You ever go on one of those trips, where as soon as you're on your way home, you're thinking about when you can get back? That's how I feel about the White Mountains National Forest in New Hampshire. Just this morning I was looking at places to stay and my work schedule to see if we could squeeze in a night or two (I'm still working on it)!
We visited the White Mountains in May 2021, with my mom for Mother's Day weekend. After packing the car with enough food for a small army, we were on our way!
Day 1: We drove about 4 hours to Portsmouth, NH where we spent a night. When I travel with my mom, we typically stay at Marriott Residence Inn hotels. They have a kitchen, small living area, and are generally dog friendly. I cannot recommend this one enough, if staying around Portsmouth! The room was clean and modern, and they had lots of grass for Oban.
After an afternoon exploring Portsmouth (side note, it was lovely, but wasn't really my jam. It was a little too congested and I didn't quite get the vibe), we crossed the bridge to Kittery, Maine. If you only do one thing in Kittery, make sure you grab lunch or dinner at Rudder's Public House. The food was delish, we sat on the outdoor patio with Oban, near a fire pit. I ordered the Chicken Club, my mom had a Burger, and Oban had a giant bucket of water and some french fries! The food was high quality, fast, and fresh!
Day 2: The next morning we headed into North Conway, NH. The drive up was beautiful through little towns and heavily forested roads. The first thing I saw upon coming into town was the giant LLBean Outlet, aka paradise. We hiked a local trail near North Conway to stretch our legs and let Oban get out some crazy after so many hours in the car. We spent the night cooking dinner and making a plan for the next day!
Day 3: Bridal Veils Falls: Oh. My. Goodness. It was about an hour drive to the trail head from our hotel, and worth every minute. To begin, the drive alone through the National Forest was incredible! The winding road, babbling creeks and waterfalls along the roadside, and the smell of pine trees! Pure Happiness. We pulled into the trail head, opened the map and started to make our way. The trail is 4.8 miles out and back. You go up to get the fall, and down to get back to your car. The entire trail follows the water, providing the perfect soundtrack for your hike. Oban also loved having access to freezing cold running water the entire way! When we got to what we thought was the top, we stopped to have lunch and recharge, after about 1,000 ft elevation gain. Oban was blissed out laying in the ice cold mountain water aka his water bowl. Sitting at the base of something so tall and powerful, that was there before you, and will be there after you, never ceases to put life into perspective. We had the top nearly to ourselves, with one other family and their sweet yellow lab joining us. We sat there for a bit watching the water fall down the to pool below, and I knew then that this was one of my favorite places. On the hike down, Oban chased his new friend, and found all the mud he could! We ended the day dirty, tired, and happy! All the best things!
Day 4: Arethusa Falls and Ripley Falls: On our last day we set our sights on seeing 2 more waterfalls: Arethusa was first, and it was a long winding journey to get there. The mornings were cold, but we were pulling off layers as we went up. This was one of those hikes where you thought you would never get there. There isn't much to see on the way up, but once you get there, it's well worth it. Both of these falls require a fair amount of bouldering, but definitely worth the effort. The reward was lunch by a raging waterfall, and seeing Oban as happy as can be in another waterfall water bowl of cold mountain water. This trail was also an incredible reminder to always be mindful of your surroundings. As we were descending, a very tall tree started cracking, and then fell across the trail, several feet in front of us. It wasn't something I had experienced before, but now am always on the lookout for/listening for. Ripley Falls was a stop we decided to make after driving past the sign a a few times. It was definitely the easier hike in we did, and one that I would recommend if your group varies in skill level.The best part of Ripley was that we had the waterfall to ourselves. I'm not sure how we lucked out as it was still early in the afternoon, but it was amazing! No crowds, no rush, we just hung out, ate a snack, and watched the water.
Day 5: Time to head out (but not before stopping at the LLBean outlet lol). As we packed up to make the drive home, I was already thinking about coming back in the fall. There was still so much to explore, and the quietness of the trails gave Oban so much freedom. There is a level of freedom I have found in general in New Hampshire, that always leaves me wanting more. Until next time...
Fleece Lined Tips: proper hiking boots, water, snacks, etc. are all needed. There is no where to get this stuff once in the National Forest, so come prepared. The mornings and evenings are pretty chilly, so layer up!
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