|USA - Road Trips|

New Hampshire for All Seasons

July 15, 2020 /

New Hampshire is a Northeastern state in US and is considered a part of the New England region. Surrounded by natural beauty and wilderness, NH is known for the White Mountain National Forest and numerous state parks. It’s a preferred location for winter sports, wildlife sightings, camping, scenic byways and other recreational outdoor activities during all four seasons. I love their state motto ‘Live Free or Die’ and feel a strong affinity to this philosophy. Added bonus: New Hampshire is one of the only five states in the country that doesn’t impose a sales tax on shopping. While you may find a ton of things to do in this gorgeous city, here is a list of my favorites during each season of the year..

Spring – Hiking & ATV Riding

Living in Northern Massachusetts, White Mountain National Forest is only few hours by road for us. We take full advantage of that. Hiking in the White Mountains is always a pleasant experience. We use the ‘All Trails’ mobile app to find moderate mountain hikes with great views. My favorite ones have been Mt. Crawford and Mt. Willard for mountain views, Mt. Major and Mt. Sunapee for lake views. Mt. Tecumseh is the easiest 4000 footer, although the views from the summit are limited. Mt. Moosilauke on the other hand is more strenuous but offers panoramic 360 degree views. We prefer Spring weather for hiking but some regions such as Waterville Valley have pleasant weather even during summer. I love hiking and challenging myself now and again. New Hampshire has become the ultimate escape for me these past few years.

There are over 1000 miles of ATV trails in New Hampshire. You can rent the All terrain vehicles or go on a guided tour. Along with the thrill of offroading, you get to enjoy beautiful meadows, lakes and mountain views from the comfort of a motorized vehicle. We reserved the ‘Two-Hour Polaris 570 RZR Guided Tour’ with DirtVentures ATV Rentals, through Groupon. It was a surprise gift for my husband’s birthday and he couldn’t be happier. Fond of driving cars and being outdoors, this was the perfect experience for his special day. We made a few stops along the tour route, one of them being a local icecream shop.. Be prepared to get dirty though! Despite the balaclava masks, helmets and goggles, we had dirt all over our faces and bodies. We didn’t mind it much though, considering the fun experience it was.

Summer – Train to Mount Washington & Beaches

Built in 1869, Mount Washington Cog Railway is the world’s first mountain climbing cog railway. The 3-hour round trip to the summit of Northeast’s highest peak can be taken either on a biodiesel train or a steam train. The base station itself was very beautiful and the colorful train brought back memories from childhood. You get to spend an hour at the summit which, on clear days, offers 360 degree views of New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Quebec, and the Atlantic Ocean. The Visitor Center at the top includes a snack bar, museum, gift shop and a post office. Our guide was knowledgable and his commentary was quite interesting. Unfortunately both the times we rode the train, weather at the summit took a turn for the worse. Weather at the summit of Mount Washington is known to be unpredictable. Hence, we couldn’t make it to the top and get out of the train. We were offered partial refund at the base station itself and a choice to reschedule the journey. However, we decided to go with it and had no regrets in the end. Next time, we plan on driving the auto road and hopefully getting a chance to step out on the summit.

Although, New Hampshire has the shortest ocean coastline (18 miles), it is home to around 1000 lakes and ponds. Some of the beaches are part of state parks which also offer numerous hiking options and other activities. Hampton Beach being the largest in the state is known as one of the cleanest beaches in the country. It is close to the town and provides easy access to shops and restaurants. If you prefer quieter beaches, head to one of the state parks containing beautiful ocean or lake beaches. Echo Lake State Park, Mount Sunapee State Park, Wellington State Park, Ellacoya State Park and White Lake State Park are some of the best options.

Autumn – Chasing Fall Colors & Camping

October is the peak season for fall foliage in New Hampshire. The following link can be used to track foliage in different regions of the state: https://www.visitnh.gov/foliage-tracker.
While you can go on numerous scenic hikes, the Kancamagus Highway (known as the ‘Kank’) or Route 112 is the perfect auto route for leaf peeping. Extending from Lincoln to Conway or vice versa, it is a 30 mile drive through the White Mountain National Forest. You can stop at various vista points, camp at one of the many campgrounds or just drive through and enjoy the beautiful views.
We got some great pictures of the Swift river and the bridge over it. The famous Loon Mountain, with New Hampshire’s longest gondola skyride, is also on this route. Going a little off route, you can also ride the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway and check out the foliage from Cannon Mountain summit.

Fall Camping has lately become popular for it’s many benefits. Escaping the summer crowds, waking up surrounded by autumn colors and slightly cool pleasant weather are good enough reasons to try camping during autumn. While we went camping during the first week of September (long weekend), we would love to try doing it during the peak season of Fall. White Mountain National Forest has a multitude of camping options. We planned to camp in the woods not to far away from the town and with close proximity to the rest rooms. Lost River Valley Campground in North Woodstock was the perfect choice for our group of amateur campers. Despite not having much camping experience, we were able to light a fire, cook some chicken skewers and set up our tent. The next day we rented some kayaks and spent the day at a lake. If you prefer more comfort, rent one of the many wooden cabins in the woods or maybe bring an RV.

Winter – Snowmobiling & Ice Castles

With over 6000 miles of snowmobile trails in the state, snowmobiling is an adventurous snow sport/activity to enjoy during winters. While you can rent a snowmobile and venture out on your own, I would suggest you go for a guided tour the first time you are trying it. We booked a single rider Bog Pond / Franconia Notch Tour with SledVentures / DirtVentures in Lincoln, NH. These tours are also available on Groupon like the ATV tours. We were provided with proper gear and safety instructions before beginning the tour. Since we were beginners and were trying it out for the first time, we slowed down our tour group consisting mostly of experienced riders. However, our guides were kind enough to come up with a plan and further divide us in two groups each being led by one. The highlight of the tour was reaching the frozen Bog Pond and and all riders going around it in circles. It was a beautiful sight, a memory I often revisit and plan on indulging again. If you are planning to stay a night or more, book one of the many available cabins and end your day cozying up to the fireplace. There are interactive trail maps available online and a numerous clubs one can join if you wish to pursue this recreational activity regularly.

New hampshire is home to an award-winning frozen attraction called ‘Ice Castle’ which is only located in six states of North America. The Ice Castle includes sculptures, tunnels, slides, fountains and many other impressive wonders. We made the reservation just before sunset to appreciate the castle in day light as well as after sunset. The LED lights are switched on right around sunset illuminating the thousands of icicles used in building the castle. Ticket prices are reasonable and the experience was worth the drive (from Boston). The location in New Hampshire changed to a different town in the past few years. We made online reservations weeks in advance to book our preferred date and time. Do wear warm clothes and winter boots as our feet were soaked in powdery snow by the time we were done with our visit.

There are numerous other excursions, activities and experiences this state has to offer. I hope you have a great time in New Hampshire and enjoy every minute of it!

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