We’re going to be in northern New Hampshire for a family reunion. Horrible, horrible location for everyone who has to travel… but the person who picked the spot lives in NH and nobody argued so we’re stuck.
Anyway: we’re driving the whole way, and thought we’d visit Quebec afterward.
We’ll have just under a week all told. Tentative plans are to go directly from the reunion to Montreal (with a brief detour to Ben and Jerry’s), spend a few days there, and ultimately wind up in a small town about a half hour away from Quebec City to visit friends who live there.
What are the must-see things during 2ish days in Montreal?
What are the best things to do further up the St. Lawrence? Are whale-watching tours good that time of year?
Late June you say? Come to the Montreal Jazz Festival! Lots of free concerts, and paid ones if you want to see particular artists. The main venue is in the middle of downtown for convenient shopping, and right next to the contemporary art museum for a visit.
June 24th is the Fête nationale in Québec (province). Usually there are huge patriotic concerts in Québec (city) that night, so expect all hotels to be full in the area.
July 1st, 2017 is Canada’s 150th birthday. It will probably be low-key in Québec, as usual, but there will be huge celebrations in Ottawa.
In Montréal, the annual fireworks competition starts on July 1st. The city turns 375 next year, but events start now; see this link for events.
That’s what I thought too… White Mountains are very beautiful and the view from the top of Mt. Washington is great on a clear day.
If you’re talking about Ben & Jerry’s factory tour - that’s in Waterbury, VT and it’s pretty much the least compelling reason to visit Vermont, IMO. Much better off spending the day in Burlington, and enjoying the waterfront.
Two days in Montreal is just about right for a leisurely visit to the Old City (port). See Notre Dame and St. Joseph’s Cathedral, if you’re into that kind of thing. If it’s raining, visit the Biodome. No shortage of great restaurants and shops downtown.
Quebec City and Montreal are quite different. Montreal is much like any large city in North America, but Quebec City has lots of “old world charm”. I’d spend my time if QC, if I had the choice.
I’m guessing the OP is going to be further north than the Whites. While I find the area north of the notches to be wonderful, I’m not sure everyone does. Dixville Notch can be nice (even with the Balsams closed) and the Nash Stream areas has some fine hiking, but the towns of Pittsburgh and Errol don’t have a lot to offer.
There’s nothing horrible about it at all - we’re staying near Mount Washington, and I’m quite looking forward to the scenery - except accessibility. It’s a 2+ hour drive from Logan, Portland, Manchester and Burlington.
My husband’s parents would have to fly into Boston, and then drive 2+ hours on unfamiliar roads. They’re not going to be able to attend.
Everyone else will have to fly into one of the above airports and then drive 2+ hours - or do as we do and spend a very, very long day driving there.
My first suggestion, qualified with “but Florida, in summer, is miserable” would actually have been better and considerably cheaper: we could get a 5 bedroom rental house in Kissimmee for what it’s costing for a single night at the hotel. There would have been a pool right in the backyard (we’ve rented this kind of thing before) and a kitchen, vs a need to spend 90 dollars a person for a catered dinner at the hotel.
The drive isn’t that bad (we do it nearly every other weekend) and if you’re interested in the outdoors there’s plenty to do in and around the Mt Washington Valley. Are you staying in Jackson/North Conway?
I imagine it’s a lovely drive - but for someone who’s flown some distance (several coming from California), then to drive 2+ hours on unfamiliar roads, it’ll be tough. A lot of them are going to fly into Boston, spend the night there (more hassle / expense), and then drive.
We’re driving from the DC area and are taking a route well west of the main corridors, so the largest city we’ll go near might be Albany and I’m not even sure of that. I’m actually looking forward to the drive but we’re breaking it up into two days, as I don’t love driving unknown roads in the dark (and the ones nearest the facility won’t be interstate).
We’ll be in or near Bretton Woods. There are indeed lots of outdoorsy things to do and I’m looking forward to it. I don’t suppose moose hang out in the area, do they? (I know it’s well south of “Moose Alley”). The kids have never seen one; my husband and I have, fairly close up, when a bull moose walked through our campsite in Teton 30 years ago. We froze, Bullwinkle ignored us, and a good time was had by all :D.
Re Ben and Jerry’s: I sure wouldn’t make a trip just to see it, but as it’s barely out of the way from where we’ll be, to Montreal, it’s a side jaunt that will add only an hour or two.
Boston->Bretton Woods is mostly on Interstate, with the last 20 miles on pretty major 2 lane highway. The only turn is in Twin Mountain at the only light. It’s not ideal after a long flight, but easier than going to Conway, for example.
There are plenty of moose in the area around Bretton Woods. You can spot them along Rt 302 above Crawford Notch at dusk fairly readily, but not as common as Rt 16 north of Berlin (Moose Alley). I’ve seen many along that stretch, as well as bear and lots of deer.
The Ben and Jerry’s factory tour isn’t really that impressive. People do like it, but I’m not sure I’d divert 20 minutes for it, let alone invest an hour or two. Of course I’ve been to it a few times now so if you’ve never gone it may be worth it.
If you want help on hikes or other outdoors adventures in the BW area, feel free to ask. I hike near there all the time. The BW ski area also has a zipline/canopy tour, horseback riding, mountain biking, ATVs, etc, plus the road and cog RR up Mt Washington.
Telemark, I would love hike hints for Mt. Washington, thank you! (I’m Mama Zappa’s husband.) At least one other person is interested in a hike. I don’t know his experience level, but I’m a pretty light duty hiker. I have boots, and have done some hikes with my son’s Scout troop, but it’s been years.
Sounds like you may never have been to Old Montreal. The place has oldworldcharmcomingoutthe wazoo, and lots of great restaurants, too, although those abound everywhere.
Ben & Jerry’s isn’t much of a tour, but if it’s on the way, it’s not a bad way to spend some time. I’d much more recommend the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory tour in Shelburne, if that’s also in your route.
As for Montreal, there’s tons to do. I liked the Biodome at the old Olympic complex. Heck, just riding their subway system is fun - each station is decorated artistically and differently.
Mt Washington is a big undertaking. You can assume 8+ hours of hiking even though it’s only about 9 miles. If you haven’t hiked much or are with folks who aren’t somewhat seasoned hikers I usually don’t recommend it as a first big hike due to the strenuous nature of the hike, the time spent above treeline, the notoriously bad weather, and the crowds. It’s not a wilderness experience by any means.
But if you must go I would take the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail up to Lakes of the Clouds Hut and summit from there via the Crawford Path. It’s quite steep but relatively short, allows you to stop at the hut at treeline where you can refill water, get something hot (day soup and bread), and get out of the weather if things are nasty. It’s a long day of travel on rock, so your legs will get beat up pretty bad. Don’t plan on moving much the next day. For the trip down you can either retrace your steps or go down the Jewel trail which takes you back to your car. At the parking area you’ll need to buy a 1 day WMNF parking pass at the self-serve kiosk. The summit of Washington has a visitors center, cafeteria, bathrooms, post office, and museum, along with several 100’s of folks who drove up or rode the train, so don’t expect solitude. Also, don’t expect nice weather. It’s cloudy more often than it’s sunny, and winds are often very high. It can be a nice day in the valleys and snowing on the Rockpile.
Each person should carry 2 liters of water, a flashligh/headlamp, extra layers (no cotton), wind and rain gear, hat and gloves, extra food, some form of navigation aid (map and compass, GPS that you know how to use), maps, etc. Hiking poles can help a lot.
If you want shorter hike suggestions (I recommend this rather than Washington) let me know.
