How to Spend a Long Weekend in the White Mountains

While travel plans across the world have come to a halt, it’s best to take advantage of destinations within driving distance to you! Being from PA and NJ, we wanted to do something on the East Coast but away from crowds as much as possible. The White Mountains, located in New Hampshire, seemed like a perfect place to get away from the craziness and re-connect with nature.

We booked an Airbnb in Woodstock, NH, close to several hikes and landmarks in the White Mountains (Click here to get up to $55 off your first trip with Airbnb!). This location ended up being perfect for us! Both Woodstock and Lincoln (a few miles away) are very cute towns with restaurants, souvenirs and gas stations.

Day 1: Mount Washington Summit

We started out very early in the morning and drove the 7.5 hours from NJ to the Mount Washington Auto Road. This winding road takes you up to the highest point in the Northeast (6,288 ft above sea level)! You can drive up the steep and narrow road yourself, but note that there are no guardrails and we don’t recommend it for those afraid of heights. You can also take a guided driving tour, which is what we did! We recommend booking in advance. For a more expensive, yet more unique experience, check out the Mt. Washington Cog Railway.

The 30 minute car ride up the top was lovely. We learned about the 4 distinct ecosystems found on the mountain, as well as more information about the Presidential Range. Once at the top, we were given an hour to explore the area and take in the 360 degree views.

It was cold and windy at the top, so be sure to pack a jacket! In fact, the highest wind ever observed by man was recorded there (231 miles per hour!). There are many trails that lead up to the top, so we took some time to explore the trails a bit more.

After we were done exploring, we descended for 30 minutes back to the Visitor’s Center, got in our car and drove to our Airbnb in Woodstock (about an hour away).

Day 2: Mount Lafayette and Franconia Ridge Trail

On Day 2, we planned for the Mount Lafayette and Franconia Ridge Trail hike. Knowing that it was a long and strenuous hike, we packed our day bags the night before with enough snacks, water, and additional clothing for the day. We woke up early, ate a quick breakfast, and drove over to the trailhead by 7:30am. Unfortunately, the parking lot was already full!

Instead of parking in the trailhead parking lot, we were directed to the Cannon Tramway parking lot, about 2 miles down the road. The Tramway was closed due to COVID-19, so the parking lot had plenty of spaces available. Unfortunately, it meant that we could not take the route we had originally planned. There were several alternate options, but we chose to walk 2 miles along a bike path to the original start of the trailhead, and then return via the Greenleaf Trail to the Tramway parking lot.

Note that while we are not in the BEST of shape, we are also not in the worst of shape. We hike and exercise regularly, so while we were warned this would be a strenuous hike, we thought it would be do-able. But I am here to tell you now, it was TOUGH. It was more difficult than I could have imagined, and I didn’t think I would be able to move again the rest of the trip afterwards. Was it worth it? I’ll let you decide that for yourself. 

After walking the 2 miles along the bike path to the original trailhead, we started up Falling Waters trail. It is recommended if you do the loop to take this trail up and Old Bridle Path down, as Falling Waters is treacherous to come down. Falling Waters trail, as expected, was riddled with numerous creeks and waterfalls and was a beautiful, although completely uphill, path.

PRO TIP: Along Falling Waters trail, you will see a sign opposite the trail direction for “Shining Rock”. It adds about a quarter mile to your trip to see, so we debated it, but we recommend it! At the end of the trail you will see a giant slab of rock with water streaming down it. It was very impressive!

Finally, we made it to the top of Little Haystack. Naively, I thought this was the end of having to go up any further. We found a nice big rock to sit on, ate our lunch and took in the beautiful views.

We soon found out that we actually weren’t at the top. We had two more mountains to go! Next would be Mt. Lincoln, which can be seen in the distance. We walked along the ridge with mountains on either side of us. It was breathtaking! Although it doesn’t look that much taller in the pictures, don’t be fooled. There is a good amount of elevation to reach this next summit.

Once we go to the summit of Mt. Lincoln, we were finally able to see our final destination – Mt. Lafayette!

We finally made it! We took some time to rest our legs and eat some snacks at the top, enjoying the cool breeze and chatting with other hikers. While it was a difficult hike, the views were absolutely unbelievable.

Unfortunately, we still had to come back down. This may have been the hardest part of the trip! The rocks were slippery, the trails were steep, and there was a long line of people trying to get down from the summit. Our bodies were sore and hurt, we were tired and honestly it was not very fun at all. We briefly stopped at the Greenleaf Hut to fill up our water bottles and use the restroom before continuing the path downward.

After about 13.5 miles, 5000 ft of elevation, and 8.5 hours of hiking (with some breaks in between), we arrived back at our car! We had planned to go swimming after our hike, but we were honestly so exhausted we just wanted to rest our feet. We ended up ordering a pizza from GH Pizza, taking it to our Airbnb and calling it a night.

Day 3: The Basin, Kancamagus Highway, Portland

After enjoying a relaxing breakfast by the creek of our Airbnb, we headed towards The Basin, a glacial pothole known for it’s blue waters and smooth granite walls. While you cannot swim in the Basin, you can dip your feet or hands in the freezing cold water a little downstream. It’s also only a short easy walk from the parking lot (perfect for our hurting bodies).