We love the White Mountains. From my years working for the Appalachian Mountain Club to Matt’s passion for rock and ice climbing - we are very familiar with its trails and towns…or so we thought. It turned out we were really just familiar with one part of the White Mountains. When my hiking friend, Stephen, invited us to stay at his short term rental/AirBnb - we discovered another region with charm, trails, and adventures. From family friendly hikes, to delicious brewpubs, to historic sites - we had an amazing long weekend based in Whitefield, New Hampshire - the northwest corner of the White Mountains.
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| Weeks State Park - 7 minutes from our AirBnb |
Here’s how to recreate this adventure:
Stay - Adventure Property in Whitefield, New Hampshire
We stayed at the Adventure Property in the small town of Whitefield, New Hampshire. This multi-unit home offers a comfortable and affordable base camp to White Mountain adventurers. It’s close to Franconia Notch State Park, Bretton Woods ski area, and many of the 4000 footer peaks. It’s also a short distance to many other charming small towns like Bethlehem, Lancaster, Littleton, and Sugar Hill.
We were guests at two of the three accommodations at the house- Adventure Property First Floor and Second Floor. This gave us a private unit with two large bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a kitchen, and two living areas. The property also has a studio apartment for rent.
We loved the comfortable, clean, and spacious accommodations, proximity to adventure spots, and helpful host Stephen. I highly recommend this property!
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| Adventure Property upstairs bedroom is a suite with its own living room area. |
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| Exterior of Adventure Property - grill, seats, and fire pit |
Food - Bethlehem, Sugar Hill, and Littleton
With our own kitchen at Adventure Property, we did a mix of eating out and cooking in. All the restaurants we tried were phenomenal and we even went to two of them twice! They were:
Super Secret Ice Cream - James Beard Nominated ice cream parlor in Bethleham is known for seasonal homemade ice cream. I recommend getting a “flight”. We went twice!
Polly’s Pancake Parlor - Tucked away in Sugar Hill, Polly’s is a James Beard Award Winner and New Hampshire Institution. Get there early to avoid a wait. Matt loves the buckwheat pancakes and I love their maple butter spread.
Rek Lis - This trendy brewpub in Bethlehem has great beers and homestyle artisan food. The first night I enjoyed the duck tacos, then went back for the Salmon Sandwich. The pub pretzel was super as well!
Schilling’s Brew Pub - I’ll be honest - we chose Schilling for its charming location hanging onto the Ammonoosuc riverfront in Littleton. That said, it was the perfect spot for lunch with thin-crust wood-fired pizzas that the whole family enjoyed.
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| Great Beer in the area - Schilling Brewery |
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| Duck tacos at Rek Lis Brewpub |
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| Breakfast at Polly's Pancake Parlor |
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| Ice cream flight with waffle cone chips at Super Secret Ice Cream |
Family Friendly Activities - Franconia Notch, Lancaster, Jefferson, and Littleton
When alone, I’m in this area to tackle some high peaks, but our goals as a family were different. Fun, easy trails and activities that interested everyone. There was plenty to explore and many more on our “to do” list!
The Basin - This 0.8 mile out and back is located in Franconia Notch State Park. Parking here is free and the trail is easy. We loved seeing the historic and natural wonder.
Flume Gorge - An iconic New Hampshire tourist destination, I’ve avoided this one in the past because of the cost ($18 adult, $16 kid plus online fees). However, our rainy Saturday turned out to be the perfect day to visit. The easy, 2 mile loop hike takes visitors past multiple waterfalls, through narrow gorges, and past a beautiful covered bridge. The kids favorite part was the (optional) wolf den cave crawl - they did that section three times.
The Rocks Estate - This historic property in Bethlehem hosts nature trails, manicured gardens, a visitor center, and a working Christmas Tree Farm. We've enjoyed staying at the rental property here in the past and the kids requested a visit. We enjoyed the views (in the rain) and walked the nature trail to some of the historic outbuildings on the property.
Mud Pond Trail, Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge - This 1.2 mile trail in Jefferson is wheelchair accessible and perfect for all ages. A combination of packed gravel and boardwalk takes walkers to a viewing platform of Mud Pond. I was hoping for a moose sighting but no luck.
Weeks State Park - Just up the road from our Adventure Property rental, Weeks State Park in Lancaster offers a perfect visit for families. Located on top of Prospect Mountain, visitors can hike the peak or take the auto road. We chose the auto road (free), and enjoyed our time at the summit by climbing the stone fire tower and walking the nature trail loop to the viewing platform. There were gorgeous views of the surrounding peaks!
Littleton Town Time - Our Sunday afternoon was spent walking around Littleton. We shopped at the Shaun Terhune Gallery, Chutters Candy Counter, and Lahout’s Ski/Outdoor Shop. The kids also loved playing at the Remich Park Playground and the Harmony Park in the River District.
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| Flume Gorge, Franconia Notch State Park |
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| The Rocks Estate, The Forest Society |
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| Weeks State Park |
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| Mud Pond Trail, Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge |
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| Harmony Park, Littleton |
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| Chutters in Littleton claims to have the longest candy counter in the world |
Until next time…
Our weekend in Whitefield was mostly a rainy one. But even under gray skies, there was plenty to do and explore. On the way home, the clouds parted and we were greeted to blue bird skies over the Presidential peaks. It was so stunning, we decided to stop for one last hike up to Crystal Cascade at the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Pinkham Notch Visitor Center/ Joe Dodge Lodge. This short, 0.7 mile out and back hike gives views to one of my favorite waterfalls in the Whites.
It’s good to be home but dreaming of another family friendly visit to the White Mountains soon!
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| Crystal Cascade on the drive home |
Consider these similar adventure:
Spring Family Weekend in the White Mountains
24 Hour Affordable Family Getaway to the White Mountains
5 Best Family Hikes in the White Mountains
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