New England Geography Quiz: West of New Hampshire

Quiz challenge

If you travel west from New Hampshire before reaching New York, which state do you enter?

A Maine B Massachusetts C Connecticut D Vermont

Select an answer to continue.

New England geography presents a fascinating and compact layout of state borders, historic riverways, and mountain ranges. Traveling across the northeastern corner of the United States requires an accurate understanding of how these closely linked states align along cardinal directions. If you embark on a journey westward from the Granite State toward the Empire State, you cross a major river boundary and pass through a picturesque landscape of rolling valleys and green mountains long before you reach the New York border.

The correct answer

D) Vermont

If you travel west from New Hampshire before reaching New York, you enter Vermont.

Vermont sits directly between New Hampshire to its east and New York to its west. The entirety of New Hampshire's western boundary is shared with Vermont, defined primarily by the Connecticut River. Heading due west from anywhere along New Hampshire's western border brings you directly into Vermont. Continuing your journey further west across Vermont brings you to the New York state border, which is marked in the north by Lake Champlain and in the south by a scenic overland boundary extending down to Massachusetts.

Why each choice fits—or doesn’t

A) Maine

Why it is not the answer: Maine is located directly to the east and northeast of New Hampshire. Traveling east from New Hampshire brings you into Maine or out to the rocky Atlantic coastline along the Gulf of Maine. Because Maine sits on the Atlantic side, traveling toward it is the exact opposite direction of heading west toward New York.

B) Massachusetts

Why it is not the answer: Massachusetts lies directly to the south of New Hampshire. Heading south across the New Hampshire border leads into Massachusetts rather than west toward New York. Although Massachusetts shares its own western border with New York, it sits beneath New Hampshire on a regional map rather than directly between New Hampshire and New York.

C) Connecticut

Why it is not the answer: Connecticut is situated in southern New England, well to the south of Massachusetts. Connecticut shares borders with Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York, but it does not touch New Hampshire at any point. Traveling west from New Hampshire will not bring you into Connecticut because Massachusetts sits completely between them.

D) Vermont

Correct choice: Vermont is the correct answer because it encompasses the entire western border of New Hampshire. Situated snugly between New Hampshire and New York, Vermont serves as the vital geographic bridge that connects eastern northern New England with upstate New York.

More context

The border between New Hampshire and Vermont features a rich historical and legal background centered on the Connecticut River. Unlike many state borders that run down the middle of a dividing river channel, the boundary line between these two states was defined at the original low-water mark on the Vermont side of the river. This historical designation meant that the Connecticut River itself falls almost entirely within the jurisdiction of New Hampshire. Disputes over colonial land grants and river rights persisted for generations until the United States Supreme Court formally affirmed the low-water mark boundary in a landmark 1934 ruling. Today, Vermont stands out as the only landlocked state in the six-state New England region, bounded by New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and the Canadian province of Quebec.

Quick facts

Vermont is the only state in the New England region that lacks a coastline along the Atlantic Ocean.
The Connecticut River forms the entire eastern border of Vermont and the western border of New Hampshire.
A 1934 United States Supreme Court ruling confirmed that the New Hampshire border extends to the original low-water mark on the Vermont side of the Connecticut River.
Lake Champlain forms a major natural boundary separating northern Vermont from upstate New York.

Sources

Census Regions and Divisions of the United States Map — U.S. Census Bureau New Hampshire shares its western border with Vermont, which lies directly east of New York.
New England Water Science Center – Locations — U.S. Geological Survey The geographic layout of New England places Vermont directly between New Hampshire and New York.