218. White Mountains, New Hampshire - Peaks, Pines, and Wild River Echoes

0:01 I'm Johnny Mac, and travel is back. Today's episode is powered by AI. Hey, you made it to the White Mountains, New Hampshire. Good call. You're in a spot where you can actually put your phone in your pocket, breathe a little deeper, and just do stuff. You don't need fancy gear or a perfect plan. You need decent shoes, a tank of gas, and a willingness to pull over when a river looks inviting or a trail sign catches your eye. Base yourself around North Conway if you like a town with some buzz. The main street's got that classic New England look. White church spire, old brick buildings, the whole nine. But the vibe isn't fussy. Grab coffee at Frontside Coffee Roasters and just watch the day unfold. Folks roll through in hiking boots, families with strollers, the occasional dog who seems convinced he's the mayor. If you need last-minute socks, sunscreen, or a rain jacket, you've got gear shops stacked along the strip. Stop into Zeb's General Store just because it smells like maple and old wood and they've got the kind of candy wall you haven't seen since you were nine.

0:49 A little ways down, there's the Outlet Mall area. If you're determined to score a deal on hiking pants, you can lose an hour without meaning to. It happens. For something that doesn't feel like a giant expedition, walk out to Diana's Baths in Bartlett. It's barely over a half mile on a flat path, and what you get is a series of smooth granite ledges with little waterfalls tumbling over them. On a hot day, you can sit in a shallow pool and let the water roll over your shins. It's no spa. It's better. Just respect the slick rock and keep a grip on the kids. Nature doesn't post lifeguards. Right in town, you've also got Echo Lake State Park, the one with Cathedral Ledge hanging above it like a stone curtain. You can park down by the lake and take the short, steep drive up to the overlook or hike if your legs are asking for a little work. Either way, that view across the valley with the Saco River snaking through it is one of those, yep, that's the photo moments. You don't have to say anything clever, you just kind of nod. If you're chasing a sunset without a ton of effort, head up to Black Cap.

1:40 The trail is straightforward, about a mile and a half to some sloping ledges with a big sweep across the Mount Washington Valley. Bring a sandwich or a couple of bakery cookies, sit back and watch the sky do the thing. On a clear night, you can pick out the higher peaks across the way. On a hazy night, you still get that soft mountain silhouette that makes your brain quiet down. You've also got Jackson right up the road with that covered bridge you'll immediately want to drive through just because it's there. Park near the small downtown and walk over to Jackson Falls, a bubbly stretch of cascades right alongside the road. You can wade, you can sit, you can just watch the water roll by. If the day's been a little too much, this resets the dials pretty quickly. When you're hungry, there's no need to overthink it. Flatbread Company does wood-fired pizza with a nice crunch and people who don't look at you funny if you arrive sweaty from a hike. Moat Mountain Smokehouse and Brewing is the place for smoked meats and a beer sampler flight if someone else is driving. If it's morning, Peaches is your classic pancakes with a side of pancakes kind of spot.

2:34 Maple syrup on everything. It's not a law, but it might as well be. Okay, you're warmed up. Give yourself a day in Franconia, not State Park. Different side of the range, whole new set of views. Start early if the weather's clear. The basin is your first easy stop, a 10-minute walk to a smooth, swirling pothole in the river that looks like nature's jacuzzi, minus the jets. The water is so clear it almost feels fake. It's also glacier cold, so toe dips are encouraged, bravery optional. If you've booked Flume Gorge tickets, that's another boardwalk adventure that takes you into a narrow granite slot with falls splashing right next to your face. The planks can be wet and it's popular, but it's popular because it's cool. You weave through the trees, over little bridges, and up through the gorge with moss everywhere like nature decided green was the only color this morning. When you want a short hike with a major payoff, Artist Bluff and Bald Mountain are your team. It's a lollipop loop, less than two miles, that gets your heart beating and gives you a balcony view down over Echo Lake. This is the other Echo Lake, the one across from Cannon Mountain. You see the highway curling through the notch and tiny cars sliding by, and you feel like you sidestepped into a postcard. Bring a windbreaker.

3:37 The rock has a way of inviting breezes. If you've got the knees and a little more time, Lonesome Lake is a great middle ground trail. It starts from the parking at Lafayette Place and climbs on a set of chunky stones that feel like nature's staircase. You come out to a quiet pond with boardwalks, loons if you're lucky, and an AMC hut. Where you can buy lemonade and a brownie on summer days, that's not exactly roughing it, and there's no shame in being happy about that. Lunch around here can be casual. You might grab a deli sandwich and eat by the lake if you planned ahead. If not, Franconia has iron furnace brewing with a goofy good chicken sandwich and a rotating tap list. Keep it simple. Your brain did good work up there. It deserves fries. On your way north from the Notch, Littleton is a sneaky strong small town that's worth a half day. The Main Street's got a good Bones feeling. Brick storefronts, a mural or two, and a river walk out back. Chudders claims the world's longest candy counter, and whether or not you fact-check them, it's a long line of sugar choices that makes you lose all sense. Grab a little bag and tell yourself it's for the car ride. Sure it is.

4:29 Schilling Beer Cote sits on the Ammanusik River with a patio situation that's tough to beat in good weather. Thin crust pizzas with interesting toppings, crisp lagers, and a relaxed... We'll sit by the water just a bit longer pace. If it's busy, slip out back to the river trail and look for the footbridge. There's a little bend in the river where the current naps. You could stand there five minutes and feel better about life. A short drive up the hill gets you to Sugar Hill, which has a name that matches how it feels. If you're even a little hungry, Polly's Pancake Parlor is the move. They've been making flapjacks for decades, and there's maple syrup on the tables like it's a condiment you put on water. Expect to wait on weekends and don't get mad about it. There's a view of the Franconia Range from the porch, and the whole point is slowing down. Across the road or around the corner, you've got Harmon's Cheese and Country Store, where you can sample cheddar to the point of decision fatigue and walk out with a wedge that will improve your hotel snacking by 200%. If you're here in June, the lupines bloom in the meadows and make the hills look like someone sprinkled purple confetti. No promises on peak timing, but if you catch it, you'll understand the fuss. Spin back west into Crawford Notch for a day that mixes waterfalls and history and big granite drama. The road squeezes between tall cliffs and the light changes quick in here.

5:37 Park at the AMC Highland Center if you want a home base. Arethusa Falls is on a lot of people's lists, and it earns the attention. The trail climbs, and the rocks can be slick, but when you break out at the base and look up, it's just a ribbon of water dropping off a cliff that dwarfs everything around it. Don't be the person inching out on wet rock for the perfect selfie. There's no angle that's worth a cast. On the way in or out, the Silver Cascade and Flume Cascade spill right along Route 302. Pull into the little lot, and you can watch white water throw itself down the mountainside without even closing your car door. If you want the kind of view that punches above its pay grade, Mount Willard is your hike. It's three-ish miles round trip on a well-loved trail that pops you out at a ledge with the railroad tracks and the road running straight up the notch below. You show up, you sit, and you watch tiny cars work their way through the V-shaped valley. It's a How is this not the background of every laptop in New England sort of spot? History nerd?

6:29 The Willie House site tells the story of the 1826 landslide that missed the house but took the family, and there's a small exhibit that gives the tale a human shape. It's not a glitzy museum, but it grounds the place in time. Eat a sandwich at one of the picnic tables and let the wind throw pine scent at you. That's the free souvenir nobody can pack. Zeeland Falls is another one to pencil in if you want a mellow approach with a neat finish. The Zeeland Trail rolls along old railroad grades through beaver ponds and soft woods. and then you climb a bit to a hut with a waterfall running right below it. On a sunny day, the rocks warm up, kids jump across tiny rills, and you remember why just being outside is such a big deal. Switch gears and head up Route 16 into Pinkham Notch if you like the idea of standing in the shadow of big mountains without needing to summit anything. The AMC Pinkham Notch Visitor Center sits at a crossroads of trails and sanity. You can get current trail conditions, buy a last-minute headlamp, and fill your water before stepping onto something straightforward like Lost Pond. It's short, it's pretty... And sometimes you see trout nosing near the beaver dams. Glen Ellis Falls is a short walk with a descent downstairs to a tight gorge where a waterfall drops into a pool like it's auditioning for a magazine cover. Spray in your face, the whole deal. It's, let's call it bracing. If you're craving a little more, Square Ledge is a compact hike that delivers an outcrop with a big look back at the ravines without the hours and hours of climbing you need for the high summits. If you do want to feel the scale of Tuckerman Ravine without making it an epic, you can hike to Hermit Lake Shelters and the floor of the bowl. It's still work. It's rocky and steady and not a casual flip-flops kind of afternoon. But standing under that headwall and looking up at the Cirque gives

7:59 you a real sense of why this mountain has a reputation. Turn around if the weather talks back. No mountain is impressed by bravado. Back in Gorham, refuel in a way that makes your legs forgive you. Salt Pub does comfort food with a little finesse. Mac and cheese, that means business. Burgers, the kind of fries that get stolen off your plate. White Mountain Cafe and Bookstore is a safer bet if you need caffeine and something baked with blueberries to restore your soul. If you're around at dusk, consider a moose tour. I know it sounds cheesy, but those animals are enormous. The guides know the hotspots on Route 16, and it's oddly exciting to spot one in the alders standing like a statue. Gorham's also a hub for off-roading at Jericho Mountain State Park. If the roar of ATVs is not your soundtrack, no problem. Moosebrook State Park on the edge of town is a quieter scene with a swim area that's basically summer in a nutshell. Spread a towel, jump in, listen to happy shrieks echo off the trees. It's wholesome in the best way. Swing through Lincoln and North Woodstock on the western side of the range for a whole different kind of base camp. It's a jumble of motels, outfitters, breakfast joints, and country stores that know exactly why you're here.

9:00 Start a day at Flapjack's Pancake House if you didn't already overdose on pancakes in Sugar Hill. The plates are large and the coffee keeps arriving. If you've got kids or a kid at heart streak, Clark's Bears is the classic roadside attraction with a trained bear show and a goofy little short-line train ride that somehow ends up with a character yelling about the Wolfman. It's been around forever and kind of doesn't apologize for being exactly what it is. The Hobo Railroad does mellow scenic rides when you want to sit and watch trees and rivers roll by with narration that's just cheesy enough. On a rainy day, both are a blessing. You can bite off a manageable hike here, too. Georgiana and Harvard Falls is an up-and-back ramble that rewards you with a cascading waterfall and plenty of ledges to sit and snack. Or rent bikes in town and hop on the Franconia Notch Recreation Path. It's a paved multi-use trail that threads through the notch with just enough up and down to remind you you're not made of steel, but it's not a death march. Bring water, always. Along the Cancamagus Highway, which slices across the range between Conway and Lincoln, pull into short stops like Sabade Falls or Rocky Gorge. Both are short walks to handsome waterfalls, and both get busy. Go early or aim for dinnertime light.

10:06 The Cairns feels huge on a map, but it's one road with few services. Fill the tank before you go and assume you'll be out of cell range. That's part of the charm, unless you rely on your phone for every move. Download the map before you roll. Eat well in North Woodstock at Woodstock Inn Brewery. Their beer list tends to be crowd-pleasing without pretense. For a colder fix, Fadden's General Store and Maple Sugar House sells maple everything and a maple creamy soft serve if you're new to the term. After a hot hike is a very correct decision. If you didn't get enough town hopping, Bethlehem and the Western Edge have a low-key artsy feel. So map it loosely. Pick a base for a few nights. North Conway if you like more shops and restaurants. Lincoln Woodstock if you want quick access to the West Side stuff. Or Gorham if you want to explore Pinkham and the Northern Reaches, slot in a waterfall day, a short view hike day, a small town wander day, and a let's drive and stop when it looks cool day. Layer up, show up early, eat well, and keep your head on a swivel for moose and good bakeries. The White Mountains do the rest.

11:02 I'm Johnny Mac and travel is back. Follow Travel is Back wherever you listen to podcasts and find all 200 plus destinations in our back catalog.