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What parks in New England come close to matching the diversity and size of the Adirondacks? None. You can literally fit Vermont and New Hampshire respectively, in the Adirondacks by land area.
I was going to post that map because it shows the Adirondack Park in relation to the entire state of New Hampshire. But it is confusing because it is really a map meant to show all the lakes in the Northeast - turns out we can use that map anyway.
See the small area empty of lakes in New Hampshire? Above the H? THAT is the main part of the White Mountains area (WMNF). Notice how small it is compared to the Adirondacks (you can pretty much fit all of New Hampshire in the Adirondacks). Then notice that the lake region of New Hampshire is separate from the White Mountains while the lakes of the Adirondacks are placed in between and among them.
That is one of the things I like best about the Adirondacks. There are mountains but there are also many lakes (3,000+ of them), many of which are quite large and beautiful. There are other mountains in the area, the Greens, the Catskills, the Berkshires, the Poconos and even the Highlands near NYC and Philadelphia. They also have lakes but nowhere near the Adirondacks.
Adirondack Park's 6.1 million acres (2.5×106 ha) include more than 10,000 lakes, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, and a wide variety of habitats including wetlands and old-growth forests.
They're grossly underestimating the Adirondacks, but because New Hampshire has literally a handful of taller peaks (three of which barely), it's superior.
The entire park is basically a state in itself, one that is actually slightly larger than New Hampshire.
Land area:
Adirondack Park - 9,375 sq mi.
New Hampshire - 9,350 sq mi
Vermont - 9,623 sq mi
I was going to post that map because it shows the Adirondack Park in relation to the entire state of New Hampshire. But it is confusing because it is really a map meant to show all the lakes in the Northeast - turns out we can use that map anyway.
See the small area empty of lakes in New Hampshire? Above the H? THAT is the main part of the White Mountains area (WMNF). Notice how small it is compared to the Adirondacks (you can pretty much fit all of New Hampshire in the Adirondacks). Then notice that the lake region of New Hampshire is separate from the White Mountains while the lakes of the Adirondacks are placed in between and among them.
That is one of the things I like best about the Adirondacks. There are mountains but there are also many lakes (3,000+ of them), many of which are quite large and beautiful. There are other mountains in the area, the Greens, the Catskills, the Berkshires, the Poconos and even the Highlands near NYC and Philadelphia. They also have lakes but nowhere near the Adirondacks.
Its under a bunch of different names but from the Whites/Lakes into Northern/Central Maine is way larger than the Adirondacks. Also there are Ski Resorts on the South Shore of Lake Winnipesaukee.
Maine is the size of Indiana and has only 1.2 million people. Colorado, Arizona and Iowa are more densely populated than Maine. Maine is HUGE people don't understand, and Kittery is only an hour from Boston. People act like all of New England is made up of states the size of Connecticut.
Nothing east of the Mississippi in America compares to the scale of the Maine Woods.
Its under a bunch of different names but from the Whites/Lakes into Northern/Central Maine is way larger than the Adirondacks. Also there are Ski Resorts on the South Shore of Lake Winnipesaukee.
Maine is the size of Indiana and has only 1.2 million people. Colorado, Arizona and Iowa are more densely populated than Maine. Maine is HUGE people don't understand, and Kittery is only an hour from Boston. People act like all of New England is made up of states the size of Connecticut.
Nothing east of the Mississippi in America compares to the scale of the Maine Woods.
Upstate New York (Catskills/Adirondacks) says hi. I would actually suggest the Adirondacks and Catskills are larger as a whole, in terms of heavily forested area and mountains.
It was funny when you were saying NH was unrivaled though. Classic New England bull****.
And most of New England actually is made up of small states. 5/6 of them.
Interesting how Virginia somehow doesn't count for Philadelphia though.
But hey, take a look. Where do the Philadelphia and Boston metros lie on this map?
Boston sure looks isolated to me. Philadelphia looks just as close to the Shenandoah/Jefferson/Washington forests in Virginia as Boston is to Longfellow up in Maine.
I lived in York so I know Kittery well. Boston to Kittery for a weekend getaway is going to be longer than an hour.
Boston to Maine for a "weekend getaway" is pretty miserable. At the start of every weekend, 95 north is a mess. And every Sunday, 95 south is a mess. There's a toll booth in NH and then another one 15-20 minutes north of that one in Maine that add to the gridlock. It gets to be a complete stop for miles in many cases.
Maine isn't built to hold that many people. Some of these towns if I remember correctly triple in population during the summer. The roads in Maine are narrow and Route 1 is poorly designed for traffic and gets gridlocked for miles (like a dead stop).
Not as peaceful and great as people paint it out to be. Summer in Maine is not that enjoyable. I wouldn't really advise someone visit Maine in the summer.
Last edited by joeyg2014; 05-17-2017 at 07:33 PM..
Fair enough. Boston of course is not lacking in desirable suburbs; Boston excels obviously in the coastal/nautical charm department, and Philadelphia excels much more in the bucolic countryside department. It really comes down to a matter of personal preference.
You make many valid points, although I wouldn't entirely agree with how you're framing them.
Again, for destinations involving seaside coastal charm, New England has that on lock. There's no question there. NY/NJ certainly have charming coastal areas (e.g., areas on Long Island, and select Jersey Shore towns), but it's generally just a completely different type of built environment. That being said, I generally find the Jersey Shore to be more exciting and vibrant (yes, say what you will about the stereotypes, but charm and quaintness can only carry a place so far). They're generally just different types of beach destinations (one more relaxing, peaceful and with more exclusive areas, the other more "democratic" in its socioeconomic range, and with much more activity/commerce).
You're also generally neglecting what is SOUTH of Philadelphia in terms of access (at least using the liberal range you've given Boston). Delaware beaches, the Chesapeake Bay, the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia, historic cities/towns like Baltimore, Annapolis, Alexandria, Ellicott City, and Frederick, MD. All fantastic for weekend trips.
It also doesn't get much more remote on the East Coast than north-central Pennsylvania, including areas like Cherry Springs State Park (earning the designation of "Dark Sky" park for star-gazers).
I'll grant you that the skiing is better in a place like Vermont compared to PA, and I know from my own eyes that Maine is fantastic all around, although (since we're getting nit-picky) I personally prefer the aesthetics of the hardwoods in "Central" US forests found in the Mid-Atlantic, than the "Northern" US forests that encompass Northern New England and are much more coniferous. Just a different kind of feel.
I think, overall, much of this does come down town taste/preference and what's prioritized in a weekend trip.
Interesting how Virginia somehow doesn't count for Philadelphia though.
But hey, take a look. do the Philadelphia and Boston metros lie on this map?
Boston sure looks isolated to me. Philadelphia looks just as close to the Shenandoah/Jefferson/Washington forests in Virginia as Boston is to Longfellow up in Maine.
The Edge of the Continent is 12-13 hours NE of Boston. There is literally no northern limit to weekend getaways to Boston, you are not going to spend 24 hours driving for a weekend. Boston is not even close to Isolated.
The Maine woods start at about Lake Sebago 1 hr 20 mins from Boston and extend to about 30,000 sq miles north and east from there. Really about an hour/ 1:20 is about the limit in all directions but S when you enter the wilderness, the Lakes, Maine Woods, Berkshires, Monadnocks. Maybe closer to 1:40 up the coast.
Boston to Maine for a "weekend getaway" is pretty miserable. At the start of every weekend (Friday-Saturday) 95 north is a mess. And every Sunday, 95 south is a mess. There's a toll booth in NH and then another one 15-20 minutes north of that one in Maine that add to the gridlock. It gets to be a complete stop for miles in many cases.
Maine isn't built to hold that many people. Some of these towns if I remember correctly triple in population during the summer. The roads in Maine are narrow and Route 1 is poorly designed for traffic and gets gridlocked for miles (like a dead stop).
Not as peaceful and great as people paint it out to be. Summer in Maine is not that enjoyable. I wouldn't really advise someone visit Maine in the summer.
We would regularly get to Lake Sebago (granted from the northwestern Suburbs) in about an Hour, and can get to York, ME on the Saturday in under 1 hour.
I think Boston, NY, Philly - toss up. The areas within a few hours of each are quite similar. All have access to ocean beaches, quaint towns, all season activities such as skiing and hiking. And to get there all have traffic. I think the comparisons should be more like the northeast corridor (DC to ME) versus the south versus the southwest, etc.
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