BTW... does anyone have the original book of clues? I do, but it is in storage and I'm unsure if I will find it in time for my trip to CT later this month. Thx

BB

two of NE's fan favorites are celebrating double digit AQversaries today! Shout out to Merry Pranksters and Blueberry Beach!

Hope your days are gratefully full of fun, sun, sand, and tie dye!
mud

Thanks to the lovely organizers of LBNB XXV and due to her diligence and persistence, Southpaw has topped 10,000 traditional finds. Congratulations my friend!

She's retired. What took her so long?

I was waiting for you to retire. Didnt want to get ahead of you

Jiffy's post got me thinking. I have wanted to letterbox in New England for a while now because people talk about how there are a super lot of letterboxes there. What a neat experience it must be to visit New England to letterbox. I chatted a bit with R about going for my birthday next year. My birthday is in March. Perhaps March is not late enough in the season for the weather. April is not an option. May?

Sometimes we letterbox for the fellowship. Sometimes we letterbox for the experiences. Sometimes we letterbox for the adventure. I will tell you, though, if I get to box in New England, I will want to get as many of those thousands of boxes as I can cram in to my visit and meet more of you northeastern boxers!

Here are my questions:
1. Where in New England would I get the most bang for my buck? I can go to more than one place.
2. When is the weather pleasant?

I might also ask if anybody has a guest bed once I figure out all of the other details.

Thanks for any tips/advice/ideas/suggestions,
D of RDHG

Every state in New England has pockets of concentration... CT - the whole state :)

Weather... hmmm it was warmer here than in NC for L&B so chances are we'll be colder when you think we should be warmer and visa/versa.

Anywhere in New England is magical for sure... but I might be biased.

March is still pretty cold here. Massachusetts has tons! Great carvers in the area too.

My birthday is also in March. Groton CT is packed with boxes. CT probably has the most boxes per sq foot, because we are one of the smallest.

I don’t have a guest bed anymore, just a giant dog bed. But we will happily host you for dinner.

NE currently is just shy of 30K boxes - so there's something out there for everyone to find :)

The weather patterns in New England (or at least in RI) have shifted in recent decades.

Mud season til about late April. 'Summer' doesn't arrive until July and stays until September-October. With temperate climes, ticks are a factor year round.

CT has the highest density. We mostly live in NW RI right on the CT border, so feel free to hit us up for couch surfing!

Warrior Woman

if you decide to come to Rhode Island you are always welcome to stay in my guest room for as long as you like. My birthday is in March too. March weather is very variable. I have been frustrated when I tried to box in parts of MA and northern NE in march. There was still snow (and ice) on the ground and I could not get the boxes out. We typically do not have snow on the ground in march in RI or SE CT. of course every year is different so no telling where there will still be snow and ice in march.

and you can always come for RIClimber's mid March Pi day event and stay and box for a few days after. But be forewarned, Pi Day event weather has typically been not great in years past!

If you're looking for a lot of boxes (many of which are amazing carves!) and enjoy hiking, go to Harold Parker State Forest in MA.

If you'd like to find boxes in MA, RI, and CT in a single day, I'd recommend the Douglas State Forest area. Most of the boxes there are hikes, not drive-bys or strolls.

New England weather is quite variable, and with climate change, it's definitely become even less predictable. The summer of 2022 was very dry in MA, while this past summer was very wet. Your best bet might be to go in late May/early June or in September/early October.

Also, if you're into mystery boxes, MA has some of the best in the country, at all levels of difficulty, courtesy of Dingus Dufus!

The person i box with most lives in NH. If i don't get at least 8 boxes in a days hike i consider that a bad day. The NH boxer considers 3 in a day a good day. All perspective. But MA does have most plants of any state. Surprise as i thought it would be CT. But it is a close second.

I agree with others, the New England weather in March is still pretty cold, icy, and snowy. April can still be cold and there can still be possible snow, at least in NH.
The last week of April is usually nice and May is even better. Spring flowers begin arriving then. It’s lovely, just beware of ticks.
There are tons of boxes all throughout New England, here and there. Have fun!

Definitely come in May. March and April still too iffy snow and mud wise. As everyone has said, you can pretty much plant yourself anywhere and you'll have hundreds of boxes within a 25 mile radius.

When you do decide when and where you will be, let us know and we can plan a meet up for/with you.

Much as the northern states are beautiful and Maine can't be beat for sheer New Englandness and box variety, I would recommend sticking with southern New England (CT, RI, MA) for the "bang for your buck" factor.

Avoid March unless you can make last minute changes to your itinerary. March is known for late season blizzards! It might be pleasant however quite chilly in March, or you may find 2 feet of snow.

As others have mentioned, New England has many boxes. I just did a search for boxes which are Active and have Good findability within 30 miles of our location in 01776 (best zip code ever) and got 2,444 results. Plan for a long stay?

In Maine, many trails are not even truly hikeable until May at the soonest.

Two years ago I hosted a event in Central Maine and it was 101° in the sun and 90° everywhere else. It was insane. Our weather definitely fluctuates at any time. Sometimes we get all FOUR seasons in one day. Haha. Best of luck in choosing which month but when you do plan to come you'll love it :)

If you are near the southern coast (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Mass), then March is usually snow free, especially later in the month. I live about 10 miles from the shore, and my crocuses have always bloomed before the end of the month for 30 years straight. Once you get away from the coast and higher in elevation, the snow cover status can be quite different. There might be 2 feet of snow in the CT northwest hills and 0" near the shore. The spring mud season is a big deal in northern New England (people are asked to stay off the trails in some areas and everything is a soup) but it's not too bad in southern New England at the lower elevations.

I have a guest room but I don't cook. So you can stay with me and we will go to PuggleMom's for dinner. hahaha!

I second Harrold Parker! During the 2019 camping event, LCAB made a combined clue list and I think 100+ boxes per day for the long weekend was standard. Without leaving the park! (Nearly everything is at trail intersections so of you don't mind doing series out of order, every trail intersection has/had 4-6 boxes! Decrypt all the clues and plot everything onto maps ahead of time.)

That’s a good plan.

Hello New England! Here's your friendly reminder that the Soup's On event is this week from Thursday through Sunday in lovely Southampton MA. Come on out if you can for some great boxing, including lots of hot soups & treats with friends (potluck is Saturday).

https://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.php?eventId=4713

I can't wait!!

Connecticut or Massachusetts in May! I wish I still lived there. I'd give you a bed to sleep in.....

BB

Yes!!!!! Pine Tree got me into solving dingus dufus' mysteries, and I will probably never get them all since I'm only usually in New England for a week at a time.... It was SOOOO nice to exchange with dingus dufus at L&B too!

BB

You New England folks are on the ball! Thank you for all of the helpful information. I decided to make one, long reply instead of clogging up everyone's AQ page with multiple responses to individual people.

Mud -- 30K boxes?! Well, I suppose that my odds are good, eh? LOL.

Stereo -- I suspected that March might be too soon in the year. Thank you for the note. Do you recommend any specific area of Mass?

Pugglemom -- Aw, we were almost in Groton about a year ago to take Daddie and Mommie to see the USS Nautilus because Daddie served on that sub. That gives me a specific area to search on AQ. Also, thank you for the offer of a friendly meal!

WW -- Thank you for the offer to couch surf! I will keep it in mind. <smile>

moonstone -- Thank you for the availability of your room! I did see RI climber's event. I actually looked to see if he was having any events. After reading posts with people's comments and advice, think that I have decided against March. Hehe...Pugglemom's for dinner!

Rocklun -- I AM into mystery boxes. I started to look, and there are SO many. Perhaps I can look again when I narrow down my plans to certain areas or states. Thank you for your recommendation of HPSP and DSF. I can look up those areas on AQ! I may try to alternate hiking and drive-by days to give myself a break.

Sagacorn -- I think that I have been told that CT has the densest concentration even if they do not have the most letterboxes, s what you said makes sense.

TCC -- Thank you. The general consensus seems to be that March is probably not the best time. I may look at late May, as Pugglemom has also invited me to Wakeda, or I may wait until November when another friend has suggested that we journey together to Soup's On.

Harmony MA -- Haha. That is both a good thing and a struggle. People keep saying that there are thousands of boxes, yet I would not know where to start. Pugglemom and Rocklun did mention some specific areas, so I may just start with those. Thank you for the offer of a meetup. I would absolutely enjoy that!

zdz -- 2,444 boxes within thirty miles of you? Whoa! I may have to add your zip code to my list. LOL. R of RDHG is super supportive of my enjoyment of letterboxing. Last year I took a ten day trip for my birthday. We shall see.

Bassett Mom -- I think that I will not go as far north as Maine. The more that I read and process, I may stick around the RI/CT/MA area. Since the next L&B will be in Maine, I might just save that area for my journey then.

Damselfly -- I get that. Here in NC, the week before L&B, it was in the 50s one day and in the 80s the very next day. Weather can be wildly unpredictable. Thank you for the positive note.

TT -- Thank you for the added feedback. While I am considering a couple of areas, RI/CT/MA may wind up being my choice.

RI climber -- A second for HPSP tells me that perhaps I should go there. Decrypt? Plot? Maybe I can find a local boxer to buddy up with me so that I do not get lost. LOL.

BB -- AW, thank you for the thought. We would have fun, too.

Whew! You have all been helpful. I have a few, specific locations in mind. While NH is a possibility, given the driving time, I may stick with CT/MA/RI. Please feel free to suggest any other more localized areas. I will post more if this becomes a reality. May or November...we shall see. I am liking the idea of May. It is November now, so I have time. Well, depending on how long it will take me to decrypt and plot HPSP. Bwahaha!

I agree with Pugglemom about Groton being a good place to go, but I would search on a town somewhat more inland, Groton is on the coast and you lose area to the water. Try Norwich instead, you will still get all the boxes down in Groton.

LL