There's a stretch on Route 108 where the road narrows to a single winding lane, the cliffs close in on both sides, and everyone in the car goes quiet. Except, in our case, a four-year-old in the back seat who decided the whole thing was a roller coaster and grinned the entire way up. That's the drive through Smugglers' Notch in early October, and it's the kind of thing you plan a whole trip around.
We did exactly that last fall - two adults, one preschooler, three nights at Smugglers' Notch Resort, and a stretch of weather so good it felt rigged: blue skies, warm afternoons, cool evenings. We caught the color about a week before peak, and it was still everywhere - on the backroads, on the cliffs, spilling down the mountainside outside our window.
We stayed in a trailside condo, and it changed the math of traveling with a kid. Full kitchen, a big dining room table for family game night, a living room fireplace we lit in the evenings for ambiance, and a porch looking straight out on the trails. From that porch we watched the sun move across the mountain all day - morning glow, afternoon blasting, sunset over the ridge. The resort has lodging options that run the gamut, for every size, location, and group dynamic, and between the shuttle and the walkability, you're never far from the action.
Smuggs' is called America's Family Resort, and it might be easy to shrug that off as marketing until you're standing in the middle of it. The FunZone alone - giant inflatable slides, a ninja course, mini golf - carried an entire afternoon, and our daughter talked about it for weeks after. We swam in the indoor pool, soaked in the hot tubs, hit playgrounds and kid-friendly hiking trails scattered across the property, and stumbled into a karaoke bingo night that turned out to be a highlight. In the village, there's a fire pit where families gather for s'mores in the evening, and a little country store where a kid can strategize over candy selection while you grab provisions for the condo.
The drive up through the notch is a showstopper. The road twists between towering cliffs and boulders the size of houses, narrow enough that cars take turns - one direction goes, then the other, a little choreography that somehow adds to the fun. Pull-offs line the road, and the caves are the move if you've got kids: ours scrambled around the rocks like a born spelunker. It's busy up there on a bluebird fall day, but hike a few minutes up any trail and you have the woods to yourself.
We also took a backroads drive through Jeffersonville, just down the road. Coming back toward the resort, the sun sat right over the mountain, with dirt road, farms, and cows in the foreground and foliage in every direction. If you want the postcard version of Vermont in October, it's out there waiting on those roads.
Two dinners worth planning around. The Hearth & Candle, on the resort, feels like your own private chalet - cozy rooms, a real wine list, options for everyone from vegetarians to steak people, and a kids' coloring contest that bought us a full relaxed meal. A short drive away, Martell's at the Red Fox is the laid-back counterpart: casual family food, a pool table, live bands in the yard on many nights, and years of kids' artwork taped up on the walls. Both felt like places locals actually go.
Here's the part that makes this easy to act on. Smugglers' Notch is running its AutumnFest Package this fall: book three or more nights between September 8 and October 12, 2026, and the fourth night is free. That's the same window we went - peak foliage, warm days, the full slate of family programming - with an extra night built in to slow down and enjoy it.
Call 1-800-419-4165 or visit smuggs.com to book your fall getaway. Foliage waits for no one.
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