Nine natural reasons to vacation in New Hampshire

Moose with babies in New Hampshire

From the scenic White Mountains Forest Preserve to the numerous waterfalls and covered bridges, New Hampshire is truly a nature lover's paradise!

The USA is filled with natural preserves but sometimes it is up to us to go out and discover them, and so we did on a recent trip to the Mt. Washington Valley, North Conway area.

Here are a few reasons to seek out nature in New Hampshire:

1. Moose will forage by the side of the road offering the perfect "photo-opp". In our case, this mom (called a "cow") brought her little ones along; unfortunately this chance encounter caused a traffic jam right at the base of Mt. Washington!

2.Mt. Washington Auto Road: drive yourself 6,388 feet to the summit or take the guided van tour (both for a fee).

Before your adventure, ask the front desk for a tour of carriage house where you will see how travelers ventured up the mountain before modern conveniences!

Be aware: They make you "climb" the rocks to the stake at the top of the mountain and the view is awesome. Bring climbing shoes.

**Drive slowly up the mountain as the road is tight and there are no guardrails**

Mt. Washington Summit

3. Jackson Falls, Jackson New Hampshire: walk on the rocks along the river.
Your trip to Mt. Washington Valley NH will not be complete without driving through the turn of the century charm found in the small village of Jackson Falls. Two important stops are in the kissing bridge (yes, we did kiss) and at the Falls where walking on the rocks can be a spiritually uplifting event!

Jackson Falls, New Hampshire

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4. Although New Hampshire is known for its ski trails, why not take a ski lift in the middle of the summer? Our first adventure in the "nosebleed section" left us dangling our feet while gasping at the surrounding White Mountains.

5. The ski lift was only the first part of the adventure...part two was wondering about our descent! Easy choice was to Zip-line down the mountain. We chose Wildcat Mountain because of its proximity to Mt. Washington Auto Road and, at about 1/2 mile long, it has the longest cable line in New Hampshire. More thrills as you descend at about 40 mph but fun for all ages because it doesn't really feel that you are going that fast!

6. Appalachian Trail, Crystal Springs. Hiking is by far one of the easiest ways to get close to nature. The Trail passes through the White Mountains with different levels of difficulty to choose from. We chose the easy Crystal Springs trail so that, again, we could have a few photo opportunities while enjoying the cool comfort of the surrounding trees and waterfall/springs!

7. Playing golf is a great way to commune with nature. With so many lovely golf courses in New Hampshire, it is easy to pick a few that will leave you breathless. We chose North Conway CC and Omni Mount Washington Resort's Donald Ross Golf Course in Bretton Woods. The view of the mountains surrounded us for the entire two rounds while my golf balls "communed" with the trees and sand traps!

8. Another terrific family adventure is the Conway Scenic Railroad, where you are taken back through time riding on an authentic Pullman car seeing the natural pastures of New Hampshire.

9. Although I can ramble on all day about New Hampshire's natural wonders, no trip is complete without a visit to the spectacular Old Man of the Mountain.

From quaint inns to the beauty of your natural surroundings, our vacation to the Mt. Washington Valley region of New Hampshire gave us a reason to relax and forget the daily grind while returning to a more simple time.

Just another beautiful day in Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire!