I live in Hanover, New Hampshire but we’re only short drive from the Vermont boarder. We’re so close to Vermont that kids from Norwich, Vermont attend our middle school and high school. I probably spend as much time in Vermont as I do in New Hampshire, crossing over the Connecticut River on the various bridges – covered and otherwise that traverse the river back and forth between the two states. Of course it should noted the all of the bridges are owned by New Hampshire as the NH state line extends to the opposite side of the Connecticut River. This includes the longest covered bridge in the country – the Windsor-Cornish covered bridge.
Both states share a lot of things in common that make for great photo opportunities including:
- Beautiful fall foliage
- Snowy winters
- Rural and country settings
- Farms with old red barns
- Mountains
- Rivers, streams, lakes
- Small quaint villages
- Beautiful old houses
New Hampshire tends to have a lot more trees. Deer hunter friends of mine give Vermont a better rating because the state has more open areas for deer to flourish but both states have a healthy wildlife population of large mammals such as black bears, moose, deer as well as birds such as the ducks, turkeys, loons, eagles, hawks, owls, geese and song birds.
Both have mountains. New Hampshire has the more dramatic White Mountains range with Mount Washington being the highest peak in the Northeast while Vermont has the Green Mountain range with Mt. Mansfield in Stowe being the highest peak.
Only New Hampshire has a sea coast. Its tiny but its there and it manages to include the rather photogenic and historic city of Portsmouth. Vermont doesn’t have the ocean but it has the impressively large Lake Champlain and the Burlington waterfront. Then again New Hampshire has the lakes region with the very large Lake Winnipesaukee as a centerpiece.
I have to give Vermont the edge on having more scenic farm land. New Hampshire tends to be more forested and hillier. The farmland south of Burlington is flatter and easier to find compositions although if you look around enough there is plenty of great old red barns, cows, farm houses and old farm junk to photograph in both states.
As far as attractions go, New Hampshire has the edge on amusements. Vermont’s attractions tend towards shopping and food. Vermont has the Yankee Candle Company, Basketville, The Vermont Country Store, The Vermont Teddy Bear Company, Ben and Jerry’s, The Cider Mill as well as many beer breweries such as Harpoon in Windsor and a handful up in the Burlington Area like Magic Hat and Switchback. Meanwhile New Hampshire has Storyland, the Cog Railroad, Conway Scenic Railroad, Clark’s Trading Post and Canobie Lake Amusement Park.
As far as National Parks – Vermont has the Marsh – Billings – Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock, VT with hiking, an historic mansion tour and a working farm to explore. New Hampshire has the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, NH which is also in the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire.
Vermont Photo Spot Ideas
- Peachem
- Stowe/Waterbury
- Burlington Bike Path
- Guildhall Grist Mill
- Old Red Mill Jericho
- Ethan Allen Homestead
- Shelburne Museum and Farm
- The Old Round Church
- Billings Farm
- Woodstock
- Jenne Farm
- Covered bridges
- Marsh – Billings – Rockefeller National Historical Park
New Hampshire Photo Spot Ideas
- Portsmouth
- Canterbury Shaker Museum
- Franconia Notch State Park
- Mount Washington Hotel
- The Cog Railroad
- North Conway
- Conway Scenic Railroad
- Covered bridges
- Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
Since both states are relatively small, you can travel around both in a small vacation schedule. Each has a life times worth of places to explore, hike, ski, boat, hunt and photograph but you can also pick out some highlights in each state to visit and savor.
Great content Edward. When I photograph these neighboring states I’m often amazed at how NH and VT have their own unique qualities and character. I find both states to be photogenic, on a subtle scale as compared to the grandeur of the American West of course. I seem to be drawn to Vermont for it’s rural scenes including vintage barn architecture and farmscapes. New Hampshire seems to have more abundant natural scenic landscape opportunities no doubt due in part to the White Mountain National Forest and the embedded State Parks. I tend to avoid them both during the “green” summer months, however.
Thanks Thomas, my general thoughts too. NH is the White Mountains and VT is barns and farms, but of course there is so much more when you look deeper. Nice thing is both states have abundant dirt roads to explore, out of the way places with little traffic and plenty of old interesting junk to catch the eye.