Essential Fall Drives in New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region

In the September/October issue of Yankee, editor Mel Allen takes readers on a pair of back-road autumn drives in the place he calls home, New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region.Here, he recaps those same routes with turn-by-turn instructions, plus a few extra local gems you’ll find along the way.

Drive #1: Peterborough Loop

Begin with a morning hawk watch at Miller State Park, about 4 miles east of Peterborough on Route 101. (For a sweet refueling stop, Ben’s Sugar Shack and Maple Station Marketis less than 2 miles farther east on 101 — time your visit right, and you can pick up some warm, fresh-made maple doughnuts.) 

Now, start your drive:

• Go west on 101 to downtown Peterborough, where you can explore one of America’s best small towns.

• Go east on 101 for about 1 mile, then turn right onto Route 123. You’ll pass Rosaly’s Garden & Farmstand, the state’s first organic farm stand (open till Oct. 1), and Casalis State Forest, a nature preserve with a 3-mile walking loop.

• After 5 miles, turn left onto Nashua Road. This becomes West Road and leads into the heart of Temple, where highlights include Temple Village Cemetery (with its famous archway dedicated to “The Wives and Mothers of 1776”), and a village green bandstand that’s home to the Temple Town Band, the oldest in the country. A historical sign across from the green gives another hit of history: This is where the Temple Glass Factory, founded in 1780, became the first glassmaker in New Hampshire.

• Go east on General Miller Highway/Temple Road about 3 milesto West Wilton. On this two-lane country road you’ll pass the former home of one of New England’s most distinguished soldiers, General James Miller, who lived here from 1815-1851. (Nathaniel Hawthorne was a frequent visitor.) In West Wilton, another historical sign tells you that this modest spot was once home to thriving mills that made everything from milk can stoppers to knobs and cider. You’ll also see signs for Sheldrick Forest Preserve, a nearby Nature Conservancy property with three miles of trails through old-growth forest.

• Continue briefly on Temple Road to Route 101. Turn right and head east on 101 for about 2 miles. Turn right onto Isaac Frye Highway and head south 1.6 miles. Turn left onto Abbott Hill Road, then proceed 1 mile to Hilltop Café. The drive to Hilltop Café, one of our favorite eateries, is extra-special in autumn, as you meander past farm meadows and century-old farmhouses.

• From Hilltop Café, turn right onto Abbot Hill Road and head north to Route 101. Take a right onto 101, then a quick left onto Route 31 N. At about 1.8 miles veer left onto Burton Highway. Look for the sign for Fryes Measure Mill. A living historical treasure, Fryes Measure Mill makes Colonial- and Shaker-style boxes using much of the same water-powered machinery from its beginnings in the 1850s.

• Return to Route 31 N and turn left. Continue north 9 miles, then turn right onto Route 136E. Continue 5 miles to Francestown. This part of the drive leads through Lyndeborough and Greenfield, where you’ll pass Zephyr Lake (stop at its canoe launch to view foliage reflected in the water). In Francestown, discover streets lined with handsome homes, a stunner of a while church, and the must-visit Francestown Village Store.  

• From Francestown, pick up Route 136 W, which becomes Forest Road and takes you Main Street in Hancock, about 11 miles total. The quintessential New England village, Hancock boasts a pretty downtown lake called Norway Pond, and shares 718-acre Nubanusit Lake with the village of Nelson. Fiddleheads Café is a local dining favorite; a few steps away is Main Street Cheese, whose goats you can visit in the backyard meadow.

• Go west on Main Street and turn left onto Old Dublin Road, then right on Kings Highway, tothe Harris Center for Conservation Education, about 2 miles total(be alert for the center’s discreet sign). The tree-lined road will be ablaze in autumn color as you head to the center, whose staff help lead the autumn hawk watches at Miller State Park and have taught thousands of New England schoolchildren to love the natural world. All trails at the center are open to the public: West Side trails take you to gorgeous summit views on two mountains, while East Side trails let you meander along easier forest paths, with fall foliage as your constant companion.

The Harris Center is the last stop of the day before returning to Peterborough, 10 miles south.

Drive #2: Keene Loop

Begin in Keene, on the western edge of the Monadnock Region. With a population about 24,000, it’s one of those small cities that when people discover it, they wonder why they had never known about it before.  Keene’s Central Square, located at the head of one of the widest Main Streets in the country, has been honored as one of America’s best public spaces. You can easily spend hours strolling the streets, visiting shops and restaurants — and perusing thousands of jack-o’-lanterns if you’re there during October’s Keene Pumpkin Festival.

It’s not an easy town to leave on a pretty fall day, but we have some special places to visit.

• Leave Keene on Route 12 and head north to Walpole, 17 miles away. As you near Walpole, stop into Alyson’s Orchard. A long dirt road climbs from the highway to the orchard, and when you get to the top, turn around: The views west to the Connecticut River Valley are among the best views of any orchard in New England. After filling your bags with apples, continue on to downtown Walpole (look for the sign just under 4 miles north of Alyson’s, and turn right). The photogenic town of 3,600 features a town green lined with churches and country homes. If you indulge in some fine dining at The Restaurant at Burdick’s,you may well see local resident and famed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Next door is the L.A. Burdick’s Chocolate Shop and Café, where they will gladly warm up that chocolate chip cookie you’re buying.

• Head north on Main Street in Walpole to join Route 123, then turn right on Upper Walpole Road, then right on Whitcomb Road/Route 123 S—and stay with Route 123 S to reach East Alstead, about 13 miles away. This leg of the drive takes you past the lovely 1752 Bellows Walpole Inn & the Potato Barn and, less than a mile north of the inn, the Hungry Diner, which serves farm-to-table food, with many ingredients coming directly from the diner’s farm. (Have a pooch along? On the menu is a beef patty for your dog; outdoor seating is available, too.) From there, a gorgeous country drive follows the Cold River to East Alstead, where you can enjoy fresh-from-the-oven bread and beautiful scenery at Orchard Hill Breadworks.

• Head west from East Alstead on Route 123 S for about 14 miles, veer right onto Route 9 W for about 4.5 miles, then turn right on Granite Lake Road, left on Murdough Hill Road, left on Nelson Road, and straight on into Harrisville, about 7 more miles. As you leave East Alstead on 123 S, you’ll pass pretty Lake Warren, now protected as a wildlife preserve. In Stoddard, look for the 220-acre Pitcher Mountain Farm, which raises and sells pasture-fed bison meat. Harrisville is an exquisitely preserved 19th-century mill village with a glistening lake. Browse the weaving and knitting supplies at Harrisville Designs, and be sure to try the terrific food at Harrisville General Store, where on any given day you’ll find a Yankee staffer lingering over a lunch special before returning to the office.

• Head south from Harrisville on Dublin Road to Route 101, about 4 miles. You’re now in Dublin. Turn left, and you’ll see the headquarters of Yankeeand The Old Farmers Almanac. Turn right, and in less than a mile you’ll be rewarded with the sight of Mount Monadnock rising over Dublin Lake. That setting is what has drawn artists and writers to the area for 200 years. The mountain’s pull drew Henry David Thoreau, who climbed it four times and even slept near the summit. “That New Hampshire bluff will longest haunt our dreams,” he wrote.

• Wrapping things up: You can continue west on Route 101 to return to Keene, about 12 miles distant. But there is one little detour I’d urge you to take. Reverse direction on 101, and in less than a minute take a right on Upper Jaffrey Road, which becomes Dublin Road as it leads to Route 124 and Jaffrey Center. There, stop at the historic Jaffrey Meetinghouse and the cemetery where novelist Willa Cather is buried. Then head west on 124 back toward Keene. In about 1.4 miles, on the right-hand side, the trees along the road give way to an open field with a farmhouse and barn, and you may see other cars already pulled over on the shoulder here. Everyone has a favorite view of Mount Monadnock, but the one from this spot is mine: Across the field, the southeastern flank of the mountain seems close enough to touch. There is simply no better way to end a drive through its namesake corner of the world.