Our family traveled northeast through Ontario, crossed the border into Quebec, and drove south down the highway right into the White Mountains! It was a delightful time to explore Outdoor Wonders in New Hampshire and Maine!
Our “home” for the week was in a quiet forest campground called Fransted Family Campground. We’d spend many days taking in the New Hampshire beauty: gorgeous waterfalls, colorful mushrooms, and gruesome trails!
One of my favorite destinations is the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Our family climbed Mt Washington, the highest peak east of the Mississippi, when my daughters were ten years old. It was the ultimate challenge but endeared us to the mountains ever since!
Outdoor Wonders: White Mountains
We spent a majority of time exploring and hiking in the Franconia area in the White Mountains.
The Flume Gorge
One of New England’s most popular natural geographical wonders is right in Franconia Notch: the Flume Gorge. The Flume Gorge is located in Franconia Notch State Park.
Although it was delightful to take many pictures and practice my photography skills, it was impossible to completely capture the wonder of this area!
We found the Flume Gorge peaceful and magical.
The pathway takes you by large glacial boulders, through covered bridges, by numerous waterfalls, a wolf den, bear cave and beautiful overlooks.
The Kanc
It’s a tradition that whenever we visit this area of New Hampshire, we take a drive down the Kancamagus Highway, otherwise known as the “Kanc”. The highway was named after the Native American word for “the fearless one”. It’s worth the time to drive this scenic and mountainous highway.
The Sabbaday Falls trail is a short 1 mile trail to a series of beautiful waterfalls. The trail is easy and well marked. Rocky Gorge is another scenic spot. It’s a short and easy hike to an impressive gorge and quiet pond. The Kanc is known for spotting moose and bear.
Lonesome Lake Trail
The Lonesome Lake Trail is located in the heart of Franconia Notch. It’s a moderate 3.1 mile hike, with an elevation gain of 1,026 feet. Sections of the trail are steep and rocky, a walking stick is advised.
The lake greeted us with a wonderful cool breeze. While eating our jerky and snacks we watched storm clouds move over the Cannon & Franconia mountain range, it was beautiful!
It’s also home to an AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) rustic hut. Check out this website for availability, costs and the hut season calendar.
My daughters enjoyed the diverse terrain around the lake. One was delighted to identify a new bird.
Arethusa Falls
On our way back from Arethusa Falls located in Crawford Notch, we spotted a mama bear and three cubs. She was across the river from us near the treeline.
Arethusa Falls is a 3 mile moderate hike, with an elevation gain of 866 feet. We chose to take the Bemis Trail and then joined up with the Arethusa Falls Trail on the way to the falls. The Bemis Trail offered amazing waterfalls and an incredibly steep trail that consisted of roots and rocks.
Outdoor Wonders: Southern Maine
Wells, Maine
Maine has a rustic beauty consisting of rocky shorelines, wetlands, harbor seals and lobster! Our first destination was Drake’s Island Beach.
We immediately removed our shoes and enjoyed the soft cool sand. The setting was so classic Maine, including the colorful seaweed, and sea walls. The clouds were fascinating as we watched a storm move in from the west while walking this quiet beach.
Wells, Maine was the third town established in Maine! It is well known today for 4 miles of sandy beaches; Moody Beach, Crescent Beach, Wells Beach and Drake’s Island Beach. People travel from all over New England to eat seafood, fish, and bird watch at one of the bird sanctuaries.
My sister treated us to local lobster over the grill. It was delicious dipped in warm melted butter. Learn how to Cook and Eat Lobster here.
Sea Glass Hunting
During our stay in Maine, we searched for sea glass at Gooch’s Beach in Kennebunk, which is a few miles north of Wells Beach. Another favorite was bird watching at one of the salt marshes, which happened to be a short walk from our campsite.
Seal Watching
We timed it perfectly as the harbor seals were just starting to make an appearance closer to shore. Seals are the most commonly seen marine animals on the shoreline of Maine. They are hard to capture on camera as they often bob up and down in the water, but so fun to watch.
Outdoor Wonders: Southern NH
Madame Sherri Forest Castle Ruins
Madame Sherri Forest Castle Ruins is located in the small town of Chesterfield, New Hampshire. It’s a true treasure rich in history and mystery.
In the late 1920’s a costume designer, Madame Sherri built an extravagant chateau on her property. She hosted parties at this location for many years, and eventually left the area. The chateau burnt down in 1962, leaving behind the stonework stairs, the foundation, and a fireplace.
After admiring the stonework of the castle ruins, we started off on the Ann Stokes Loop.
The Ann Stokes Loop is a 2.3 mile loop trail that is rated moderate with an elevation gain of 469 feet. This forest trail had a few steep sections both up hill and downhill. Recent rains had caused the runoff to make parts of the trail damp and even boggy.
Overall it was fun to explore this forest. My brother’s family joined us for the hike making it even more enjoyable. The overlooks were pretty this time of year.
Outdoor Wonders of New Hampshire and Maine
Setting out to explore and hike a new area is refreshing both physically and mentally. For my family it’s really taking in the sights and smells of the outdoors. It’s the little things that make us smile; a new bird to identify, gorgeous unique mushrooms, thick clouds moving over the mountain range or even a storm on the ocean.
I hope you enjoyed a tiny piece of our time in New Hampshire and Maine. Only so much can be explored in 10 days!
Do you like to visit these areas? Or perhaps this is home for you? Please share of places you enjoy hiking or exploring!
Thankful that I had been taking collagen for many months prior to hiking this summer. 10 Ways Your Body Benefits from Collagen