On a summer road trip around New England, we spent four days exploring the White Mountains region of New Hampshire. Starting out in Conway, we fueled up on some bagels at Big Dave's Bagels (which has been featured on several TV shows) then headed to Crawford Notch State Park. In the park, we hiked part of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail to the 100-foot Ripley Falls (which is the second largest waterfall in the state), then stopped for some ice cream at the nearby Willey House, before walking to the two roadside cascades of Silver Cascade and Flume Cascade.
The next morning, we rode the Mount Washington Cog Railway up the western side of the mountain to the summit and Mt. Washington State Park. The cog railway has been operating for over 150 years and was a unique experience and a pleasant way of reaching the summit. Leaving the train, we stopped briefly at Ammonoosuc Upper Falls and Gorge but didn't stay long because of all the mosquitoes. In the afternoon, we drove to the eastern side of the mountain and after crossing the Honeymoon Covered Bridge in Jackson, we did some additional hiking in White Mountain National Forest. First, we hiked to the 66-foot Glen Ellis Falls, then we drove a short distance to Pinkham Notch and hiked to the impressive Crystal Cascade. We ended the day with a brief stop in Gorham at the Grand Trunk Railroad Museum before dinner at Sunny & Jillians Pizza in Whitefield.
The highlight of our time in New Hampshire came the next morning when we hiked the trail through the Flume Gorge at Franconia Notch State Park. This incredible hike along towering moss-covered granite walls and waterfalls was made even better by a light rainstorm that came through before we started our hike, making the water flow even more impressive than normal. This hike has it all: covered bridges, peaceful forest solitude, the 45-foot Avalanche Falls, and some of the most impressive scenery anywhere. After hiking all morning, we had a great lunch at the Woodstock Inn Brewery in Lincoln. For the remainder of the day, we drove the scenic Kancamagus Highway National Scenic Byway back to Conway, stopping at several points of interest along the way. In addition to several overlooks and scenic viewpoints, two areas we enjoyed stopping at were the Rocky Gorge Scenic Area and the Albany Covered Bridge. Near Conway, we drove up Cathedral Ledge State Park to see the overlook of the Saco River Valley.
Before leaving New Hampshire, we toured the Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves, where Elizabeth especially enjoyed climbing through the numerous small caves and panning for gemstones. Each of our nights in the White Mountains was spent at the Patio Cabins motor court near Twin Mountain. A few days later, we returned to southern New Hampshire and stopped at the USS Albacore Submarine Park in Portsmouth to tour the submarine.
On the western side of the state, we toured Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site (now a National Historical Park) near the Connecticut River. In the north, we took a scenic fall drive near White Mountain National Forest. In the south, we visited Concord where we saw the New Hampshire State House, the grave of President Franklin Pierce, and Pierce Manse.