Apple Picking and Covered Bridges (New York and Vermont)
Hackett’s Orchard, South Hero, Vermont
We’ve seen enough Hallmark movies to know that New England in the fall is all about apple picking, leaf peeping, and covered bridges and while in Montreal, we couldn’t resist a field trip to New York and Vermont to experience all of this. We left Montreal after breakfast and got to Plattsburgh a little over an hour later. We were back in Montreal in time for dinner.
We went apple picking, had apple cider doughnuts, took a car ferry across Lake Champlain, and saw some covered bridges. All very New England.
If you are looking for a fun day trip adventure from Montreal, this is a great field trip.
We’d been told that we had to have an apple cider doughnut and apple cider to have the full fall experience in the area.
According to some folks at a market in Plattsburgh, New York where we charged the car, the best places for apple cider doughnuts (and apple picking) are Banker Orchards in Plattsburgh, New York and Hackett’s Orchard in South Hero, Vermont.
There’s even some art as you travel through the bucolic countryside in western Vermont.
From Montreal, head southeast to the Champlain Port border crossing (bring your passport!) and drive along the west side of Lake Champlain to Plattsburgh.
From Plattsburgh, take the car ferry to Grand Isle at Cumberland Head to South Hero.
From South Hero, search for covered bridges as you drive north and east, eventually reaching one of the border crossings in Vermont before ending the field trip in Montreal and completing the loop.
We had little reception in Vermont which made for an interesting experience. Fortunately, we didn’t mind driving around being somewhat lost. This also means we have no idea where to send you specifically. Just make sure you and your vehicle are fueled up, you have plenty of time, some good tunes, and enjoy the ride.
I imagine that if we asked for help, everyone would have been very kind and helpful.
Special note: if you do get close to Smuggler’s Notch, it’s worth driving through. We didn’t realize how close we were and missed it. It wasn’t until I went on a trip with our youngest (Finn) that I was able to experience it. It’s very cool.
Also, check the weather and road conditions before you go.
If you’d like to see more of our trip in both video and images, check out our video on YouTube.
And if you’d like to support our travel, vlogging, and blogging, be sure to join our Patreon. Paid members get access to behind-the-scenes footage, bloopers, and postcards from the road.