There is no place like New England in the fall. In addition to its sheer number of trees, many of them deciduous, the towns that make up New England truly embrace the fall season with cider donuts, U-Pick apple orchards, and maple syrup everything.

And while most people catch the fall colors from the comfort of their car, there is a better way. A way that allows you to explore beyond the heavily traveled highways so you can be fully immersed in the tree-laden landscape. Enter the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad and its special “Fall Foliage Trains,” which run from mid-September to mid-October.

The four-hour foliage-focused train journey departs from the tiny town of Meredith, New Hampshire, and continues up and over Ashland Summit to the north. It crosses the scenic Ashland High Trestle, which affords travelers with views of the water and forest below, before passing through both a red deer farm and a Christmas tree farm. 

The train continues to Plymouth, New Hampshire, where it stops at a local inn, The Common Man Inn & Spa, for lunch. This establishment welcomes train travelers with a hot buffet lunch served in its dining room. The fall-themed lunch typically includes a hot soup, roasted turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a side of cranberry sauce and butternut squash. There is also a vegetarian option. (Just note that the menu can vary.)

Following a hot, relaxing meal, train travelers can peruse the inn’s gift shop for New Hampshire-made products before hopping back on the train for the journey home. 

En route to Meredith, where the journey ends, the train makes one more stop in Ashland, New Hampshire, which is home to the restored Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad Station. Here, travelers will be treated to a full tour of the historic station by members of the Ashland Historical Society, who are dressed in full 1860s attire

From Ashland, the train continues back over Ashland Summit and makes one final pass by Lake Waukewan before dropping travelers back at the Meredith Station.

The special fall foliage trip on the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad leaves Meredith Station at 11 a.m. and returns just after 3 p.m. The four-hour excursion only runs on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from Sept. 19 to Oct. 20, 2024. Tickets for the fall foliage special are $99.99 a person and include the hot buffet lunch in Plymouth, the guided tour in Ashland, and a souvenir tour booklet. 

Reservations should be made in advance at gsscenic.com.