Best view

Face it: Massachusetts does not have mountains. It has some sizable hills that rise majestically enough in context, but we have no Rockies and only the cream-puff end of the Appalachian Trail. The upside of this is that you can easily get to the top of every mountain in the state. Your best choice is Wachusett Mountain, whose not-exactly-staggering 1200-foot vertical rise is nonetheless quite scenic, as its peak overlooks miles of valleys, ponds, and postcard New England towns. A ski resort in winter, it offers ski-lift rides during September and October that make its off-season virtues perfectly clear.

For a mere $4 a person, you can hop on the high-speed Polar Express Quad chair, which is more romantic than a standard gondola because its small size means you'll never have to share with a family of six on a foliage tour. You and your sweetie can soak up the splendor of it all in a 15-minute ride that deposits you at a parklike summit, then returns you to the base, which has a pond, a lodge, and a pub-style restaurant. Call ahead to see what's going on at the base -- the lift is operated only on weekends and in conjunction with the 10 festivals hosted by the resort. Just over an hour from Boston, it can make for a perfectly romantic day trip, and in leaf season, even the drive to get there is beautiful. And so what if it's not Himalayan in scope? When was the last time someone proposed on Everest?

Wachusett Mountain, 499 Mountain Road, Princeton, Massachusetts. (978) 464-2300