We've been to Cuter before and love the area. it is very beautiful and there are several National Parks and Monuments that are past overdue for us. We visited Jewel Cave, the Jewel Cave Lantern Tour, Wind Cave, Custer State Park and a tour of the Cluster Gulch RV Park which we have researched in the past and it is a great RV Park... one of my favorites!
We are visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, North Dakota. On day 2 we hiked the Painted Canyon trail through the badlands and we also did the scenic drive. The landscape was dramatic, fairly lush for high desert and we saw a herd of bison milling about. On day 3 we drove 70 miles to the North Unit where there is even more wildlife. Prairie dogs, bison, wild turkeys, wild horses and more bison. The landscape is beautiful with The Little Missouri River flowing through it and a gorgeous view at Oxbow Overlook. I loved our time in this park... so did Toby!
Stop #3 on the Leaf Peeper Road Trip: Devils Lake, North Dakota. We stayed at the Grahams Island State Park campground which was a beautiful campground and located on Devils Lake which is a great place to go fishing if you are looking for that trophy Walleye. This was a quick stop along the way as we head to Voyagers National Park in Minnesota.
The 4th stop on the Leaf Peeper Road Trip was The Pines of Kabetogama in Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. The campground was beautiful with some amazing view up on the cliffs. The only way to visit Voyageurs NP is by boat. It is made up of over 600 islands around Lake Kabetogama and Rainy Lake any of which you can go camping on if you can find a boat to drop you off and pick you up. It's a beautiful area with many original homesteads and other buildings to visit. .
August 29, 2025 - Our 7th stop on the Leaf Peeper Road Trip - Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Bayfield, Wisconsin. We stayed in Apostle Islands Area Campground which was very nice with some unique cabins for rent. We also did the Fruit Loop - an area of U-pick farms and orchards with apples, peaches, many berry types, vegetables and, my favorite, cider donuts! We went kayaking out to the sea caves on the western side of the Bayfield Peninsula and a late afternoon cruise around the Apostle Islands. Enjoy your visit!
Sept 1, 2025 - the 8th stop on our Leaf Peeper Road Trip is Bailey's Grove in Door County, Wisconsin. This is a beautiful part of the country with thick forests, lush farmland for crops and diary and plenty of farmer's markets. We had the opportunity to visit a shop of Master Cheese Makers which was a real treat! Bordering on Lake Michigan there are lots of lighthouses and islands to visit. Would love to go back sometime just for the ice cream and cheese.
September 4, 2025: The 9th stop on our Leaf Peeper Road Trip. Copper Harbor Michigan. Copper Harbor is on a northern most finger of land that juts out into Lake Superior on Michigan's UP. Unfortunately, it rained the entire time we were in Copper Harbor which kept us from exploring as much as we would have liked. But we did get to see some very beautiful country including Estivant Pines Nature Sanctuary with all of it's mushrooms and an underground tour of the Delaware Copper Mine. Copper mining was a defining resource for the area.
Sept 17, 2025 - The 15th stop on our Leaf Peeper Road Trip was Niagra Falls, NY. I was here over 60 years ago but the falls hold just as much enchantment now as they did when I was a small child. The beauty, power and majesty of falls is breathtaking and should be on everyone's bucket list if you have not seen them. One of the highlights of the falls was getting up close on the Maid of the Mist tour boats that give you a 360 degree view of the falls.
September 25, 2025 and stop #18 on the Leaf Peeper Road Trip: This is Stowe, VT to Bar Harbor, ME. We drove through the rain and a forest of trees draped in fall colors. They were so beautiful! We are staying at the Bar Harbor / Oceanside KOA Holiday and we had a site right on the shoreline with great views and sunsets.
We spent a quick afternoon in Bar Harbor downtown shopping. It is definitely a tourist community with souvenir shops, ice cream parlors, restaurants and local art shops. Then a sunset cruise on Frenchman Bay aboard the Acadian. The houses and shoreline were very picturesque and the sunset was beautiful. Toby even got to go on the cruise with us!
The highlight of our trip to Bar Harbor, Maine was time we spent in Acadia National Park. It is a large park and requires a lot of driving over 3 days to see most of the park. While we were there we did the Loop Drive, Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, Big Meadow, Jordon Pond, Cadillac Mountain and the Sieur de Monts Nature Center. Unfortunately, we did not get to do the Beehive or Precipice hikes while we were there. We'll save that for next time!
One of the really cool things we did was hike across the exposed land bridge to Bar Island while the tide was out. Once the tide come back in, the land bridge is submerged and you have to wait 9 hours for the next low tide or call a water taxis to come pick you up. It was a beautiful day for a walk by the ocean but we were always checking the clock to see how much time we had left before the tide came back in. Luckily, we made it!
I'm no expert on lobster rolls but of all the ones I've had so far, this is by far the best! We each had a lobster roll with garlic aiole, chips, clam chowder, beer and we split a peace of blueberry pie with blueberry cheesecake ice cream! One of the things that makes the Bar Harbor Lobster Pound special is the setting and the atmosphere. Snuggled into the woods just off Bar Harbor Road, provides a unique setting for a wonderful meal.