From Flume to Forest: 3 Days in New Hampshire’s White Mountains
My beautiful home state
I spent the first 18 years of my life in New Hampshire, and even though I have passed almost as many years outside of the state, it still holds (and will invariably hold) a special place in my heart. Consequently, whenever the opportunity presents itself to return to my home state, I always seize it.
Last fall, my husband and I journeyed north to the White Mountains for a long weekend, and in spite of the weather being less than ideal, we still managed to have a wonderful time. If you are planning a weekend getaway to the Granite State and looking for some inspiration, read on.
Day 1: Travel North and See the Flume
Ever the early birds, my husband and I rolled out of Boston at 11:00am, beginning our two-hour trek up to Lincoln, New Hampshire. The drive was largely unremarkable, but as we entered the White Mountains, the views from our windows became more picturesque as we were greeted by mountain vistas and varicolored foliage.
Breathtaking views along our drive up to the White Mountains
Once in Lincoln, our first order of business was to procure food. After some sleuthing on Yelp, we found White Mountain Bagel Company, one of the few local eateries that was not only open but also could accommodate my vegetarian diet. There was a bit of a line when we arrived, but it moved fairly quickly. The more time-consuming part was waiting for our food to be ready for pickup, which took a little over 20 minutes. I wish I could say that the food was worth the wait, but it wasn’t. While not unpalatable, the spinach and tomato melt that I ordered was also not particularly flavorsome. I had to remake the sandwich, removing a few slices of tomato and cheese. The bagel itself, however, was quite good; it was just everything in between the two bagel halves that wasn’t.
My spinach and tomato melt from White Mountain Bagel Company
Having finished our lunch, we headed to the Flume Gorge, which was a short five-minute drive away. I had not been to the Flume since the sixth grade when I visited it, as well as several other White Mountain landmarks (including the Old Man of the Mountain, RIP), on a field trip, so I was quite excited to return and see if it lived up to my memories. (Spoiler alert – it did.)
Helpful tidbit — To save money, reserve your ticket ahead of time online. As of the writing of this post, adult tickets (ages 13 and over) are $21 at the gate versus $18 online. More information on ticket prices can be found at the Flume’s website.
A covered bridge along the Flume Gorge Trail
At approximately 2.2 miles, the Flume Gorge Trail might be relatively short in length, but there is no shortage of natural beauty along it. From serene forests to bubbling streams and gushing waterfalls, every inch of the walkway has something to behold and admire. And let’s not forget the trail’s pièce de rèsistance and namesake, the Flume Gorge. On a boardwalk clinging to the surrounding rockface and hovering above the Flume Brook, you traverse the gorge in what can only be described as a unique and memorable experience. I found myself constantly stopping to take photos as I made my way through it.
Walking through the Flume Gorge
All in all, the Flume was a wonderful experience, and it is something that should be included in every White Mountains itinerary.
Mountain views
From the Flume, we headed to our Airbnb in nearby Campton. It was a lovely, quaint apartment located on a picturesque Christmas tree farm.
The exterior of our Airbnb
We unpacked and relaxed at the apartment for about an hour before heading to a nearby grocery store to pick up some breakfast and dinner supplies. When we got back, we made ourselves a simple one-pot pasta with chickpeas, spinach, and tomatoes, and in spite of us forgetting to buy the vegetable broth and having to substitute in water, it ended up being pretty good.
After dinner and dishes, we headed out once more to secure some herbal tea (yet another thing we forgot to buy at the store earlier that day). Not wanting to drive the 15 minutes to the grocery store, we popped into a convenience store down the road and thankfully, averted a full-blown emergency by finding some tea (I’m my English father’s daughter and find tea-lessness to be quite dire indeed).
Once back at the apartment, we brewed up and sipped away on our tea while watching Law and Order: SVU reruns on TV.
Day 2: Rainy Day Fun
We had originally planned on spending our only full day in the White Mountains hiking, but Mother Nature had other plans. We woke up to rain, and unfortunately, it was forecasted to last all day. So, we enacted our backup plan: be spelunkers for the day and traipse through the Polar Caves. Well, I should say that we tried to enact that plan; as luck would have it, the caves were closed for the season. We did not have a Plan C, so we had to concoct one on the spot and ultimately settled on driving a portion of the Kancamagus Highway, a 34-mile span of New Hampshire’s Route 112 known for its scenic vistas.
Given the laidback nature of the day’s plans, we took our time getting ready, enjoying an unhurried breakfast. We followed up breakfast with a couple of cups of coffee, which we drank while watching Ghost Adventures reruns (any other fans of the show out there?).
A little before 1:00pm, we hopped in the car and set out for the Kancamagus Highway. About 20 minutes into the drive, we passed by a food truck along the side of the road. As the cereal that we had eaten for breakfast was starting to wear off, we decided to turn around and check it out. The food truck, which was called StrEatz, ended up being quite the fortuitous find. Not only did it have several scrumptious-sounding vegetarian options, but it also had a lovely ambience, thanks to a cozy, crackling fire near the seating. Had it not been for the drizzle, we would have eaten our lunches fireside, but alas, we had to munch away on our falafel wraps in the car.
StrEatz food truck
Refueled, we resumed our drive and reached the Kancamagus Highway, which in spite of the rain, proved to be a scenic road. We drove down it for about 10 minutes before reaching and pulling into the Lincoln Woods Trailhead parking lot. We had no desire to actually hike the trail (it was still raining), but we did want to get out of the car and walk around for a little while – get a taste, albeit small, of the trail’s beauty.
Bridge along the Lincoln Woods Trail
We only walked down the trail for three-quarters of a mile, yet even that short distance exposed us to breathtaking views and serene forest walkways. It was a peaceful walk and one I long to return to and finish, preferably on a day sans rain.
Gorgeous foliage along the Lincoln Woods Trail
After our jaunt through the woods, we got back into the car and drove down the Kancamagus a little bit more. Our destination was an overlook not too far away. Sadly, the rain and fog resulted in a rather underwhelming view, but the foliage of the nearby trees was at least pretty.
I imagine there’s a pretty view behind all that fog.
From the overlook, we returned “home,” where we cooked ourselves dinner and then relaxed for the night.
Day 3: Head Home
After a simple breakfast of fruit and cereal, we packed up our car and bade farewell to the White Mountains. Although the trip had not gone exactly as planned, we made the best of things and still managed to have a fun time. We have already begun talking about a return trip to the White Mountains, as there is so much of the area that we have yet to see.
Summing it up: The 3 Wheres
Where We Went
Flume Gorge
Kancamagus Highway
Lincoln Woods Trail
Where We Stayed
An Airbnb in Campton, NH
Where We Ate
Breakfast
Made breakfast for ourselves at our Airbnb
Lunch
White Mountain Bagel Company
StrEatz
Dinner
Cooked dinner for ourselves at our Airbnb
I hope that you found this guide helpful, and as always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below!
