Date:	10-05-2023
Location:	White Mountains, NH
Total Time:	13 hr

Columbus Day Weekend is a perfect time to drive through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Some family was visiting from out of state so we toured a few popular sights and took in some fall foliage as well.

The weather for the day started out cloudy and foggy with a little mist but everything burned off around 9:30am, after that we had sunny blue skies the rest of the day. We really couldn’t have asked for better weather.

Our tour included some classic New Hampshire locations and offered some out of car adventures to allow them to immerse themselves in the autumn colors.

All the stops on our tour were accessible options so that everyone could enjoy the trails and the day.

We took off around 8:30am from Hooksett, NH and our first stop was the Hooksett Rest Area for some coffee, gas and (In my opinion) the best Cider Doughnuts in the state of NH.  

Franconia Notch

Our first stop was Franconia Notch. We stopped briefly at the Indian Head Resort to view the Indian Head Cliffs and read about the alien abduction of Betty and Barney Hill.

Then we made our way up to Echo Lake State Park to take in some views of Franconia Notch and Cannon Mountain.

Lots of people were out hiking on this beautiful day.

Pondicherry Wildlife Reserve, Mud Pond Trail

Our next stop was Pondicherry Wildlife Reserve at the Mud Pond Trail. This is an All Persons Trail (APT) that can be accessed by wheelchair. So, there are no roots or rocks and very level.

The trail is about .5 miles long and leads to an opening at Mud Pond. Much of the trail is a beautiful boardwalk through the swamp and trees.

This trail is not usually very busy, so it is nice walk without bumping into people.

Pinkham Notch

From here we made our way over to Pinkham Notch and took a break at the Dolly Copp Pavilion. The Pavilion is a nice place for lunch and to stretch your legs. As a bonus there are flush toilets that were open too.

Mt. Washington Auto Road

After lunch we drove to the Mount Washington Auto Road for a drive up to the highest point in the North East.

The road is very winding and narrow and does not have guardrails so slow and steady was the pace on the way up.

The drive offers great views for passengers but as the driver, my focus was staying the road ahead of me.

When we arrived at the top we climbed up the stars to the summit from the parking lot and then stood in line for picture with the summit sign. Yes. There is often a line at the top for this pic. Especially on nice days.

From here we went inside and checked out the observatory. Then we watched the Cog Railway Trains go up and down the mountain.

After a few more views we kept moving along and started to make our way down the auto road. The road seems steeper going down and you have to leave your car in low gear.

There are many turnoffs for you to stop and let your breaks cool down. There is no way around it, you will smell your breaks toward the bottom of this mountain.

Once at the bottom the sunlight was shining perfectly on the fall foliage around us so we stopped for more pictures.

Jackson Covered Bridges and some Pumpkin People

While it was still light out we continued on to Jackson, NH where we wanted to get some pictures of covered bridges and some of the Jackson Pumpkin people.

Our first bridge was on the Wentworth Golf Club Covered Bridge in Jackson Village. This covered bridge is used for walking, golf carts and cross-country skiing.

It’s a beautiful bridge that spans over a small brook on the golf course.

From here we drove around the Jackson Village looking at a few of the Pumpkin People displays set up at the surrounding businesses.

My personal favorite was the Pumpkin Spice Girls near our second covered bridge, the Famous Honeymoon Bridge in Jackson.

We stopped here for more photos of the bridge. This is nice because it has a separate walking part of the bridge from the driving part. This allows you to get pictures from both sides and even in the middle.

Crawford Notch

We decided to go through Crawford Notch on our way home. This offers several quick pull-offs for photos.

Our first stop was Notchland Inn. This inn is very photogenic, and I love taking pictures of it. I hope to stay there sometime.

On the property there is a small graveyard where Able Crawford is buried. Able is the Grandaddy of all hikers in New Hampshire and this stop should not be skipped if you enjoy walking any of the trails in Crawford Notch.

We kept moving along to Crawford Depot for some pictures of the Historic Crawford Depot and the AMC Highland Center.

Since we were at the top of Crawford Path when we were at the summit of Mt. Washington, I wanted to show our guests the bottom of the path. The path starts across the street from the Highland Center.

Mt. Washington Hotel and Bretton Woods

A short way from the Depot and the Highland Center is the Mt. Washington Hotel. It was dusk by this point but a quick visit the Mt. Wash is always a fun stop. Even if it is just to check out the view from the back deck.

The hotel was fully decked out in its fall theme with Mums and flowers everywhere. People were walking around the lobby and the deck enjoying the views around them.

We did not stay long because we were all getting a bit hungry and started to head back south. We decided to try our luck getting a table at the Woodstock Brewery and Inn.

To our surprise we were seated right away. We all enjoyed some appetizers and a meal and a recap of all the things we did that day.

From here we were only about an hour from home, so we piled back into the car and chugged back to Hooksett.

This was a fun trip, and it is always nice to play tour guide to people who have never visited our state before.

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