Explore New England
Thanks to their accessibility from both Montréal to the north and Boston to the south, the White Mountains have become a year-round tourist destination, popular with both summer hikers and winter skiers. Commercialized they may be, but the great granite massifs retain most of their majesty and power. Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeast, can claim some of the most severe weather in the world, and conditions are harsh enough for the timberline to lie at four thousand feet (compared to the Rockies’ norm of ten thousand).
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Hiking, skiing and cycling in the White Mountains
Hiking, skiing and cycling in the White Mountains
Hiking in the White Mountains is coordinated by the Appalachian Mountain Club or “AMC” (w www.outdoors.org), whose chain of information centres, hostels and huts along the Appalachian Trail, traversing the region from northeast to southwest, is detailed below. Call t 603/466-2721 for trail and weather information before you attempt any serious expedition.
Downhill and cross-country skiers can choose from several resorts that double up as summertime activity centres. The Waterville Valley Resort (t 603/236-8311 or t 1-800/468-2553, w www.waterville.com) and Loon Mountain (t 603/745-8111 or t 1-800/229-LOON, w www.loonmtn.com), both just east of I-93, are good for downhill, while Jackson (t 603/383-9355, w www.jacksonxc.org), about fifteen miles north of Conway on Rte-16, has some of the finest cross-country skiing trails in the northeast. General information on the skiing centres is available from Ski NH (t 603/745-9396 or t 1-800/88SKI-NH, w www.skinh.com).
In the summer, the cross-country skiing trails can make for strenuous but exhilarating biking (you can take lifts up the slopes and ride back down). Both Waterville and Loon have bikes for rent on site for around $32 per day; Loon also runs a zip line ($25), horseback riding ($50/person) and a bungee trampoline and climbing wall area ($18).
