The White Mountains in Autumn

Last week, my wife and I got away for an early 20th anniversary celebration. We spent a few wonderful days in New Hampshire; this post shares highlights.

North Conway

After taking an early flight to Manchester, we drove north and stayed in a new hotel in North Conway, a lovely mountain resort town in east-central New Hampshire. We enjoyed an initial hike east of town before checking out the (surprising) number of outlets and having a nice dinner.

The Kancamagus Highway

The next day, we stopped at a covered bridge (there are many in the region) and then headed out for the main feature: the Kancamagus Highway, which runs west from Conway to Lincoln. This scenic road had plenty of stops for short (or long) hikes and beautiful vistas. Parking at some stops became an issue, but it all worked out. As you'd expect, cell service was not always available, so download local maps as needed before heading out.

Just before Lincoln, we stopped at Loon Mountain, headed up via cable car, and enjoyed the poorly-named (yet exciting) "glacial caves," which are a series of natural granite obstacles [not caves] that force you to contort yourself in fun [and nerve-wracking, for the older] postures to navigate them. 

The Loop Back

After a nice lunch in Lincoln, we stopped for ice cream (I had maple soft serve) and took the northern loop back, which runs through Franconia Notch, by Mount Washington, and had plenty of sights on its own. But we visited there last year, so we just enjoyed the views and meandered back to North Conway. The map below shows the Kancamagus (the southern road) and the northern loop back. The listed drive time of two hours is deceiving and easily exceeded; plan to stop often (and/or be held up by slow motorists).

Lake Winnipesaukee

The next day, it was time to head home. We had driven up from Manchester on the east side of Lake Winnipesaukee, and headed home on the west side. We intended to find a place to hike and enjoy a view of the lake; our first choice, Castle in the Clouds, was out due to a classic car show that day. We drove on through Meredith (it looked pretty; we should have stopped) and Interlaken (not to be confused with its Swiss counterpart) before finding what looked like a good spot. What we didn't know: the road up went from pleasingly paved to dauntingly dirt and rock, with difficult climbs and hairpin turns. We parked in a lot that had some other cars, saw no other hikers, and grew increasingly nervous. After briefly exploring the local trail options and enjoying the view, we decided to head back down. On the way, a passing motorist told us to watch for black bears he had just seen, reinforcing our decision to get out of there.

We drove back to Manchester, stopping at (another) L.L. Bean outlet on the way before catching our flight home.

Thoughts

It was a short but wonderful trip. The people in the White Mountains live life at a different pace. They are polite, kind, and much more relaxed than what we are used to. The area is beautiful, even though the leaves were not as vibrant as we had hoped (the locals told us a drought had affected the maples in particular). There is plenty to do for the outdoors enthusiast, and many options for all skill levels and desires (we focused on shorter hikes and loved it). The food options were excellent, with an array of both chains and local fare. The shopping was surprisingly fun. I wish we had more time to explore the Lake Winnipesaukee area (and foreknowledge of where best to do that), but ultimately, the trip was made not by what we did, but who we were with—each other.

It was the first time my wife and I had gotten away overnight without the children in seven years. It was a much-needed time to relax, enjoy each other's company, and connect without distraction or interruption. We need to make this a habit.