H country
Explore New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee and White Mountains
rotating exhibits on the history, culture, and environment of the area. PSU also hosts lectures, music, and other events at its Silver Center for the Arts.
Winter visitors can check out Tenney Mountain, a small ski resort with 48 trails of varying difficulty. First established in 1959, the resort experienced an eight-year shutdown but reopened in 2018.
Just west of Plymouth, the town of Rumney includes numerous challenging crags that are a popular destination for rock climbers. It also features Polar Caves Park, where visitors can explore nine cave and passageways created by massive granite boulders deposited during the Ice Age. Other attractions, including an animal park and nature trail, make this site an ideal site for a family outing.
Woodstock
Farther north, past the tiny villages of Campton and Thornton, one arrives at the town of Woodstock. Despite its diminutive size, with a population of less than 1,500 people, it includes several restaurants and shops
in its primary village of North Woodstock. Cascade Park, with an entrance on Main Street, leads to a swimming hole and natural waterslide on the Pemigewasset River.
One of the signature attractions in town is the Woodstock Inn Brewery. One of the early arrivals in the craft beer scene, the brewery now distributes as far as Rhode Island and celebrates its 25th year in 2020. Visitors to the Woodstock Inn Brewery can sample these beers in a well-appointed brewpub or take a tour of the brewery itself.
Another unique dining experience is the Cafe Lafayette Dinner Train. During the summer, guests take a two-hour ride through the Pemigewasset River Valley in vintage 1950s train cars while enjoying a five-course meal. The Depot, a stationary tapas and wine bar venue, is open during the winter.
Lost River Gorge & Boulder Caves invites visitors to walk along a series of walkways and bridges to view caves, cliffs, waterfalls, and other stunning natural attractions. Ice Castles, a seasonal attraction just outside North Woodstock, creates magical structures and sculptures each winter using hundreds of thousands of icicles and colorful LED lights.
Hikers looking for an unusual destination can head to Mount Waternomee on the west end of town. A B-18 bomber crashed near the summit of this peak in a snowstorm in January 1942, and a heroic effort by Woodstock residents rescued the five surviving crewmen. Much of the plane’s wreckage remains on the slope.
Lincoln
This town is perhaps the most established tourism center in the region. Located at the gateway to the White Mountains National Forest, it also includes the popular Loon Mountain ski resort.
Several venues offer excursions to explore the outdoors. Alpine Adventures has a variety of tours available, but is perhaps best known for its off-roading rambles in a six-wheel Swiss Army Pinzgauer vehicle. Pemi Valley Moose Tours leads nighttime outings to look for moose and other wildlife.
Family attractions are in abundance in Lincoln. The Hobo Railroad offers a 14-mile scenic tour along the Pemigewasset River in vintage train cars. Whale’s Tail Waterpark is perfect for a hot day, with 11 waterslides, a wave pool, a lazy river, and more.
Perhaps the strangest destination in town is Clark’s Trading Post, a sprawling roadside attraction first opened in 1928. There’s something for everyone, including trained black bear shows, Chinese acrobats, five museums, and four specialty shops. A ride aboard a steam train is livened up by the “Wolfman,” a bearded recluse who shows up in a ramshackle jalopy to chase the city slickers off his property.
Then again, the most unusual attraction might be
the site of the alleged alien abduction of Barney and Betty Hill in 1961. An official state marker notes the location of the incident, and a nearby gas station has become a tribute of sorts to the encounter, with plenty of extraterrestrial paraphernalia.
Lake Winnipesaukee
Measuring nearly 72 square miles, with 63 miles of shoreline and hundreds of islands, Lake Winnipesaukee takes a trip to the lake to the next level. Several organizations offer boating tours of the lake, including the 230-foot M/S Mount Washington and the 65-foot replica paddleboat Winnipesaukee Belle.
There are plenty of hiking trails around the lake that offer manageable climbs with gorgeous views. Mount Major is one of the more popular summits, rising just 1,785 feet but boasting panoramic views from rocky ledges.
Other outdoor thrills can be found at Monkey Trunks, an adventure park with rope courses and ziplines. Gunstock Mountain Resort offers skiing and tubing as well as a variety of summer activities, including a thrilling alpine roller coaster.
The Wright Museum of World War II is one of the more prominent museums in the region, with more than 14,000 items related to the war. Several military vehicles are preserved, including a tank set up to seem like it is smashing through the museum wall. The New Hampshire Boating Museum features a collection of classic vessels, and offers lake tours aboard the Millie B, a 28-foot replica of a wooden 1928 Hacker-Craft.
Families can climb aboard the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad for a two-hour vintage train ride along the lake’s western shore. You can also easily spend a whole day at Funspot, an entertainment center with hundreds of arcade games, a bowling alley, indoor mini golf, and more. The site is home to the American Classic Arcade Museum, which preserves more than 250 restored standup games and invites you to put in some quarters and relive your childhood.
Not far away is the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, whose signature attraction is a live animal exhibit trail with creatures like mountain lions, black bears, and bald eagles. The center also includes hiking trails and a spacious pollinator garden.
The White Mountains
North of Lincoln, I-93 enters the White Mountains and offers plenty of places to pull off and hit the trail. Avid New England hikers make a goal of climbing the 48 New Hampshire peaks with elevations exceeding 4,000 feet, and many of these peaks can be found in this region.
A challenging but satisfying trek is the Franconia Ridge Loop, which gives phenomenal views of the surrounding mountains. Head up the Falling Waters Trail, which passes several waterfalls, before summiting Little Haystack Mountain. The ridge trail brings you to the top of Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette. On the descent, you’ll have the opportunity to rest at the Greenleaf Hut, a shelter maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club.
Other natural wonders are more easily accessible from the parking lot. Flume Gorge features two miles of walkways allowing visitors to take in the powerful rapids and cascades in a natural gorge. The Basin, a granite pothole with a waterfall, is located at the base of a trail system that passes two additional falls farther up Kinsman Mountain.
To get to the top of a mountain the easy way, check out the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway. The eightminute cable car ride offers plenty of opportunities for photos on its way to the top of a 4,080-foot mountain. At the base of the tram, the New England Ski Museum offers exhibits on the ski history of the region, including Olympic athletes and the training of World War II ski troops.