the park requires reservation tickets between June 15th-August 15th and again August 30-September 1st, 2025. Reservation tickets are $2 and valid for a 3 day period. One thing to keep in mind is reservation tickets can only be purchased online in advance, not in person.
⛰ The most popular area of Yosemite national park is the Yosemite valley area. This is where all of the iconic spots are (El Cap, upper falls, curry village, etc) and also where several campgrounds as well as some hotels are located. It’s the most central area to stay when visiting, which makes it very crowded! If you don’t stay in Yosemite valley, there are other options which will likely be at least an hour drive outside of the valley so keep that in mind.
🏕 There are 13 campgrounds in the park, and 4 campgrounds in the Yosemite valley area. If you are planning to camp, be prepared for campsites to sell out almost instantly when they become available. We ended up getting a last minute spot at upper pines campground a few days before our trip, but otherwise we stayed at the camp curry village tents. If you aren’t able to get a campground spot, I’d recommend checking the site frequently as it seems like people cancel often or the park releases some spots slowly. Be sure to check out the park’s website before visiting, reservations are not taken in person. We opted to sleep in Yosemite valley to make exploring more convenient but there are other campgrounds and hotel options outside of the valley as well.
Go for a hike.
There are several beautiful hiking trails throughout the park, especially throughout the valley.
We hiked the iconic ‘mist trail’ all the way to vernal falls and it was incredible! It is definitely a well known hike which makes it crowded but we started earlier in the morning which helped beat some of the crowds. If you want more of a challenge, you can continue hiking to Nevada falls for a different view of the waterfalls. Be prepared to get wet from the vernal waterfall, the name of this hike is for good reason, there’s lots of mist! Although, on a hot day, the mist actually feels great. If you only have time for one hike while visiting, let it be the mist trail.
Another great trail we enjoyed was the sentinel meadow cook’s meadow loop. It’s along the well known boardwalks in the park and it provides stunning views of the valley and also the meadows.
Rent bikes!
This is a must do when visiting Yosemite! Biking around Yosemite valley should be on everyone’s bucket list, it truly gives such a unique view of the park and it’s so much easier to get to places without the hassle of parking a car. We rented bikes in Curry village but it’s also possible rent bikes at the welcome center in the valley. Prices vary but it was about $30 each for a half day rental and $60 for a full day rental.
Spend time in Curry Village.
This is another popular spot within the park! There’s several restaurants, shops, and the classic curry village tents. In the village, there’s also laundry and showers available for visitors. This was the only national park we’ve ever visited where the showers were free! I would recommend stopping here for souvenirs or if you’re looking for a great lunch or dinner spot. We really loved meadows grill and the pizza deck. Additionally, this was the only national park we’ve been to where there is a coffee shop at the village!
If you’re interested in staying in the camp curry tents, this is the website to book. I would recommend staying here, it was such a fun experience! We loved the convenience of walking up right in the village and walking to get our morning coffee. Keep in mind, the tents are comfortable but not luxurious. There’s shared bathroom and shower stations, and no air conditioning. We visited in June but the nights were cool which made sleeping conditions perfect.
Explore the meadows.
There are several meadows within the park that are fun to check out! We loved the meadow near Sentinel bridge and the El Cap meadow.
Stop by glacier point for sunset
This is a must see when visiting Yosemite. It’s about an hour drive from the valley area but definitely worth the drive, especially to catch sunset at glacier point. Here, you’ll find a frontal view of half dome and incredible views of the rest of the valley.
Stop by Tunnel view.
This is a popular pull off spot in the park after passing through the famous tunnel that leads you down towards Yosemite valley. This is a great stop to pull off and grab some photos of the valley opening up and get a peak at half dome.
There’s been a lot of recent news and updates regarding the future of national parks. If you’ve read my blog before, you probably know national park travel is so important to me. If you’ve visited a national park before, you likely understand why they need to be protected. I consider it such a gift to have these stunning places throughout the country, full of beautiful scenery, incredible wildlife, and wonderful hikes and activities to explore. These places wouldn’t exist or thrive without the work and dedication of so many park rangers, forest service workers, and volunteers of the national park service.
The current administration recently fired thousands of public land and national park employees, leaving these magical places at risk. Not only for the visitors who cherish these places but for the wildlife that are able to call these places home.
The current updates have been very unsettling for me and I wanted to create a post sharing resources and things to be aware of if you also love and appreciate our national parks. I will also be sharing ways to advocate and do our part in maintaining the national parks to the best we can.
Due to the lack of staffing, there may be many changes within major national parks. It’s easy to not always recognize how much these workers contribute to the parks because of how much time and effort goes into caring for these areas. Now more than ever, it will be important for all of us to do our part. There’s a lot we still don’t know but, for now, these are things that may be a result of less staff to assist in maintaining the parks and public lands.
I will be sharing more information as we continue to learn more about these changes. National parks are truly so special and I hope we can all make an effort to continue to protect them.
National park travel has become such an important part of my life and easily my favorite kind of travel. There are currently 63 established national parks in the United States and each year, there are new rules, permits, reservations, and important information you need to know before visiting. Gone are the days of spontaneously showing up to some popular parks and having an impromptu trip. Planning is required to ensure your trip is what you hope and expect it to be! I created this guide, similar to last year’s with important information about certain national parks you may need to know before visiting.
Many national parks require a park pass to access the park and are typically valid for 7 days. This is still needed on top of any reservation or permit required. I would recommend looking at your desired national park’s website to make sure a park pass is required or not, however, this can be purchased when entering the park. The main difference between the two is a reservation or permit that is required needs to be purchased in advance before trip dates. The entrance kiosks and visitor’s centers will not sell these types of reservations in person.
It’s important to check on park’s websites when and what kind of reservations may be required. Typically, these kinds of reservations are specifically required during peak seasons (summer-fall).
*as of January 2025*
keep in mind, if you plan to visit all three areas of glacier, you may need three different types of reservation tickets. Check out my blog post about Glacier National park here for more information on the park.
It seems like more parks are trying to implement some kind of reservation system depending on the amount of crowds they see. I would recommend checking any park’s website you plan to visit prior to your trip to determine if any other decisions are made throughout the year to require reservations or permits to access areas.
Keep up to date with tracking what national parks you’ve visited! Download my free national park checklist below. I created two versions, horizontal and vertical PDF’s.
If you don’t get a reservation or if you missed your window to purchase one, here are a few options to still be able to access reserved areas of the park:
This past fall, Patrick and I went on a two week road trip through various areas of New England. The trip ended with some time in Maine where we first explored Acadia national park and then made our way down the coast to visit various coastal towns. The best part about this area of Maine is that these small coastal towns are all within a short drive from each other so it’s possible to pick a home base and make some day trips. Patrick and I fell in love with this area of Maine and enjoyed about three days exploring various little towns, eating amazing lobster, enjoying sunsets at gorgeous lighthouses, and to top off our time in Maine, we left engaged! Here’s a quick guide to a few of our favorite towns along the coast of Maine.
Portland is a major stop when traveling through this area of Maine. We had a half day here and mostly strolled around the main areas of downtown going in and out of shops and enjoying some of the best lobster we’ve ever had! Some of our favorite stops:
Food
Shops
Activities
When we were planning this road trip, we weren’t planning to stay in Kennebuckport or pass through it. However, we had a last minute change to our itinerary because we decided we’d rather have an airbnb instead of camp the last few nights of the trip so I quickly found us a cute spot to stay and it ended up being in Kennebuckport. We were so happy this came to be! Kennebuckport is such a charming coastal town. It gives that small town feel where all the locals know each other, everyone walks to work, and there’s only small businesses in town. I’d definitely recommended stopping or staying in Kennebuckport if you’re driving down the coast. Some of our favorite stops:
Food
Shops
Ogunquit was a stop along the road trip I was excited about because I had seen some many other blog posts and photos highlighting the town’s beauty. It’s another charming coastal town with such a special feeling. We enjoyed spending an afternoon here walking around and soaking in more incredible Maine views. In the future, I’d love to visit this area again and stay overnight. If you’re visiting as a day trip like we did, keep in mind, parking can be a bit pricey. Our favorite stops:
Food
Shops
Activities
York was another last minute stop. We had some down time and we saw York was only 20 minutes away from Ogunquit and we decided to make the drive there for sunset. York ended up being one of my favorite stops because of the memories made here. One of the main things do to in York in visit Nubble lighthouse, it’s the heart of the town. We decided to spend sunset here and it was one of the most beautiful sunsets I’d ever seen. As the sun was setting, Patrick and I set up our tripod to take some videos and photos together, as we always do when traveling together, and to my surprise Patrick ended up proposing! It was such a beautiful moment and I couldn’t have asked for a better sunset and evening. York is a place I’ll cherish forever because of this incredible moment.
Since we were only in York for a couple of hours, the only thing I can really recommend is going to Nubble lighthouse for sunset! There is a sweet gift shop right near the lighthouse with bathrooms, souvenirs, and information about the town. While driving through the town, it seems like a sweet area with lots of activities especially available during the warmer months of the year.
Activities
Acadia national park is one of the most magical national parks I’ve been to yet. I had the opportunity to visit during the fall time and the fall foliage enhanced the beauty of the park. Acadia is located nearby Bar Harbor, Maine and it provides stunning mountain, coastal, lake views and scenery. Here’s a guide to things I’d recommend doing on a trip to Acadia.
🎟 The park requires a park fee. It’s $35 for a 7 day period. I’d highly recommend purchasing the America the Beautiful pass if you plan to visit multiple national parks at once. The annual pass is $80 and gets you into national parks around the country for a year!
🦞 The closest town to the park is Bar Harbor and when I say close, I mean very close! Bar Harbor is about 15 minutes away (or less) from popular spots in the national park. The proximity is so convenient and it was so nice having lodging and eating options close by.
🏕 There are four established campgrounds within the park. I’d suggest making a reservation well in advance if you plan to camp, typically reservations open 6 months before your trip date, however, Acadia’s reservation period opens 2 months before your trip dates. We stayed at Blackwoods campground which is the most conveniently located campground in the park if you plan to visit major spots inside the park and Bar Harbor. Be sure to research on where in the park you’d like to be, the campgrounds are spread across the entire park. There are also no showers within the campgrounds so be prepared to find a way to shower elsewhere if needed. While we were staying at Blackwoods campground, there was a nearby shower house that is open 24 hours to the public. It’s located at 14 Otter Creek Drive.
Aside from campgrounds, there are plenty of hotels and lodging options inside Bar Harbor. It seems like a popular area, so I’d also recommend booking accommodations in advance if possible, especially if you plan to visit during the summer or fall time.
🌊 The park loop road is the scenic road that connects major highlights and viewing points of the park. Keep in mind, there is an area on the road that’s one way only so if you miss your stop, you’ll have to go around the loop again.
Acadia has so many incredible hikes! They are known for three hikes that require use of a ladder or iron rods to complete the hike. Although this may seem a little intimidating, it added such a fun element to a hike we’ve never experienced before. Here are some hikes I’d recommend adding to your list:
This is a must do while visiting the park. Cadillac mountain is the highest point in the park and there’s 360 views of the park, Bar Harbor, and other coastal parts of Maine. Keep in mind, during peak seasons, the park requires reservation tickets to limit the amount of crowds at a time. I’d recommend making a reservation for sunrise because during certain seasons, Cadillac mountain is the first point on the eastern coast that sees the sunrise. We were planning to visit during sunrise one day during our trip but unfortunately it rained so we rescheduled for a different day in the morning which was still beautiful!
As I’ve mentioned, Bar Harbor is an amazing Maine town! I’d take some time exploring the streets, shops, and restaurants. We spent several afternoons here shopping around for souvenirs and trying different restaurants. If you’re a camper like us, we were also able to do laundry in town which was helpful. Here are a few of my favorite spots in town I’d recommend:
As I’ve mentioned, this a beautiful scenic road! There’s a lot of trails and spots along the road so you’ll likely drive along this at some point. I’d recommend spending time at Otter cliffs, Thunder Hole, and Sand Beach which are all located off the scenic road.
This beautiful lighthouse is located in the Southwest harbor area of the park, about 20 minutes from the Bar Harbor area. This lighthouse is a must see while visiting the park. I’d recommend walking down to the rocks to get a great photo and view point of the lighthouse.
An iconic activity in the park is to have lunch at the Jordan Pond house restaurant and to try their famous popovers. This was on our bucket list while visiting, however, we didn’t have a reservation so the wait time was too long for us the day we tried. If you’re serious about trying a popover, I would recommend making a reservation or being prepared to wait for a while. The restaurant is beautiful and it’s surrounded by gorgeous Acadia views.
Patrick and I recently spent a long weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains national park. This was our second time visiting the park and it was just as magical as we remembered it being three years ago. This trip was special because it’s the first time we’ve gotten to revisit a national park we’ve already been to and we were celebrating my birthday. This trip, we were able to do and see a lot more compared to our first trip in the park. Here’s a weekend guide to the park based on some things we did:
Cades Cove loop. This is the top activity I’d recommend doing while visiting the park. Cades Cove offers a scenic 11 mile one way that you can drive along. There are so many pull off spots you can use to soak in the stunning views. You will definitely see wildlife here while driving through, this past trip we saw black bears from a distance but three years ago, we saw a family of black bears pretty close to the road which was incredible! This area does get crowded since it’s so accessible, so be prepared for lots of crowds and people driving slow to soak in the views and capture photos. There’s also an option to bike the loop and you can rent bikes at the convenience store before starting the loop. The Cades Cove visitor’s center is located along the loop, there are bathrooms there and a store you can stop by as well.
Newfound Gap Road. Another scenic road I’d recommend driving along is the Newfound Gap, it’s extremely scenic and also offers plenty of pull off spots. This road also takes you to popular hikes like the chimney tops trail and the alum cave trail.
Drive parts of the Blue Ridge highway. We had this on our list for the weekend, but weren’t able to fit it. The south end of the Blue Ridge highway is located close to the North Carolina part of the Smoky Mountains. It’s a long highway but worth driving along parts to soak in more mountain views!
Visit popular towns nearby. As I mentioned, the park is located around so many towns that offer lodging, restaurants, and souvenir shops. We spent some time exploring Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. I’d recommended exploring or checking out a restaurant in town. These towns are definitely overcrowded, especially in the summer time but still worth driving through.
Hike! Of course when visiting any national park, there will likely be some great hikes to try. This trip we planned for two popular hikes and I’m so glad we had the opportunity to hike these trails. Keep in mind, during the summer months, the parking lots for the trails fill up extremely quickly! We weren’t able to get to either hiking trail early in the day so we had to circle around a few times to find a parking spot. Some hikes I’d recommended adding to your list:
Go Fishing. If you like to fly fish, the park has some great rivers that are easily accessible. One thing to keep in mind is you do need a Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license if you plan to fish inside the national park. Fishing licenses can be purchased online, they are not sold at any store in the park.
I still consider myself new to the camping world. Before I met Patrick, I could count on one hand the amount of times I had camped. Camping became more frequent in my life when Patrick and I started traveling to national parks and forests and wanted a budget friendly way to sleep. Although it was an adjustment at first, I can now say, it’s one of my favorite ways to travel.
Since I’ve learned a lot from experience the last few years, I thought I’d share some camping essentials I’d recommend if you’re just starting out or if you’d like to camp more.
🏕 Tent: Having a tent is an obvious essential while camping! Although we’ve done our fair share of car camping, tent camping is more spacious and there’s better air ventilation. We recently invested in a new tent, REI base camp 4 and I’m so excited to test it out on our next camping trip.Before we were using the marmot limelight and loved it! Either are perfect options for first time campers. I’d recommend doing some research when picking a tent, it’s important to find a tent that will be durable and hold up during weather conditions.
🧊 Cooler for food storage : Having a cooler for your food is a must especially if you’re planning to camp. I’d recommend a basic cooler like this one for a weekend camping trip.
🍳 Cooking Prep: The convenience of cooking your own food while camping is so important! We love our Eureka stove, it’s perfect for cooking any meal and storing it easy! Having your own stove is also ideal if a campsite doesn’t have a stove top over the fire pit. We also use a pots and pan set from stanley and have enjoyed the easy set up of this equipment.
🛏 Sleep Prep: If you want something more than a sleeping bag while tent camping, I’d recommend a mattress! While camping we’ve tried an air mattress, a trifold mattress, and sleeping bags. For the last three years, we’ve been consistently using a full sized trifold mattress that fits well in our tent and car. We’ve learned throughout the years how essential proper sleep gear is while camping and it’s definitely worth the extra money! I’d recommend doing some research to determine what would be most comfortable for you.
🛋 Lounging: While camping, it’s also important to consider the gear you’ll use outside of your tent for relaxing. We love our camp chairs from Woods, they are so big and cozy, perfect for relaxing by a camp fire!
💧Water Jug: It’s important to have plenty of water while camping. We like to carry a water jug, especially during our longer trips. Most campgrounds and national parks also have water fill up spots which comes in handy if you have a big jug to fill up.
🔦 Lighting: Lighting is essential while camping, especially if you are camping during the fall and winter months when the sun goes down sooner. We like to have head lights, a lantern, and sometimes string lights to maximize our lighting if needed.
🩹 First aid kit: It’s always a good idea to have a first aid kit to prepared for any accidents.
These items are more of an investment and I’d recommend if you plan to camp often or for long periods of time. Although camping is meant to be minimalistic, I believe it’s still important to have some items that bring comfort and enhance the experience.
☎️ Satellite Phone: We always carry our garmin in reach mini while camping and hiking in more secluded areas. Typically most campgrounds have little to no service and it’s nice to have some security of reaching out for assistance if needed in an emergency or to reach out to people at home if needed.
🚽 Travel Toilet + Biodegradable waste bags: We invested in a travel toilet a couple years ago and it is amazing! It definitely comes in handy if the campground toilet is far away from our site or when we camp in primitive areas that don’t have any bathroom facilities. This travel toilet set up is so easy and you can purchase biodegradable waste bags and waste gel to ensure you are disposing properly. We also use a privacy tent at times if the campground is less secluded and we need to use the travel toilet.
🧊 Travel refrigerator: This cooler is great when traveling long distances or camping for long periods of time. No ice required and it has a refrigerator and freezer side. It does have to be plugged in but if you have the right equipment, it’s a nice investment piece to ensure proper food storage and care while camping.
🚰 Jet boil: This is convenient for quick food prep. The jet boil is able to boil water very quickly and definitely worth the extra money.
🚿 Rinse Kit: The rinse kit is great for showers if needed or for rinsing off dishes. Sometimes campgrounds have showers and dish stations, and sometimes not so we like having this as a backup solution for both.
🔌 Jackery: Another investment piece that may be necessary if traveling and camping long distances. This device charges our electronics and cooler throughout our entire trip. The battery lasts a decent amount but does have to charged up when running low. It can be recharged through a typical outlet or through solar panels which you can purchase on their website.
🔋 Jump start battery: This was a new purchase for us, for a long time we had been borrowing it from my sister, and although it’s an investment item, I consider it a necessity. There were a few times, our car battery died on us when camping out west and this was a relief to have this for a quick charge!
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