Not our name, but our passion
The Tip Top House was a stone hotel built in 1853 on the top of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. This is the oldest structure on top of the mountain and can be accessed via trail, auto road or cog railway.
The building is believed to be the oldest mountain top hostelry in the world and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Just outside the town of Raymond, New Hampshire in Nottingham is one of the better state parks in New Hampshire’s State Park System. Pawtuckaway State Park has a good sized lake for swimming and boating, great camping, cabins for rent and hiking opportunities.
Being our local park we take advantage of the nice swimming beach on the lake with its associated playground and picnic areas. The beach is shallow and sandy perfect for young family members.
The campground at the park is spectacular. Many of the sites are nicely spaced and provide a secluded camping experience right on the lakeshore. There are canoe and kayak rentals available. and the swimming beach is only a short walking distance from most sites.
There are weeklong (Saturday to Saturday) cabin rentals available as well.
On the west side of the park there is an access road winding through forests and ponds.
Short hikes will bring you to a fire tower and excellent examples of glacial erratics.
Pawtuckaway is a great park for a week of family camping or if in the area it is also great for day use. If you are staying at the campground and want a night out I suggest The Tuckaway Tavern in Raymond as a good spot for a nice meal. They also have a nice butcher shop to pick up meat for the barbeque.
The White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire has a 32 mile section of NH Route 112 called the Kancamagus Highway. It is a premier three season travel destination and the ultimate short New England road trip. You can enter the highway either from the Conway / North Conway side or the Loon Mountain / Lincoln side.
The highway is perfect for cool weather hiking in the spring and fall, swimming in the summer and fall foliage in the autumn. If you are planning on stopping at any of the attractions along the highway you should stop at a ranger station for information and to pay a fee.
There are also fee stations at the various stops along the route.
When coming from the Conway side of the highway the first thing you will come across is the Albany Covered Bridge. This is wonderfull any time of year but is spectacular in the autumn when the colors are in full bloom.
Boulder Loop trail is a moderate level hike nearby. As you proceed up the highway you will be running parallel to the Swift River with numerous opportunities to stop and wade or just admire the scenery.
Lower Falls is the prime swimming hole on the river. Many a summer day was spent growing up sitting under the waterfalls and floating down the rapids in this area. There is a picnic facililty and restrooms available.
Sabbaday Falls lays at the end of a short hike,
and Rocky Gorge is where you used to be able to jump off the short cliffs into the gorge below (no longer allowed).
There is also a short walk over the small bridge which leads to a picturesque small New England monutain pond.
At the top of the mountain there is an observation deck and some nice views of the surrounding mountainside.
All along the entire route there are numerous trailheads of varying difficulties and lenghts and several campgrounds some of which are open all year. A great road trip any time of the year.
Grafton Notch State Park is just over the New Hampshire border in northwestern Maine. The park is open seasonally from mid May to mid October. During the winter it can be accessed with skis, snowshoes or snowmobiles. A very challenging section of the Appalachian Trail runs through the park for the hard core hikers.
The Grafton Notch Scenic Byway runs along the spine of the park with several scenic pull offs and short trails.
Screw Auger Falls is the highlight of the park and other attractions include Mother Walker Falls and Moose Cave.
On an early trip to the park I was afraid my dog Vincent was going to fall into Moose Cave.
Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park is one of the finest examples of a preserved/restored civil war era town. The visitor center is on top of a bluff overlooking the town which sits at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. You park by the visitor center and after getting some park information hop aboard the free shuttle down to the town.
Once in the town stop at the armorer’s house for a short orientation film and some exhibits. You can also work on your junior ranger activities.
These few acres of land due to its strategic importance was witness to steady flow of historical events. One of the nation’s first armory was located here and was active from the early 1800s to the start of the civil war.
The railroad came through town in 1836.
One of the seminal events of the civil war was John Brown’s raid on the armory in 1859. The original site of John Brown’s “Fort” is now under a railroad embankment but the original building is about 150 feet away.
Many other historic buildings are available for exploration.
Hiking opportunities abound in the park whether you want a pleasant stroll along the canal,
or if you are a serious hiker there are three major national trails going through Harper’s Ferry; The Appalachian Trail, The Potomac Heritage Trail and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.
If you have a junior ranger with you finish your trip with some role playing and a junior ranger badge.
One of the best historical parks in the NPS system.
