"Spectacular New Hampshire" New Hampshire by Goner

New Hampshire Travel Guide: 1,483 reviews and 4,329 photos

The Beginning of the Colors - New Hampshire

The Granite State

My main reason for visiting New Hampshire, besides seeing the splendid autumn colors, was to see the land where my ancestors first settled.

New Hampshire is located in northeastern United States bordered by the Province of Quebec Canada, Vermont, Maine, and Massachusettes.The population as of 1998 was 1,185,000. Its only 180 miles long and 93 miles at it's widest. It's known as the Granite State due to the abundance of granite mountains and cliffs.The state is heavily forested and has 1,300 lakes and ponds and 40,000 miles of rivers and streams. The state highways are excellent and are open to visitors all year round. Ninety percent of New Hampshire is unpopulated, thus making it a year-round playground.

People flock here for the skiing and for hiking the many hills and mountains.The highest point - Mount Washington is 6,288 feet, but it's Mount Monadnock in the south that is said to be the most climbed mountain in the world.

New Hampshire enjoys all four seasons. It has a changeable climate, with wide variations in daily and seasonal temperatures. The variations are affected by proximity to the ocean, mountains, lakes or rivers.

The weather station on Mount Washington has recorded some of the coldest temperatures and strongest winds in the continental United States..

A Little History

New Hampshire Flag

New Hampshire became the 9th state on June 21, 1788. It was one of the original 13 colonies.

Their motto is "Live Free or Die", which is stamped on every license plate, describes the independent nature of these people which is most likely derived from their European ancestors who first settled here.

The first settlers landed in 1623, not by people who were escaping religious persecution in England, but those who wanted to establish and invest in a new colony for England. They landed in and settled Portsmouth , then travelled up the river to Dover to begin another settlement.

Our Route through New Hampshire

Newhampshire Map

We started our trip in Manchester then took Hwy 101 to Hampton and on to Portsmouth to Kennebunkport, Maine then back down to hwy 16 to Dover. From Dover we continued on 16 where we shopped at the outlets in North Conway. We connected to 302 at Lower Bartlett to Crawford Notch and Areusha Falls . You get a great view of the mountains from 302. We stopped outside of Barlett to see the covered bridge that spans Sacro River. From there we picked up the 93 expressway into Vermont. The best leaf peeping here was along 93.

We returned to New Hampshire down highway 91 along the Connecticut River starting at Bradford. This is very pretty countryside, with great views of the river. We stopped just off 91 to see the Cornish-Windsor bridge that spans the Connecticut River and went to Enfield which is you can reach from Lebanon from 89 to 4 then 4A. From Enfield we drove back to hwy 91 and followed it to hwy 9.

We then cut across on highway 9 to Keene and then south to Swanzey to see the covered bridge at Sawyers Crossing, we continued on 101 which connects to the 293 and returned to Manchester.

Each highway had it's own special vistas. Driving that route was relaxing with very little traffic. We contribute the lack of traffic to the fact the leaves were not yet in full color.

Pros and Cons

Pros:New Hampshire has a beautiful rugged landscape
Cons:We didn't see the colors at 100%
In a nutshell:A beautiful state for driving, hiking and other sports

Last visit to New Hampshire: Oct 2002
Intro Updated Sep 15, 2003
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Reviews (24)

Silver Cascade Things to Do (8)

Silver Cascade is located just east on Route 302 that is referred to as the Gates of the Notch. This cascade is a series... more travel advice

Mount Monadnock Things to Do (8)

Monadnock is said to be the most climbed mountain in the world and you may see several hundred hikers milling around its... more travel advice

White Mountain National Forest Things to Do (8)

The White Mountains is heavily forested and an outdoor paradise with more than 1,200 miles of hiking trails. It has an... more travel advice

Hike to Arethusa Falls Things to Do (8)

Located off Route 302 in Crawford Notch State Park is a great hike to Arethusa Falls the highest falls in the state and... more travel advice

Shopping (1)
They have Outlet Stores
Local Customs (1)
What's a Rotary?
Transportation (1)
Fly into Manchester Airport
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Written Sep 15, 2003

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In and Around New Hampshire

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Comments (17)

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matcrazy1 Jan 2, 2005 at 8:01 AM

Great page, beautiful nature, good suggestions, lovely covered bridge, simply I must go and see it sooner or later. Thanks for sharing and all the best in 2005 :-)
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Phalaenopsis03 Oct 21, 2004 at 12:37 AM

bet it's a pretty color out there this time of year. =)
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Myndo Aug 16, 2004 at 6:09 AM

I love New England - especially in autumn with the fall colors. You did a great job here. BTW very funny animal pics on your homepage!
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deecat Jun 12, 2004 at 8:46 PM

Nancy..you've done a great job with New Hampshire. Outstanding intro; the covered bridges are lovely, great B&B; good food tips. Did you see the White Mountain Hotel? I thought the people of New Hampshire were the friendliest in the East.
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keeweechic Apr 7, 2004 at 8:46 PM

This State has some very English names:-) but how pretty it is. Dover sounds great and how lucky for you. Loved those covered bridges. Happy Easter to you too Nancy.
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RowanGBR Jan 6, 2004 at 1:24 PM

What a fantastic trip to NH - and amazing that you found an ancestral grave, how exciting!!
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RhondaRuth Aug 7, 2003 at 8:04 AM

You've done a GREAT job of discribing & giving info on NH. It's a beautiful state that even I need to explore more. (I was born there!)
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GreenMtn.Man Jun 5, 2003 at 10:55 AM

There is something special about them covered bridges
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BabciaMaine May 6, 2003 at 10:19 AM

lovely choices for photos and good info thanks
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dinhyen Apr 15, 2003 at 9:56 PM

We like NH because it's pretty. It's probably the most scenic NE state. Very nice job with the covered bridges.