New England Inn-to-Inn Routes: How Multi-Night Mountain Trips Work

Route 100 runs about 215 miles through the Green Mountains, from the Massachusetts border to Newport near the Canadian line, through ski towns, villages and farm valleys. The towns along it are 20 to 40 minutes apart, most have at least one independent inn, and the road is a scenic route, not a highway. A three- or four-night trip can start in Brattleboro and Newfane on Route 30, then follow Route 100 north through Ludlow, Warren and Stowe.

Several inns on this route work as single stops. The Four Columns Inn is a Greek Revival inn on the Newfane common, The Pitcher Inn in Warren has 11 rooms each designed around a Vermont theme, and The Woodstock Inn & Resort sits on the village green in Woodstock, a short detour east. Vermont State Parks has campgrounds and day-use areas along Route 100 for hiking and swimming between stops.

The White Mountains route follows Route 302 west from North Conway through Crawford Notch to Bretton Woods and Twin Mountain. North Conway to Bretton Woods is only about 30 miles, which leaves time for hikes between inns. The Notchland Inn in Hart's Location, an 1860s granite mansion with 15 fireplace rooms, and The Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods show the range: a small historic inn one night, a 1902 grand hotel the next.

From Bretton Woods, Route 3 leads on to Franconia and Sugar Hill, on the western side of the range near Franconia Notch. The Franconia Inn and Hideaway Inn Franconia Notch, the surviving annex of the Sunset Hill grand hotel, are the main inns there. The full route from North Conway to Sugar Hill takes three to four nights.

The Berkshires route follows Route 7 about 40 miles from Great Barrington north to Williamstown, which suits a two- or three-night trip. The towns are closer together than on the other two routes. Great Barrington has restaurants and hiking nearby, Stockbridge has the Norman Rockwell Museum and The Red Lion Inn, Lenox has Tanglewood and its estate inns, and Williamstown has the Clark Art Institute and Williams College.

The Berkshires route suits travelers who want museums, music and theater between inn stays, which the Vermont and White Mountains routes have less of. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation manages Mount Greylock and other hiking areas a short drive from Route 7.

By car, inn-to-inn in New England needs no special logistics. Most independent inns will hold luggage if guests arrive early, and checkout is usually 11 AM to noon. A typical day on a three-night trip: breakfast at the first inn, a drive of about 90 minutes with a stop for a hike, a village walk or lunch, arrival at the next inn in mid-afternoon, and dinner in town.

Booking windows vary by route and season. Vermont's Route 100 inns fill one to three months ahead for foliage in late September and October and for ski season, while the White Mountains and the Berkshires usually have more midweek rooms. Cancellation policies at independent inns tend to be stricter than at hotels, often 7 to 14 days, so book once the dates are firm.

Fall foliage is the main season for inn-to-inn travel on all three routes. Color usually moves from north to south and from higher to lower ground through late September and October, so a north-to-south trip along Route 100 can follow it. Peak foliage weekends in Vermont and the Berkshires need booking two to three months ahead. Summer works on all three routes, with more rooms midweek, and winter trips in the White Mountains or Vermont can combine skiing with inn stays, though some smaller inns close for part of the winter or spring.