Weekend travel

A great weekend adventure in New Hampshire’s White Mountains

A great weekend adventure in New Hampshire's White Mountains




New Hampshire’s White Mountains are one of my family’s favorite places in the world to visit. We have explored the area many times and hiked countless trails. The area is vast and beautiful – you could almost spend your life exploring this magnificent national forest. Standing at the base of Mount Washington and gazing up at the towering mountain is awe-inspiring. Traveling the Kangamangus Highway or exploring the many small towns nestled within this incredible mountain range is always memorable, and the waterfalls of the White Mountains, along with many lesser-known treasures, are always worth a visit. So when we planned a weekend camping trip, I guess you could say the excitement was hard to measure. We grabbed our gear and set off on an incredible camping trip that created family memories that will last a lifetime.

We lived in Maine, so the White Mountains were a two hour drive from our house. Being so close allowed us to enjoy some epic day trips, but on this occasion we gave ourselves a little extra time to slow down and enjoy every step of the journey.

We left on Friday and headed straight to our campground. We camped at the Lincoln Woodstock KOA on the west side of the White Mountains. The location was amazing – close to many places we loved to visit. We love traveling the Kangamangus Highway and discovering hidden gems or driving the I93. Personally, I think the Franconia Notch area is one of the most beautiful places in all of the White Mountains, but I’ll share more details about that later.

The Lincoln Woodstock KOA is my favorite campground in all of New Hampshire. We love to travel and camp at KOA Campgrounds because we know there is one standard they all meet and Lincoln Woodstock KOA is no exception.

Lincoln / Woodstock KOA Holiday, 1000 Eastside Rd RT 175, Woodstock, NH 03293, USA

The tent site we got was in the woods and incredibly spacious. We were close to the bathrooms and the playground – which my kids were pretty happy with.

The playground here was one of the best we have seen. From a giant rope structure that looked like a spider’s web to a wooden castle, the area was huge and filled with excited kids playing.
The jumping pad was also incredibly huge – the size of about three other jumping pads we’ve seen before. The staff were friendly and there were many events to enjoy during our two night stay.
One night they hid sweets in the fields and asked the children to search for the sweets with flashlights. On our last night they even had an old fire truck and took the kids for a ride all over the campsite. We also enjoyed lots of other fun activities including the pool, mini golf, game room, nature walk to a pond, and watching the dogs enjoy the dog park. You could easily spend several days at this KOA with plenty to keep you busy. We highly recommend camping at the Lincoln Woodstock KOA.
We enjoyed a good night’s sleep after a long campfire and woke up early the next morning and couldn’t wait to get to Mount Willard.

Mount Willard, Mt Willard, Hart’s Location, NH 03812, USA

Mount Willard trail was at the top of my white mountains hiking wish list. We had attempted it in the spring and decided once at altitude that there was too much ice. So I was excited to get there to finally experience this wonderful trail and my family shared in the excitement as well. Knowing it was now summer, we weren’t concerned with the ice and knew we would soon be at the top overlooking beautiful Crawford Notch.

As a starting point for many longer trails, most of the time it is extremely busy at Crawford Notch station. Arriving early is essential to find a parking spot.
We crossed the train tracks and followed the worn path that leads directly into the woods. Shortly after starting the hike the trail will split – noting the Mount Willard sign, we took a left and continued. There is a small creek crossing which was easily manageable. When we went in the spring, the snow was melting and making that creek crossing a little more treacherous. If you go there, always check the weather conditions in advance.

The trail is 3.1 miles long with 895 feet of elevation gain and rated moderate. I’m ok with the moderate part – near the first few sections it can be steep but after doing the first half of the hike the trail levels out more. You’ll still be uphill, but it’s not as steep. There are some loose rocks though – I like to call them “ankle twists”. Some people may want to bring a hiking pole or use a pole, especially on the way down.

The trip is delightful and once at the top the trees open up to reveal one of the most incredible views I have seen on top of a mountain. The Crawford Notch is truly seen in all its glory in front of you with the road winding through the mountains as well as the railway line on the right. We stopped and had a snack while taking in the view. My girls were super proud of themselves for the climb and were rewarded with an amazing view. I always say if my little girls can hike there, so can you.

Lots of trails coming and going really don’t offer much on the way down, although I’d suggest taking a quick detour to the Centennial Pool. You can do this on the way up, but it feels like another welcome reward on the way down.
We saw lots of people come to look at the top of the pool and the accompanying waterfall and then move on. If you want a good view, like we did, then you’ll want to scramble up the rocks for a much different way to appreciate the Centennial Pool. We got back on the path and once we got to the train tracks we gave our girls some time to pretend to be a train. We then got in the car and drove to our next location.

Here is a video of our entire hike to get a closer look.

We stopped at Echo Lake Beach off I93 and were greeted by a beautiful calm and peaceful lake nestled in the mountains.

Artists Bluff, Franconia, NH 03580, USA

We picnicked at one of the picnic tables to fuel up for our next adventure. Echo Lake is also the perfect jumping off point for the popular Artist Bluff/Bald Mountain Trail. Many people don’t know this, but if you park in the Echo Lake Beach parking lot and follow the road toward I93, you’ll see a guardrail on the left. Behind the railing is the trailhead for Artist Bluff. We would normally use this trailhead to hike straight to Artist Bluff, but that day we planned to do the entire loop. We’ve been to Artist Bluff several times, but this was our first time doing the whole loop, so we started it going counterclockwise, although I assume you can walk in either direction.

The entire loop is 1.5 miles with an elevation gain of 436 feet and is rated moderate. The first section of the trail takes you almost straight. This very steep climb will take you up to Artist Bluff.

We’ve already done this half mile section of the trail in ten minutes, so it’s a quick way to see an incredible view. Overlooking Franconia Notch, you have stunning views of Echo Lake, Cannon Mountain, and Mount Lafayette. This view never gets old and I always have to walk away from it as the view is my favorite in all of the White Mountains.

As unbelievable as it sounds, we wanted to do the rest of the loop, so we started back through the woods and up Bald Mountain.

Bald Mountain, Franconia, NH 03580, USA

The rest of the trail takes you through a series of steep ups and downs, but nothing like climbing Artist Bluff. We found large boulders and lush sections of forest with lots of ferns, which are my favorite plants.

Once you get to the Bald Mountain spur trail, be prepared for a little more scrambling. There were about three sections that you will need your hands and feet for. Two are relatively small but the last one is a very steep bald rock wall that you have to climb.
My wife, who was carrying our youngest on her back, opted out of the last steep incline, which we both agreed was a smart move. My eldest who loves rock climbing was up for the task and we climbed the final stretch of the trail. Looking back I honestly don’t really know how we climbed it as it seems almost impossible.

Once on Bald Mountain we were greeted with more breathtaking views. You will enjoy phenomenal views of Cannon Mountain from the top of Bald Mountain. We took off and came back down to complete the loop. We then returned and spent another night at the Lincoln Woodstock KOA. For more information, check out this video we took of the hike.

This trip was everything we had hoped it would be. We spent lots of quality time around the campfire and shared meals cooked on our little camp stove. We played with our children with the many fun options the campsite offers. Our family hiked and conquered three mountain peaks and were rewarded with stunning views. This weekend is something that I have recommended to several people since and I am proud to present it to you as well. So, as the Lincoln Woodstock KOA likes to say “get out more” and enjoy this amazing New Hampshire National Forest.

For more amazing on-the-ground adventures across America from our team of local travel experts, check out all of OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers series. Which destinations would you like to see in OnlyInYourState’s daily explorers next? Tell us where we should go on our nominations page.

Address: White Mountains, Lincoln, NH 03251, USA

Address: Artists Bluff, Franconia, NH 03580, USA

Address: Lincoln / Woodstock KOA Holiday, 1000 Eastside Rd RT 175, Woodstock, NH 03293, USA

Address: Mount Willard, Mt Willard, Hart’s Location, NH 03812, USA

Address: Bald Mountain, Franconia, NH 03580, USA

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