Diana’s Baths is a tantalizing mix of potholes, cascades, slides and small plunges about one-half mile from the turnoff to Cathedral Ledge on West Side Road in Bartlett. For most, the attractive features of this area are the refreshing pools and potholes. During high water, the entire area, swimming holes included, can be engulfed with hammering cascades and plunges. During normal conditions, however, there is only one major waterfall, a 20-foot plunge over granite. Also, check out nearby Cathedral Ledge, where technical rock-climbers can often be seen working their way up its broad face.

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Gifts From the Hands of Artists

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The beautiful Franconia Notch area offers opportunities to shop for art-inspired gifts to be found nowhere else. For example, the Pine Needle Card and Gift Company in Franconia (603-823-5907) presents greeting cards with photos of surrounding vistas; Plough Wind Antiques on Main Street in Franconia (603-823-9571) is filled with vintage treasures as well as beeswax candles and wonderful Woodstock Chimes; and P.C. Anderson Handmade Furniture in Sugar Hill (603-823-5209) creates furniture (including custom designs) as an art form. ‎

Great Waterfalls: Arethusa Fall Near Bartlett

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Arethusa Falls , near Bartlett, is regarded as the highest single drop in New Hampshire and it is by far the most spectacular. Bemis Brook makes a leap of 176 feet down an orange ledge of granite, capping a 1.5 mile hike along Bemis Brook. As you approach the falls, you'll see tantalizing glimpses of white falling water high through the treetops. To find it: Arethusa Falls is a well-signed side road off of Route 302 about halfway between Bartlett and the Gates of the Notch. Park in the lot and the falls are about two miles and 900 vertical feet away. Shortly after you leave the parking log, you'll see a trail junction leading towards Bemis Brook. The Arethusa Falls trail is a very steep climb over root ladders and erosion.

Great Waterfalls: Sabbaday Falls

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Sabbaday Brook , on the Kancamagus Pass, drops 40 feet in an unusual and scenic form. The water drops eight feet into a small emerald green pothole. The outlet of the pothole is a slide resulting in a 20-foot horsetail into a tight gorge where it makes a ninety degree turn to the right. The final drop is a 12-foot slide into a deep teal trough that opens into a pale jade green pool below. Walkways, bridges, and stairs make this an easy and safe place to explore. To find it: Sabbaday Falls is the focal point of the Sabbaday Falls Picnic Area, a well marked locale on Route 112, about 11 miles east of Kancamagus Pass, about 3.4 miles west of the Jigger Johnson Campground and about 17 miles west of Conway.

Great Waterfalls: Thompson Fall in Pinkham Notch

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Thompson Falls in Pinkham Notch in the White Mountains is a series of slides and falls along Thompson Brook. The lowest drop is the first you will encounter. The falls drop over a wide granite ledge that is shaped like a giant clam. Above this, you'll encounter a series of granite slides and dips, the segmented 20-foot middle falls, then finally the cascading upper falls. To find it: Take Route 16 into Pinkham Notch to the Wildcat Mountain Ski Area. Walk around the base lodge on the left side, cross the small stream and follow the interpretive trail that goes off to the left. Follow this trail for about half a mile, cross the service road, and continue along the trail into the woods. You'll reach the lower drop in a few hundred feet.

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Indoor Comfort; Outdoor Adventure

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For indoor and outdoor pleasures, the resource in East Conway on Route 113 is Town & Country, offering country gifts, wood and gas stoves as well as snowmobile sales, service, rentals for outdoor adventurers. The country store offers Lodge Cast Iron Cookware, country furniture, weathervanes, Warren Kimble Prints, candles and gifts. The outdoorsman can find Polaris and Yamaha recreational vehicles for sale or rent. Snowmobile renters can hit the trails immediately through the Snoward Bound Covered Bridge parking area located just behind the store. Cross the covered bridge and enter a groomed scenic trail connection to New Hampshire's Corridor 19 snowmobile trails. (While the indoor people stay put and shop.) The store is open daily through the winter. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Phone: 603-939-2698.

Moose Crossing

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Breath taking views, sweet mountain air, and a 95 percent chance of seeing a moose are three great reasons to head to Gorham and out on the Moose Tours. This 3-hour guided bus tour allows visitors to New Hampshire to gaze upon deer, osprey, and the majestic moose. Tours run daily from May to October 3, and depart at dusk. While people are settling down after a day with their nose to the grind, this scenic nature tour offers the opportunity to see animals in their most active time. Located on Route 16, Moose Tours is a great way to explore the North Country, with out all that pesky walking. Phone: 603-466-3103.

Polly Want a Pancake?

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All people who hold an appropriate reverence for pancakes need to trek to Polly’s Pancake Parlor on Route 117 in Sugar Hill, a third-generation family business that has been making and serving pancakes since 1938. All day long, Polly's serves whole wheat, buckwheat, and cornmeal pancakes, sausage or bacon, and maple toppings. Visit the gift shop and take home the pancake mixes and maple syrup to hold you over until your next visit. Phone: 800-432-8972.

Pollyanna Was Here

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One of the last classic Main Streets in New England, downtown Littleton is a vibrant community on the bank of the Ammonoosuc River. Downtown offers a nice variety of restaurants, a historic inn, a 100-year old opera house, specialty shops, a majestic post office, a working gristmill, the world’s longest candy counter, and a sculpture of the original “glad girl” herself: Pollyanna.

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America’s Oldest Continuously Operated General Store

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The Brick Store is a genuine old-fashioned general store that dates back as far as 1790 – in fact, the store calls itself America’s oldest continuously operated general story. It is located on the main street – Route 302 – in the delightful town of Bath. Customers include some old-timers in their 90s who tell the owners, Mike and Nancy Lusby, that they remember buying penny candy there as kids. How authentic is that? At the Brick Store, visitors can buy distinctive New England specialties — including smokehouse meats and cheese, homemade fudge, gift packs and gift baskets, maple syrup, weathervanes, and much more. It is open daily. Phone: 800-964-2074

Call of the Moose

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Northern New Hampshire hosts an abundance of wildlife, including that gentle giant, the moose. Many guests travel to the White Mountains and Great North Woods regions of New Hampshire to see moose in their natural habitat. Moose Path Trail starts at Route 16 north from Gorham to Errol. Take Route 26 to Dixville Notch to Route 3 north to Pittsburg. This wilderness byway is ideal for the outdoor enthusiast as moose are often spotted along the drive. If you see a moose, keep your distance! They are large, wild animals, and it is important to give them wide berth.
Moose and Wildlife Tours are a popular New Hampshire activity for wildlife enthusiasts. The town of Gorham is host to a Scenic Moose & Wildlife Tour where there is a 95 percent guarantee of spotting some of the Granite State’s unique wildlife. Similar tours are available in the town of Lincoln. Guests take a two-to-three-hour bus journey through the White Mountains in search of New Hampshire’s gentle giants.

Craftsmen in the White Mountains

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Founded in 1932, the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen is one of the oldest craft organizations in the country. The League was formed during the Depression to help New Hampshire craftspeople make a living through difficult financial times by building an audience and market for fine handmade craft. The League operates seven retail galleries throughout New Hampshire. The galleries present the work of juried craftspeople, along with demonstrations, exhibits and educational programs.
Galleries in the White Mountains region are Littleton Retail Gallery, 81 Main Street, Littleton, 603-444-1099; and North Conway Retail Galler, Main Street/Route 16, North Conway, 603-356-2441.