Mt. Washington & White Mountains and other New Hampshire, NH Things to Do Tips

Climb Mount Washington and / or tour the White Mountains.
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At 6288 feet (1917 meters), Mount Washington is the highest peak in New England, the 2nd highest peak east of the Mississippi, and is said to have the most extreme weather conditions in the lower 48 states. At the peak there is a weather station, museum and cafeteria. On clear days the view is spectacular. On cloudy days it's downright spooky!
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There are numerous means of transport up to the peak including hiking trails, an auto-road and a cog railway. The hiking trails can take as little as 3 hours to the peak (if you're in excellent shape) or you can design a trip over several days, camping or staying in huts and cabins maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). The cog railway on the western slope runs steam engines whose lonely whistles can be heard from time to time if you're hiking.
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I've hiked the Jewel Trail, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Huntington Ravine Trail and Tuckerman Ravine Trail:
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- The Jewel Trail has several good views of the Cog Railway.
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- The Ammonoosuc trail features a couple of lovely ponds called the Lakes of the Clouds, which makes an excellent picnic spot.
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- Huntington Ravine is by far the most aggressive hike - only hikers in excellent shape should attempt it and it is strongly recommended to only go up Huntington - not down. Up Huntingon and down the Tuckerman Ravine Trail is a good route.
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For skiers & snow boarders, Tuckerman Ravine is routinely run until mid June. I recently hiked there on June 1 and saw many skiers & snow boarders. There is a small lodge at the foot of the Ravine (at about 4000 feet) and out-houses are available. No lifts - you must hike to the top of the ravine.
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Trail heads can be found on Route 16, Route 302 and Base Road (off of Rt 302).
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The auto-road is off of Route 16 and the Cog Railway is on the Base Road, about 45 minutes north of North Conway.

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Phone: (603) 466-2721
Directions: The White Mountain Region is near the center of NH.
Website: http://www.mountwashington.org/

High Hopes Hot Air Balloon Festival
If you are traveling in NH in June, try to make it to the High Hopes Hot Air Balloon Festival in Milford. The High Hopes organization holds the event every year to raise money to grant wishes to terminally and chronically ill NH children. It's a great event for a great cause.
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About 20-25 hot air balloons go up at 6 AM and 6 PM starting with the evening flight on the Friday before Father's Day in June until the following Sunday evening (weather permitting). The festival grounds hosts additional activities which vary from year to year, but have included: an antique auto show, sky-diver landings, helicopter rides, hay-rides, art & crafts vendors and much more. There are also many raffles, including several on-the-spot raffles for balloon rides as the balloonists set up. I myself was a lucky winner of an unexpected balloon ride!
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The balloon festival is held every Father's Day weekend at Chappell's Grandview Farm & Hampshire Hills Sports Center at Emerson & Federal Hill Roads (Rte 101 & 13), Milford NH.

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Mount Monadnock (elevation 3165 ft - 965 meters), is the 2nd most climbed mountain in the world, behind Mt. Fuji in Japan. This is because there are dozens of trails suited to nearly every ability and interest.
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Early settlers in the area used to burn the forest at the peak in order to keep wolves away. Eventually the peak became bare and today a hike to the peak of Monadnock will take you 'above treeline' making you feel as if you are climbing a much higher mountain. This also allows for some spectacular views. On a clear day, you can see all six New England states, Boston and Mount Washington.
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There are several trail-heads starting in Dublin, Jaffrey and Marlboro. My favorites are the Dublin Trail and the Pumpelly Trail, both starting in Dublin. You can find more information by consulting the Appalachian Moutian Club's NH Trail Guide.
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This web site also has a ton of trail information:
http://www.qcc.mass.edu/brink/qcc/monadtr.html
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Canoeing on the Saco River in the summertime is a very popular activity. It's great for getting some exercise, enjoying the outdoors and for people watching. You can rent canoes from several outfitters in NH and Maine and spend a day or a week canoeing and camping on the river.

All kinds of people canoe the river. Older folks, college kids, families & scout troups can all be found here. I enjoyed watching all of the different kinds of people in their boats & rafts. A lot of the campers decorated their boats with flags, tikis, torches and pool toys. Larger groups lash their boats together to form a floating party. One resourceful group that I saw had a gas-powered blender for making frozen drinks!

There are campgrounds along the river where you pay per person. We stayed at Fiddlehead campground in Fryeburg, Maine for $10 per person. There is also free camping on land that isn't marked "No Trespassing," but you're on your own for latrines and trash pick-up.

We rented our canoes at Saco Bound in Conway, NH. We put in at Conway and they picked us up in Fryeburg, ME. The 22 mile trip took two days.

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Phone: 603-447-2177
Address: Saco Bound, Route 113, Center Conway, NH
Directions: From Boston, MA to Conway: Take Rt. 95 North to Rt. 16 North, Spaulding Tpke. Follow Rt. 16 N for appx. 80 miles to the town of Conway, NH. From the lights in Conway, take Rt. 113 East for appx. 5 miles. Saco Bound will be on your right.
Website: http://www.sacobound.com
Other Contact: rivers@sacobound.com

Every summer, when I was a kid, my Mom would take us to the NH seacoast to spend a day, a week, or even a couple of weeks. Rye Beach is my favorite beach. It's out of the hub-bub of Hampton, and very scenic.

Lots of locals and out-of-staters rent cottages on the beach during the summer months. The best beaches in NH are: North Hampton, Jenness Beach (Rye Beach) and Wallis Sands.

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Directions: Just drive north on Route 1A starting from Hampton and you'll find all of the good beaches along the scenic & winding coastal road.

Strawberry Banke is one of those "Village" museums where a bunch of antique buildings were moved and gathered together, and turned into a tourist attraction. You can tour the houses and shops and watch blacksmiths, potters and coopers ply their trades. The Strawberry Banke gift shop has an excellent collection of handicrafts and books.

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Phone: 603-433-1100
Address: Hancock Street, Portsmouth, NH
Directions: Near Prescott Park on the waterfront.
Website: http://www.strawberybanke.org/