White Mountain National Forest (August 12th through 17th)
New Hampshire is GORGEOUS! Our first stop in New Hampshire was at Sugarloaf Campground in Twin Mountain, New Hampshire smack dab in the middle of White Mountain National Forest. Since there were no Harvest Hosts or Boondockers Welcome options in the area, Kristopher found dry camping in United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service land for $20 per night. While that rate is quite steep since we are accustomed to dry camping for free, the location made it well worth the cost.
Our first adventure in New Hampshire was to Franconian Notch State Park. We chose the Basin Cascade trail, and it turned out to be our favorite hike ever. The trailhead was loaded with people, but after our first 1/4 mile, we realized that no one was venturing past the visitor area. We let Lambeau off leash and continued for over an hour. The trail was rated as moderate and required us to cross the stream several times. The trail had several waterfalls, zero mosquitos, minimal people and the perfect amount of sun.
In Franconian Notch, we picked up a brochure for waterfalls and covered bridges of the White Mountains, and we decided to make a day of it. Unlike our Ultimate Maine waterfall trip, this one was much more successful. As soon as we left our campsite, we were at the first waterfall in fifteen minutes. Most of the falls featured in the brochure were roadside or less than a one mile hike, and we saw three waterfalls before noon. The weather started looking like rain, so we decided to focus on the covered bridge portion. During the drive, we saw the towns of Conway and North Conway which had traffic similar to Bar Harbor, Maine. We were considering making our next jump to this area, and after driving through, we decided against it. It was only 30 minutes from our campsite, and driving the RV through all that traffic was not appealing.
One of the covered bridges was over a sandy beach, and we decided to have some off-leash fun with Lambeau. Obviously, he enjoyed the sand. We wrapped up the day with ice cream, and took the Kancamagus Highway home- another place I am relieved we did not have the camper.
The following day (Wednesday), we picked up with our waterfall journey and went to Diana's Bath. This is a popular destination and we had to wait for parking. The hike was an easy half mile, but there were tons of people around us. This feature had multiple tiers of pools perfect for wading in, and we found enough solitude at the highest pool to enjoy a beer. We only stayed for about an hour as we wanted to see one more waterfall before we called it a day.
We saved Arethusa Falls for last as it is rated difficult and would be the most time consuming. The hike was a steep 1.3 miles with elevation gain the entire way. Even though it took a solid hour, it was the largest of the falls we have seen on this trip and worth the sweat. We have been dry camping for four days now, so tomorrow (August 17th) we head to an RV park 30 minutes south to Lincoln, NH.
Our first adventure in New Hampshire was to Franconian Notch State Park. We chose the Basin Cascade trail, and it turned out to be our favorite hike ever. The trailhead was loaded with people, but after our first 1/4 mile, we realized that no one was venturing past the visitor area. We let Lambeau off leash and continued for over an hour. The trail was rated as moderate and required us to cross the stream several times. The trail had several waterfalls, zero mosquitos, minimal people and the perfect amount of sun.
In Franconian Notch, we picked up a brochure for waterfalls and covered bridges of the White Mountains, and we decided to make a day of it. Unlike our Ultimate Maine waterfall trip, this one was much more successful. As soon as we left our campsite, we were at the first waterfall in fifteen minutes. Most of the falls featured in the brochure were roadside or less than a one mile hike, and we saw three waterfalls before noon. The weather started looking like rain, so we decided to focus on the covered bridge portion. During the drive, we saw the towns of Conway and North Conway which had traffic similar to Bar Harbor, Maine. We were considering making our next jump to this area, and after driving through, we decided against it. It was only 30 minutes from our campsite, and driving the RV through all that traffic was not appealing.
One of the covered bridges was over a sandy beach, and we decided to have some off-leash fun with Lambeau. Obviously, he enjoyed the sand. We wrapped up the day with ice cream, and took the Kancamagus Highway home- another place I am relieved we did not have the camper.
The following day (Wednesday), we picked up with our waterfall journey and went to Diana's Bath. This is a popular destination and we had to wait for parking. The hike was an easy half mile, but there were tons of people around us. This feature had multiple tiers of pools perfect for wading in, and we found enough solitude at the highest pool to enjoy a beer. We only stayed for about an hour as we wanted to see one more waterfall before we called it a day.
It looks beautiful and such beautiful pictures. Glad you all are having so much fun. Love you
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that all his was there it is beautiful! Shelia Paulk
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