It’s peak foliage season in New England, which means the ski resorts around the region look absolutely stunning right now. There are some typical trends for tourists that travel to New England each fall: Riding the Tram At Cannon or taking in a bumper-to-bumper drive on the Kancamangus Highway. After experiencing Mad River Glen during the fall for the past two years, I think I’ve found my go-to foliage tradition.
Mad River Glen in Vermont opens its Single Chair each fall for foliage rides. It’s unique because it’s one of the few operating single chairs in the United States, and it allows you to explore one of the most challenging ski areas in the Northeast. It’s something I did last year as well, which was a pretty fun experience. I decided to come back to check out the foliage, hike around Mad River Glen to scope out the terrain, and pick up a few of those new James Nieuhus-drawn trail maps. This year, it was a lot colder, which brought some surprises along with the temperature.
I got to the base of Mad River Glen at around 1 p.m., and I definitely realized how chilly it was. The ride-up felt like it was riding the Single Chair during the winter. All that was needed was some snow. Once I got past the mid-station, I was surprised to see some white stuff on the ground and on the tree branches. It turns out that there was a dusting of snow in the upper elevations of New England, which included Mt. Washington, Mt. Mansfield, Stowe, and other mountains across New England.
To warm myself up, I decided to hike down to the base, and hike up to the top of Sunnyside to check out that portion of the mountain. Mad River Glen’s steepness is truly impressive, as the upper third of Mt. Stark and Sunnyside are among the gnarliest on the East Coast. There is also some easy and intermediate terrain on the mountain, so there’s really skiing for everybody, even if their slogan is Ski It If You Can.
For fall foliage experiences, heading to Mad River Glen is one of the best in the Northeast. There’s some waiting involved due to it being a single chairlift, but it beats sitting in traffic on the Kanc. It’s my unofficial recommendation for a New England fall activity.
Image Credits: Ian Wood of Unofficial Networks, Mad River Glen
