Road trip – A one-week itinerary in New England

Last summer we spent a week on the road exploring places we had never been before in New England. Since we really enjoyed our first road trip experience in Georgia with our converted camper van last spring, we couldn’t wait to repeat the experience.

We’ve visited Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts a few times before, but we’d never been to Connecticut and Rhode Island, so our primary goal was to spend some time in those states. And like on our last road trip, we were also looking to try different camping sites, visit state parks and simply enjoy vanlife!

However, there was one difference from our last road trip. We were bringing with us Rose, our 12-year-old Labrador dog. As Rose no longer has the energy of her younger years, we had to adapt some of our plans accordingly: no long hikes and not too many hours of driving in a row.

So here was our one-week itinerary in New England.

Day 1 – Ottawa, ON to Plattsburgh, NY

As I wrote above, we wanted to make this trip as comfortable as possible for our old dog, so we decided to leave on a Friday evening after work to drive a few hours and therefore have less distance to cover the next day. We opted to spend the night in Plattsburgh, New York, just across the US border.

For the night, we used Harvest Host so we could camp in the Valcour Brewing Company parking lot. This brewery built on the site of former military barracks was the perfect place to kick off our road trip. We were even able to bring Rose with us on the restaurant terrace!

Day 2 – Plattsburgh, NY to New Haven, CT

After a short stroll on the shore of Lake Champlain, we started our drive towards Connecticut. We had about a 5-hour drive to go, but we decided to cut the road in half by stopping in Saratoga Springs, New York, to explore Saratoga Spa State Park. This park not only has unique nature, it also has an interesting history!

We then hit the road again, this time to New Haven, Connecticut. As soon as we got there, we headed towards the city center to explore this university town a little. We walked around the Yale University campus, but most importantly, we waited in line for a burger from Louis’ Lunch, a restaurant that has been serving burgers since 1895! That was definitely a highlight of our trip!

After this excellent meal, we went to the New Haven suburbs to visit another state park. Silver Sands State Park was quite busy on this beautiful summer day, but I really appreciated being able to breathe the sea air.

We would have liked to have spent that first night in Connecticut camping in a state park, but we were unable to find a park to camp in that was also dog-friendly. So we spent the night in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel in the suburbs of New Haven (it was our first time stopping at a Cracker Barrel, and it was definitely a better experience than I expected).

Day 3 – New Haven, CT to Burlingame State Park, RI

On this beautiful sunny day, we followed I-95 east, then took a winding road along the Connecticut River to get to another fairly popular state park in Connecticut: Gillette Castle State Park. This was another state park with an interesting history set in a beautiful nature! We took the opportunity to visit the famous Gillette Castle, but also to walk some of the trails.

After this visit, we returned to I-95 and stopped in New London to do our grocery shopping (and get ready for our camping nights!). We then left Connecticut and arrived in Rhode Island. Our first destination in this state: Burlingame State Park, where we would spend the next day.

Day 4 – Burlingame State Park, RI

Unfortunately for us, the weather was not particularly good during our stay at Burlingame State Park. But that didn’t stop us from taking the opportunity to explore the park, hike a few trails and simply enjoy the tranquility of the forest!

This state park located around Watchaug Pond, in the south-west of Rhode Island, is very large (there are more than 700 sites for camping) but we encountered few people on its trails. And I really enjoyed being able to explore the nature of Rhode Island for the first time!

Day 5- Burlingame State Park, RI to Swansea, MA

After a rainy day, the sun was back for our last morning at Burlingame State Park. After a final walk along Watchaug Pond, we got back on the road, continuing to head east. We wanted to go to Newport, but since the day was so beautiful, we decided to take a short detour to visit another state park, this time by the sea: Beavertail State Park.

This small state park located at the mouth of Narragansett Bay has the reputation of being one of the most beautiful in Rhode Island, and we now understand why!

Then we continued our way to Newport, a city that we were eager to explore. Since Newport is known for its many historic mansions, we decided to visit The Breakers, the Vanderbilts’ opulent summer home. It was definitely worth spending a few hours there.

After eating an ice cream by the sea, we took the road towards the place where we were going to spend the night: a small Harvest Hosts farm, located near Swansea, Massachusetts.

Day 6 – Swansea, MA to Marlborough, MA

Since we were now in Massachusetts, our original plan was to head to Cape Cod. But having Rose with us complicated things a bit, as many beaches don’t allow dogs in the summer. And as the day promised to be extremely hot, we decided to take it easy on that day.

We therefore headed to Fall River, a small town in Massachusetts that we didn’t know, but which was located near Swansea. There, we took a short stroll through Fall River Heritage State Park along the Taunton River, then visited Battleship Cove, a museum that showcases ships and submarines from World War II.

Then we took the road north to go to Wellesley, a suburb of Boston, to have lunch. Afterwards, we went to spend the rest of the afternoon hiking the trails of Callahan State Park, a large state park where there is a pretty forest, ideal for staying in the shade on this hot day.

In the evening, we opted to make an exception to our week of camping: it was so hot that we treated ourselves to the luxury of an air-conditioned hotel room to spend the night in a cool place. Something Rose definitely enjoyed!

Day 7 – Marlborough, MA to Salem, MA

The next day, we hit the road again, this time towards Salem. For a long time I had wanted to visit this small town known for a dark aspect of its history: its witch trials. And to be able to explore Salem as much as possible and see its main attractions, we decided to follow the Salem Heritage Trail.

I also stopped at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Since we visited Fredericksburg National Military Park in Virginia last spring, I’ve started collecting stamps from the US National Park Service, so I didn’t want to miss this site!

In the afternoon, we went for a stroll at Salem Willows Park (a charming park on the water’s edge where there are several restaurants and arcades), then we headed to our campsite for the night: Winter Island. This urban campsite, by the sea, is undoubtedly one of the most original places we have stayed so far!

Day 8 – Salem, MA to Ottawa, ON

Initially, we were supposed to end our road trip in Montpelier, Vermont, a small town that we really like. But a few days before, there had been major flooding in Vermont, which made access to our campsite for the night a little difficult. As the weather forecast was rainy for this day, we decided to cancel that part of the trip. Vermont would be for another time!

From Salem, we decided to head home, passing through New Hampshire and Franconia Notch State Park (where I would return a few weeks later to hike to the summit of Mount Lafayette).

In short, even though we had to change our plans from time to time, I once again really enjoyed this road trip experience. There are so many beautiful places to visit in New England (and so many state parks we haven’t been to yet). I know we will come back to explore this area one day!