Want to avoid the crowded trails during foliage season? We drove up 93, past the hordes of people in line to get off the highway at the Kancamagus Highway and Franconia Notch, to Exit 34C. Set your GPS to find Coppermine Rd. and once you turn onto this road you will find a small parking area on the left. Park here and head up the road, staying to the right when you get to the fork. You'll come to this hiker sign on the left and now you are on the Coppermine Trail.
This was a hike for the senses - the scent of balsam permeates the air in the first mile, and then you can hear the rush of water from the brook for much of your walk through the woods. The incline is gentle, and other than some roots and rocks, this is an easy trail.
You're almost to the Falls when you come upon the Coppermine Shelter.
You can get in closer to the Falls by crossing a narrow section of the brook. Or you can just sit here, enjoy the view, and eat snacks.
After completing our trek back to the car, we were ready for Part 2 - only a short drive away to the town of Littleton, home of one of the "Top 10" Main Streets in America. There are plenty of shops here - art galleries, vintage shops, and Chutters, home of the world's longest candy counter. But first, sustenance.
The Schilling Beer Company is located down behind Main Street, next to the river. The main restaurant had a one hour wait, so we put our name in for a table and headed to the Tasting Room. Within five minutes we had our brews.
After spotting a couple of seats on their sunny deck we headed outside. Not only did we have a great view, but we also found some great company. You can always find friends at a brewery!
We never did go into the restaurant because there was a food truck serving the Tasting Room crowd. The hot dogs were just hot dogs, but the hand cut fries were amazing. I think I would go back to Schilling just to have those again.
With full bellies, we did venture into a couple of shops. I follow @zenvironments on IG, so I wanted to visit his shop, BabaYaga. We also went into Bad Art, which also sells record albums. Great stuff at great prices in both shops. I got of few trinkets and was satisfied - I didn't want to over do my shopping time allotment!
Heading home by about 4 PM, we were treated to large swaths of foliage along the highway near Franconia Notch. A lovely way to end the day.
