Exploring the White Mountains of New Hampshire

This is one of the most beautiful parts of the United States, at least that's my opinion. It is the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the wilderness that surrounds those peaks. Just driving through this part of the state you will encounter spectacular scenery with every turn in the road. There are many spots to target during your visit and in this video I will show you just a few of them. Currently I am exploring the Kankamagus Highway. In addition to more stops here, I will show you the Franconia Notch State Park with its incredible flume gorge and the most majestic spot of all, Mount Washington. Let's get to it. If you come to the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire and don't get outside, you are missing the point. This is a rugged landscape sculpted by the elements over millions of years. It can be a harsh environment and people run into trouble here quite often. Those who are not so adventurous and daring, however, can still see the best that the region has to offer without putting themselves in danger. In the next few moments, I will show you how to do that. I will take you inside the deep granite gorges of Franconia Notch and to the very top of the highest peak in the northeast, Mount Washington. To connect the two, I will drive the famous Kankamagus Highway and suggest where to stop along the way. For me, this is the most remarkable spot within the White Mountains, and that includes the summit of Mount Washington. This is the flume gorge, the best part of Franconia Notch State Park, again, my opinion. For around 800 feet, visitors walk along a boardwalk and up some steps through a narrow chute. Walls on each side rise between 70 and 90 feet. The distance between those walls ranges from 12 to 20 feet. At the bottom is Flume Brook, which is a tributary of the Pimagewasset River. The water makes a thunderous sound as it rockets through the landscape. This is the highlight of a moderately easy hike through the wilderness. The first part of the hike is just a delicious appetizer. This is the entree. Granite cliffs soaring above with a narrow passage in between, and the stream roaring by just feet away. This is exceptional. This is one of those experiences which will stay with you for a lifetime. Walking just above the rushing water, touching the moss-covered walls, and witnessing the unfettered power of nature is exhilarating and humbling at the same time. At the upper end, where the brook flows into Flume Gorge, is Avalanche Falls. This is a 45-foot drop. Steps allow visitors to ascend right next to the plummeting water. At one point, mist from the plunge dampens those who are walking by. You get to see the falls from every angle, above, below, and to the side. Seldom will a person ever find themselves in such proximity to an intense torrent on the scale. Geologically, this waterfall is brand new. An 1883 storm caused a landslide, and this feature was formed as a result. For the time it takes to pass through the confines of the gorge, heart rates are elevated. You have an idea of what it will be like, but reality far exceeds expectations in this instance. During the full hike on the way to and from the gorge, there is plenty to hold your interest. It might not be as awe-inspiring as the main attraction, but it is satisfying nonetheless. The trail is one way, and the distance is about two miles. Everything you read says that it will take about an hour and a half to two hours to complete the circuit. You could obviously make it faster than that, but why would you want to? Take your time and take it all in. Around a quarter mile from the beginning of the hike is the Flume Covered Bridge. This vivid red structure was built in 1886, replacing a span from 1871. It is one of the oldest covered bridges in New Hampshire that is still standing. The Pimagewasset River flows underneath. Toward the end of the circuit is the Sentinel Pine Bridge. This was constructed in 1939. While shuttle buses use the Flume Bridge, this one is purely pedestrian only. It spans the Pimagewasset River as well. Another smaller gorge is encountered during the walk. This is Liberty Gorge, complete with Liberty Cascade at the top and a natural pool at the bottom. Experiencing this is not as intense since the trail does not descend very far into the chasm. The Liberty Cascade, with a drop of 70 feet, is taller than Avalanche Falls. Since it is not enclosed though, it doesn't have quite the same juice. The pool is an ancient basin formed 14,000 years ago at the end of the Ice Age. It measures 150 feet across, is 40 feet deep, and sits at the base of 130 foot cliffs. I spent just a little under two hours trekking over the Flume Gorge Trail. Admission was $18 online, which is $3 cheaper than buying tickets on site. The full experience is open from early May through late October. An interesting note, the modern discovery of the gorge came in 1808 when a 93-year-old woman stumbled upon it while out fishing. The Flume Gorge Visitor Center has displays and tells of the formation of the attraction. There are many other sites of interest in Franconia Notch State Park. This is the basin. Glaciers helped create this pothole, which is 20 to 30 feet in diameter and 15 feet deep. It's said that Henry David Thoreau visited in the early 19th century and proclaimed this as perhaps the most remarkable curiosity of its kind in New England. There's no charge to visit, and round trip from the parking lot is less than a mile. I kept walking for a bit past the basin. A path along the stream reveals the beauty of the forest and allows for access to water as it cascades down the hill. I also made a quick stop at Echo Lake at the northern end of the state park. It's a clear spring-fed body of water that covers 39 acres. This sits at just under 2,000 feet of elevation near the base of Cannon Mountain. The beach here can attract crowds during the summer, although it wasn't getting much attention on this cool breezy day in May. There's a separate Echo Lake State Park an hour away near North Conway. Franconia Notch State Park consists of more than 6,600 acres of wilderness. The notch refers to a pass through the White Mountains. Interstate 93 is the road that travels through the Franconia Notch State Park. There are numerous exits off of there and taking any one of them can be beneficial. You're going to find trails, attractions, and beauty at every stop. It's impossible to tell how many visitors the park gets each year since so much of it is accessible for free. This is considered one of the state's flagship parks and is the third largest in size. Mount Washington State Park is less than one percent the size of Franconia Notch. It is only 60 acres. The park consists solely of the summit area. Don't let that fool you. This spot is monumental. Mount Washington is the highest point in the northeastern United States. It proudly claims the title of home of the world's worst weather. I went to the top in late May, a month where the peak receives more than 46 inches of snow on average. For a place known to have some of, if not the worst weather in the world, this is rather benign. 50 degrees with about a 30 mile per hour wind is about as good as you can hope for. Later on tonight, the wind is supposed to pick up and gusts could top 90 miles per hour. When I visited, it was sunny and the approaching 80 degrees at the base of the mountain. Even relatively calm conditions like this point out the need to be prepared for any kind of weather on the summit. The highest surface wind ever recorded anywhere in the world at a staffed weather station occurred here in 1934. A gust hit 231 miles per hour. Routinely, there are hurricane force winds. On average, that happens 110 days each year or nearly one out of every three days. That's often combined with frigid temperatures. Just three years ago, the record lowest wind chill in the United States was set here at 108 degrees below zero. A small museum and the visitor center is devoted to the extreme weather of the mountain. People are drawn because of Mount Washington's notoriety. It gets around 300,000 visitors annually. Virtually everyone who comes climbs a pile of rocks for their moment to stand at the summit. I am no exception. This place is renowned for its views, but as you can see, not everyone is lucky enough to experience them. A few buildings sit on the peak, including space for weather observers to live and work. The tip-top house dates to 1853. It was a hotel for a while. Now it contains a museum, but it was closed when I visited. The famous Appalachian Trail, with its iconic white blaze, crosses the summit. 6,288 feet. If you've been out west, it doesn't sound like much, but it's all relative. This sticks up higher than any other point in the northeast. That contributes to make this one of the most dangerous mountains in the country. Because its height is dwarfed by many other mountains, Washington is not always given the respect it deserves. Conditions can change rapidly, and there is often a huge difference in the weather between the bottom and the top. Over 150 people have died here through the years, a figure that is among the highest of any mountain in North America. I spent an hour at the summit. That is the typical amount of time people stay here. There are three ways to get to the summit. You can hike, you can take the auto road, or you can take the Cog Railway. I've never hiked. I drove up here the last time that I was here, and I took the Cog Railway today. For the least stressful way, take the railway. The Cog Railway is the most popular way to get to the peak. Almost half of all visitors, 140,000, take the train. The ride is appealing on its own. This railway has existed since 1869. It departs from a station on the west side of the mountain. The ride covers 3 miles and reaches a top speed of 5 miles per hour. At its steepest point, the grade is greater than 37%. My round trip cost in the neighborhood of $90. There is a Cog Railway museum in the station at the bottom. On the way to or from the base station, it's a good idea to pull off to see Ammonusic Upper Falls. The drop is only 11 feet or so, but the area is gorgeous. It includes a footbridge across the river. I found that Google Maps did not lead me directly to this spot. Just a few miles down the road, there's a cool stop at the Silver Cascade. You can see this tiered waterfall with a drop exceeding 250 feet almost from the parking lot. Walking across the road gives this view. Just a short scramble up and over a rocky trail provides an even better look. A route connecting Mount Washington and Franconia Notch State Park is famous and an ideal way to experience more of the White Mountains wilderness. This is the Kankamagus Highway. It stretches for 34.5 miles between the towns of Lincoln and Conway. In May of 2026, USA Today named this the number 5 best scenic drive in the country. I made the drive in the latter part of May. Beginning on the western end in Lincoln, I stopped at just a few of the primary attractions as I drove toward Conway. This is the Lincoln Woods Trail. It provides an easy hike along an old railroad right-of-way covering nearly 10 miles out and back. Short on difficulty, this is long on forest goodness. The most popular time to visit the Kankamagus Highway is in the fall when the leaves are changing color. I have no doubt that it is sensational then. Don't sleep on this drive at other times of the year though. For instance, the vivid green of early spring growth is amazing. Wanting to hit numerous stops on my drive, I only walked a limited portion of the Lincoln Woods Trail. Fortunately, one of the biggest highlights of the trail is near the beginning. The suspension bridge extends for 180 feet. It crosses the east branch of the Pemijawasat River. Like all good suspension bridges, there is just a bit of sway and bounce. This is the Hancock Overlook. It is one of the top scenic pull-offs along the highway. There are panoramic views of the mountains to the west. Maybe the most interesting feature is that this is situated directly inside a famous hairpin turn. Vehicles do a full 180 on the curve. A little farther along is the Pemijawasat Overlook. This is near the highest point along the highway and the views to the west are stunning. It's here that you get a great sense of the massive amount of land that has been preserved as wilderness. A pavilion at the overlook gives information about what you are seeing. It's less than a quarter mile up the road that the route tops out at Kankamagus Pass. The elevation is 2,855 feet, more than a half mile, above sea level. This is wilderness, so whether you're here along the highway in Franconia Notch State Park or elsewhere in the White Mountains, cell service is going to be spotty. Do yourself a favor and download an offline map within your navigation app. This pass comes about two-thirds of the way from Lincoln to Conway. A two-minute walk down the highway is the C.L. Graham Overlook. With views to the east, this is a prime location from which to capture images of sunrise over the mountains. Continuing to the east, travelers arrive at Sabaday Falls. This is an extremely popular stop. Water here drops a distance of 35 to 45 feet over three ledges. A boardwalk with steps that takes you right next to the flow gives the feeling that this is a mini flume gorge. What incredibly easy access. Just a little over a quarter mile from the parking lot, you are here. The path is easy and the payoff is fabulous. At this location, you again understand the power of nature because of the proximity to the water. The boardwalk provides access to a 90 degree turn in the stream right in the middle of the cascade and gives the perspective of looking straight down as water plunges toward the bottom. This is the Rocky Gorge Scenic Area. It's a spot which features the Swift River as it makes a short drop and creates rapids with the current flowing over and around granite boulders. You can leave the trail and walk along the rocks to get a closer look at the stream. Just as good, there is a bridge spanning the river where it's possible to look down into the water. This scenery never gets old. Next comes Lower Falls. This again is the Swift River. There is no massive drop here but instead a series of cascades. Easy access means that it takes zero effort to find exceptional vantage points. There are quite a few places where you can walk out onto the rocks that jut out into the channel. They're dry today. If they were wet, I would be very, very careful. With the speed of the current, it would be extremely hazardous to enter the water. It should go without saying that swimming is not allowed in areas such as this, although there are plenty of signs anyway. My final stop along the Cancum August came at the Albany Covered Bridge. This is near the eastern end of the highway just a few miles outside of Conway. The bridge is 120 feet long and 21 feet wide. Sitting over top of the Swift River, this was built in 1858. Not only can pedestrians move from one bank to the other through the bridge, vehicles have access here as well. Technically, it costs nothing to drive the Cancum August Highway. Certain parking areas, however, require a pass that can be purchased for five dollars at several stops along the way. Traveling the road can be done in less than an hour, but it might take far longer than that depending upon how many times travelers pull off to see the attractions. I made one other stop in the White Mountains National Forest. This is the Water Wheel Restaurant near the town of Jefferson. I dropped in for breakfast and it was not my first visit. This place holds such a special memory for me. I was here with my mom, dad and cousin. My dad ordered what was at that time called the Hungry-as-a-Bear Omelette. I was curious so I asked the server how many eggs were in that and she said 12 and my dad went whoa and opted for the six egg omelette. Today, I'm here to carry through with his original order. The omelette is not only massive, but with ham, bacon, tomatoes, cheese and more, it is also tasty. I finished only half of it on site and enjoyed the rest later. The memories I have of this place far outweigh the quality of the meal. In all, I spent several days exploring the White Mountains and the surrounding wilderness. I tried to bring you the highlights, but there was enough here to keep a person busy for a lifetime. The White Mountains area has so much from Flume Gorge to Mount Washington to the Kankamagus Highway. I've been struck by how easy it is to access some of the most astounding nature that I've ever experienced. Some of the best scenes are just steps away from your car. I'll continue my look at New England in next week's video. The destination will be Montpelier, Vermont. After that, it's on to Canada. Everything I do will be right here on old, alone and far from home.