Last year we traveled to Bar Harbor, Maine to view the beautiful fall colors of New England. This year we opted for a closer alternative, but no less impressive. The White Mountains are about three hours north of Tewksbury and are the heart of the ski industry of New Hampshire. We visited Franconia Notch on the western edge of the chain a few years ago, and saw the beauty of the area in summer. But this area is widely known for its color tours along the Kancamagus Highway.

The Kancamagus Highway is a little more than 34 miles of scenic highway along NH Route 112 between Lincoln and Conway, NH. Up and down the mountains, and alongside beautiful rivers, this drive did not disappoint. At one of our first stops, a young bride-to-be was surprised when her fiance made use of the spectacular backdrop at this scenic overlook to offer his proposal of marriage.  Everyone one around applauded, and thought the young man had made an excellent choice of location for the event.

One of the most spectacular stops was along the Swift River. The area we stopped at was filled with boulder sized rocks that made little water falls and rapids. We were able to walk on the rocks for some beautiful pictures featuring the river and the foliage.

The Kancamagus Highway terminates at Conway, NH on the eastern edge of the mountain range. Rather than backtrack, we chose to continue the loop through the range and see Mount Washington. Along the way we saw many other colorful mountain sides and rivers. We also found Storyland, a children’s amusement park we hope to bring Elizabeth and Amelia someday. Mount Washington is the crown jewel of the range and is famed for recording some of the coldest temperatures and highest wind speeds in the United States. At its base is the Mt. Washington Hotel, a swanky resort popular with both locals and tourists.

We concluded our journey with a stop at the site of the former “Old Man of the Mountain.”  Until 2003 the Old Man of the Mountain was a rock formation on the side of Cannon Mountain that resembled an old man. It collapsed after years of erosion. An art installation at the base allows visitors to stand in a location and see the jagged face as it appeared before the collapse. The sun was getting low in the sky and we decided it was best to start heading home.  New Hampshire is blessed with beautiful mountains, a seashore, a lakes region, and is a day trip from a thriving world class city.  I hope I’m not the only local that feels like living near here is a like being on vacation all year long.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller