Hiking Hotspot: New Hampshire’s White Mountains
Disclaimer: We are not paid to promote any restaurant, hotel, activity, product, or attraction. All opinions are subjective and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
The White Mountains National Forest is most well known for being home to Mt. Washington, the highest mountain in the Northeast (6288 ft) and one of the windiest places on Earth (wind speeds reached 231 miles per hour back in 1934).
The area is very popular for basically any type of recreational activities, especially hiking, biking, and cross country skiing during the winter months. There are plenty of quaint New Hampshire towns to stay in you feel like taking a rustic escape from the big city. Bethlehem, Littleton, and North Conway are all nice towns which offer a variety of different lodging options. North Conway offers a lot of great shopping including a great outlet mall and Bethlehem is home to a cute little downtown with local restaurants and shops.
We have only visited the forest in late spring, when snow was still on the ground. I would love to visit during the fall season for the spectacular fall foliage (we are still deciding which New England state would be best for this year’s fall getaway). We chose to hike a shorter trail called the Greeley Ponds. Even though the trees were still barren, we enjoyed the scenery and appreciated the desolateness of the forest this time of year. Everything smelled so fresh and it was so beautiful – a wonderful escape from modern civilization (we are currently living in the busy Providence metro) for a bit.
Greeley Ponds trail
There are a lot of trails to choose amongst here, so we decided a moderate intensity pick would be best this time of year. Greeley, a popular summer tourist pick, is pretty desolate out of prime hiking season. The trail is about 5 miles long round-trip and moderate in intensity. You always have the option of turning around early if needed. There is a small parking lot with a small fee for each car (bring cash).
This trail is pretty flat with only a few uphill climbs. Beautiful scenery surrounds you at every turn. I loved all the beautiful creeks and streams we came across. This is a really quiet trail – it was the perfect nature escape from the busy urban area we currently live in.
We found ourselves hiking through the snow at several points and could even have a little fun snowball fight. This is quite crazy as it was May! The elevation is over 2000 feet which is why there is a good chance you may still find some patches of snow in late spring. Add in dense tree coverage to the cooler temps and there isn’t enough sun to melt the snow right away.
Hiking this trail was a peaceful, rustic experience. We only saw a handful of people the entire time on the trail. While the summer months would be much greener, we also would not have enjoyed the peace and serenity we got to enjoy off season. This is both good and bad; good because of the serenity, but also bad because a bear encounter is more likely with less crowds! Luckily, we did not run into any bears even though spring is prime season. However, we did come across some type of animal print in the snow.
Seeing these prints made me want to turn around, however, I finished the hike. The air was so fresh and the stream and forest views were too amazing to turn back! We definitely want to explore more of the forest during the warmer months. We are looking forward for our next trip to the area.
Recommended rustic lodging
A great inn located just 20 minutes or so away is Bear Mountain Lodge in Bethlehem. This beautiful log cabin themed Bed & Breakfast features panoramic views of the mountains from the gorgeous lobby. It’s one of the more gorgeous places I’ve stayed in during my time living in New England.
This quiet property is located on its’ own 26 acres of land, making it wonderful for anyone seeking a secluded stay in the mountains. Great amenities, including on site snowshoeing trails & a year-round hot tub add to the experience. If your visit falls during the snowy season, I highly recommend a daytrip over to Bretton Woods – it’s an awesome place to cross country ski in a gorgeous forested setting.
Although the innkeepers are not overly friendly, the inn itself offers great amenities and a scenic location. We loved snowshoeing and playing Scrabble while gazing at the mountains in the distance. I highly recommend this property as a low-key couple’s getaway destination.
UPDATE: Be sure to check out my full guide to 4 season fun in New England. Mike and I have had a lot of fun taking various daytrips from Fall River. The best part about living in this region is the easy access to so many other states. My guide includes a mix of big city and recreational activities around the region, in every season.
