USA Guide
New England
The White Mountains
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).
Just a few high passes – here called "notches" – pierce the range, and the roads through these gaps, such as the Kancamagus Highway between Lincoln and Conway, make for enjoyable driving (compulsory parking permits are $3 for one day, or $5 for seven consecutive days). However, you won't really have made the most of the White Mountains unless you also set off, on foot or on skis, across the long expanses of thick evergreen forest that separate them, with snowcapped peaks poking out in all directions. The best sources of information in the region are the White Mountains Visitor Center, at I-93 exit 32, in North Woodstock (July– Sept 8.30am–6pm; Oct– June 8.30am–5.30pm; 
603/745-8720 or 1-800/FIND-MTS, 
www.visitwhitemountains.com ), and the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center on Rte-16 (daily 6.30am–10pm; 603/466-2721, www.outdoors.org ), north of Jackson.
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