Things to do / Travel Guide
Welcome to the world of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, the best maple syrup, good music, and the great outdoors like you've never seen it before. This is New Hampshire and Vermont, America's headquarters for fall foliage. The region is covered in lakes, creased by latent streams and rivers, and almost wholly mountainous. Get out of your car, and experience the beautiful scenery by hiking or biking New Hampshire's White Mountains or Vermont's Green Mountains, kayaking Lake Winnipesauke, or hang gliding on Mt. Washington, the East Coast's tallest mountain. Taste those succulent fish - trout and salmon - or explore the underwater worlds in Lake Champlain. In the winter you'll find some of the best skiing east of the Mississippi, and no matter when you go, you'll be surrounded - inundated - by fantastic forest scenes stretching your capacity for imagining the naturally beautiful.
Land-based Activities in New Hampshire and Vermont
The mix of hardwood trees (including maple, birch, oak, and ash) are only one ingredient in the creation of the foliage show that draws millions of visitors each fall. The crisp autumn weather, the quaint towns with their white-steepled churches, the covered bridges, the rolling hills and forests, and the reflections upon calm lakes all contribute as well.
Virtually every hilltop, every town hidden among the leaves, and every small pond on a clear day will offer you good views. Just exploring wherever your destination may be will leave you begging for more. But just to tempt you, how about a moderate hike or a gondola ride up Mt. Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak, for views of the full array of autumn colors? North Hero Island, in Vermont's Lake Champlain, offers lake-level views of the foliage in Vermont as well as of the Adirondacks in New York.
Any hike in the region will offer excellent foliage views during the fall months, but also awesome views of mountain-scapes in the spring and summer. These hikes provide opportunities to spy the majestic moose, deer's big, BIG, brother. It's also the place to see and be seen by animals such as black bears, porcupines, snowshoe hares, and white-tailed deer.
If you're looking for rolling mountains of lush green forests, look no further than the Green Mountains. Mt. Mansfield is a classic hike, with deep gorges, while it's a tough but highly-rewarding time reaching the very top. There's actual arctic tundra on Mansfield summit.
If you're looking for craggy, bumpy, rock-hoppin' sap-suckin' fun, head to the White Mountains. One of the best ways to tackle the region is trekking the Presidential Range, with numerous summits above timberline. Stay at the famous AMC huts and huddle by the bright fire, drink hot cocoa, and listen to everyone else's stories before you join in with your own. Hike up Mt. Washington, New Hampshire's tallest peak, which can lay claim to the world's worst weather. It's a thrill walking against 40-mph winds!
For the rock climber, New Hampshire offers Cannon Cliff, New England's largest rock face, while the granite slabs of Wheeler Mountain run from 45 degrees to completely perpendicular!
You can't go wrong biking New Hampshire or Vermont. This is clearly mountain biking territory, but if you're a road biker you'll also find plenty of routes worth your while. In New Hampshire, Cannon Mountain provides easy access to one of the state's most popular biking paths: the nine-mile, multi-use Franconia Notch Recreation Path. The terrain is suitable for road and mountain biking, and it's great for viewing fall foliage. If you prefer a more rural atmosphere, find the Monadnock area, which is covered with farms and contains a number of scenic covered bridges.
In Vermont, try the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail, a lengthy path of crushed limestone converted into a bike trail, for bikers of all skill levels. A famous, but peculiar, sight along this route are the dairy cows, which have a tendency to wander freely onto the paths in and around Franklin County.
For the golfer in you, come spring through fall, try driving and putting around in these mountainous states. Golf the Balsam's Panorama Course - a challenge even for the most experienced golfer. Remember to concentrate on the tee, not the glorious mountains all around you. And Vermont's Stratton Mountain - Forest / Lake Course will make you feel like you're in a European village right in the middle of New England!
Water Activities in New Hampshire and Vermont
You've only seen half the picture if you haven't tried the water, sinking an oar or a line. Splitting the Green Mountains is the Winooski River, which, heading to Lake Champlain, offers some typically bucolic scenery in Vermont's wilder country. You can kayak this somewhat difficult river, or head to Lake Champlain for a visit into the lake's numerous backwaters and inlets and secluded coves that cannot be reached by land.
In New Hampshire, make your way up to Pittsburg in the north and rent a boat for views upon the lakes connected by the scenic Connecticut River, or kayak down the Saco River. These are the state's Great North Woods; you'll have plenty to look at southward in the White Mountains, as well.
Spot the wildlife as you traverse Garland Pond or Grafton Pond in New Hampshire. The scenery is great, dotted with islands, rocky shores, varied tree types, and huge boulders. Or head to New Hampshire's treasured seacoast, by Portsmouth, for a trip up the estuaries of Great Bay.
With all the rivers, lakes, and ponds, expect no less than for the region to be a paradise for the angler. Fish for trout and salmon in places like New Hampshire's Lake Winnipesauke area, or Vermont's Lake Champlain.
If you like diving, there's what to attract you to New Hampshire and Vermont. In Portsmouth, near New Hampshire's shore, you can dive for artifacts dating back to the 17th century. And Vermont's lake Champlain offers you the unique opportunity to peer into wooden shipwrecks dating back to the 1700s.
Winter Activities in New Hampshire and Vermont
Come winter, New Hampshire and Vermont offer inarguably the best skiing in New England. Both states are covered with resorts, matching the mountain ranges so ubiquitous to the scenery. You can't beat skiing in the Presidential Range, like down Mt. Washington's Tuckerman's Ravine, or at nearby Wildcat, the premier ski resort in the area. Vermont's Mt. Mansfield can boast the Front Four trails, some of the most challenging trails in the United States. The region is also a hotspot for ice fishing, such as at Lake Carmi in Vermont, and Great Bay, New Hampshire.
Are we finished yet? There's plenty more to entice you to choose Vermont and New Hampshire as your travel destination - but you'll have to visit our region Guides and User Reviews for that!
Outdoor Recreation in Burlington, Stowe, Rutland and the New Hampshire and Vermont mountains
Outdoor-Sports-Recreation
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