New Hampshire - White Mountains

Ten Great Things to Do in White Mountains New Hampshire

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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.

Kancamagus Has Scenic Beauty Like No Place Else

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The Kancamagus Scenic Byway passes through the heart of the White Mountains National Forest while traversing the flank of Mount Kancamagus, filled with scenic areas and overlooks. The byway coincides with Route 112 from Conway to Lincoln. Visitors know this area as one of the world's most spectacular fall-foliage trips, but a stunning spectrum of color underscores the region's natural beauty year round. The road meanders through vast forests, old logging roads, and Indian hunting paths. An abundance of history and recreation lies here, so take the time to pull off the road and explore all that the byway offers.

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.

Dogs + Sleds = Wow!

Experience the thrill and beauty of sledding over frozen ground and snowy mountain passes behind a team of powerful Siberian Huskies or Alaskan Malamutes. New England Dogsledding is located in Mason Township, Maine, on the Maine and New Hampshire border of the White Mountain National Forest. The company hosts fun and educational dog sledding, mushing, and sled dog tours in the Bethel, Maine; the Sunday River Ski Area; North Conway, New Hampshire; and on 15,000-acre Wilderness Trail System at the Balsams, New Hampshire. The company teaches guests the ropes and allows them to experience the thrill of driving their own team. Be whisked off on an amazing winter adventure through the majestic wilderness. Phone: 207-836-2703.

General Store Celebrates Inspired Nonsense

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Zeb’s General Store in the mountain village of North Conway is the place to find New England products of all imaginable kinds – and some you might not easily imagine, like Nantucket Sea Clay Soap, Maine Maple Champagne Mustard, or Out on a Limb Blueberry Pie Filling. Some products are eccentric and all are worth a ride home in your shopping satchel. There are plenty of New England specialty foods and classic favorites like penny candy. You can even design your own gift basket from crates, baskets, or boxes (one of them a replica of the store itself), which you then fill with Zeb’s goodies. Phone: 800-676-9294.

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. ‎

Adventure on a Snowmobile Tour

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Alpine Adventures on Main Street in Lincoln offers snowmobile tours through fantastically beautiful wintry scenes through Franconia Notch, Twin Mountain, Bog Pond, and Mount Moosilauke. Offerings include the early-morning First Tracks Tour and the Sunset Tour. First Tracks covers 30 to 40 miles of varied terrain, past natural landmarks like the Basin and the Flume. On the Sunset tour, guests experience the breathtaking sunset behind Mount Moosilauke and enjoy an exciting ride home by moonlight. Phone: 603=745-9911.

Alpine Adventures Provides the Snowmobile;
You Just Have to Step Aboard

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Alpine Adventures in Lincoln offers guided snowmobile tours in Franconia Notch State Park, White Mountain National Forest, and Corridor 11 through Lincoln and beyond. The company operates an environmentally-friendly fleet of 4-stroke snowmobiles that seat two comfortably. This is an awesome opportunity for first-timers to the sport. Fun, friendly, and professional guides make it all happen for guests. Each tour includes a brief but thorough safety orientation. Operators must be 16 with a driver's license. Tour guests have included families, couples, and groups looking for a memoriable outdoor adventure. Phone: 603-745-9911

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.

Cherry Pond Designs Makes
Artwork of Furniture

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Beautiful, artfully designed, high-quality furniture is something you shop for, but it also something to enjoy for its artistry. On a trip in the White Mountains, people who love furniture should visit Cherry Pond Designs on Meadows Road in Jefferson. Since 1990 Cherry Pond has been manufacturing solid wood bedroom, dining room, and occasional furniture that is designed and built to last for generations. Cherry Pond builds five distinct styles of high grade cherry furniture inspired by Shaker design and philosophy. The shop’s basic styles are known as "Cambridge", "Canterbury", "Essex" and "Verdana". Cambridge and Canterbury are identical except for details which give each a distinctive look. Canterbury adheres to traditional, elegant Shaker design. Cambridge is a bit more sophisticated and contemporary. The Essex look uses dovetail joinery, chamfered front frame, gently swept base and a molded top edge. Verdana features curved legs and end panels and a bowed top. Pay a visit; see and enjoy for yourself. Phone: 603-586-7795.

Coach to the Clouds

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Winter brings a whole new set of sights and sounds to the White Mountains: extra-crisp mountain air, crystal-blue skies, the soft crunch of new snow. A winter tour above the tree line on Mount Washington is absolutely unforgettable, and now this tour is accessible to anyone by way of the SnowCoach, operated by Great Glen Trails in Pinkham Notch, Gorham. A specially constructed all-wheel drive, four-track system allows the SnowCoach to deliver you to the world above tree line at the 4.5-mile mark on the Mount Washington Auto Road for a mountain top view that is almost out of this world. The SnowCoach gives adventurous guests the option to cross country ski, telemark ski or snowshoe down the Auto Road. SnowCoach tours last approximately one and one-quarter hours and depart daily, weather permitting, from December through March from Great Glen Trails. Cost is $45 for adults and $30 for children ages 5-12. Phone: 603-466-2333.

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.

Craggy Beauty, 90 Feet Tall

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The Flume Gorge at Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains National Forest is a natural granite gorge extending 800 feet at the base of Mount Liberty. The towering granite walls on each side of the gorge rise to a spectacular height of about 90 feet. Footpaths and bridges allow walkers to move among towering moss-covered granite walls, past cascading waterfalls, historic covered bridges, glacial boulders and much more. This is a beautiful nature wonder of the Granite State that you just should not miss.