Trip Across America

Located in northern New Hampshire, the White Mountains are a vast and unspoiled wilderness. Covering a quarter of the state, and home to New England’s tallest mountain, it’s a paradise for nature lovers. From scenic drives to incredible hikes, the White Mountains has something for everyone. In addition to its natural beauty, the White Mountains hold historical importance, having played host to one of the most important events of the 20th century.

New Hampshire is known for being a fiercely independent state, and I am going to embrace that spirit. Rather than cover the White Mountain’s most popular activities, which have been covered extensively by others, I’m going to focus on some of the “hidden gems” that I enjoyed.

Kancamagus Scenic Byway

Perhaps the easiest way to witness the majesty of the White Mountains, is by taking a scenic drive along the Kancamagus Highway. Referred to by locals as the “Kank”, the Kancamagus Highway is 34 miles long, and cuts through the heart of the White Mountain National Forest. Along the way there are plenty of scenic overlooks, as well as a variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. Some of the most popular stops are Sabbaday Falls, Lower Falls and Rocky Gorge. My personal favorite was the Rocky Gorge, which has attracted tourists since the Civil War, when the Boston & Maine Railroad first reached the nearby town of Conway.

Frankenstein Trestle

The White Mountains have tons of different hiking opportunities, but my favorite was probably the hike up to the Frankenstein Trestle. Built in 1893 by the Maine Central Railroad, the Frankenstein Trestle was an engineering marvel when it was completed. The trestle carried freight trains up until the early 1980’s, and since then it has been used by the Conway Scenic Railroad. Walking across the trestle was a pretty cool experience, and the surrounding views were amazing. The trestle is 500 feet long and 80 feet high, and for something built in the 1800’s felt reasonably sturdy. The combination of amazing views and unique setting, mean it’s a pretty good bet I’ll do this hike again in the future.

Dixville Notch

Dixville Notch is like something out of a movie, or maybe a TV show. In fact you may be familiar with the fictionalized version of the town, represented by the town of Hartsfield Landing in the West Wing. The town is “famous” for being one of the first in the nation to cast their votes in national elections. On election day the polls open at midnight, and the ballots are counted within a few minutes. This is logistically easy to do, as there are only a handful of people in the town. In the 2020 presidential election there were only 5 voters in Dixville Notch, yet the town’s results still garnered national media attention.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/02/politics/dixville-notch-2020-results/index.html

The town is also interesting because it’s home to The Balsams, a now abandoned grand hotel and resort. The hotel still looks quite majestic, and the surrounding countryside is beautiful. With no one living nearby, and the hotel abandoned, the scene is a bit surreal, like something out of a zombie apocalypse film. I ended up spending the day in Dixville Notch, exploring some of the many hiking trails in the area. My favorite was unquestionably the hike up to Table Rock, which is somewhat challenging, but rewards you with a magnificent view of The Balsams and surrounding scenery.

I think most people would agree that the picture above is a pretty amazing view. I had seen pictures of the view before hiking it, and was expecting a fair number of people to be on the trail. It took me about an hour to reach the top, and I didn’t see a single person. As I neared the summit, I thought maybe I would run into someone relaxing at the top, enjoying the hard won views. Again nobody. I even hung out at the top for over an hour, and I had the place all to myself.

I found this both enjoyable and slightly confusing. This was one of the best hikes I’ve ever done, and I had the whole place to myself. You might say that it’s just too remote, but it’s only an hour away from the tourist centers, where there were plenty of hikers. Either way, the hike was quite enjoyable, and is definitely on the list of things I would do again in New Hampshire.

Bretton Woods

Driving by the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, you would have no idea that this was a historic site. But in July 1944, this was the place where the post-WWII international monetary system would be formulated. While this may sound boring, the decisions that were made at the Bretton Woods Conference still have significance today. Chief among them, was the decision to establish the US Dollar as the world’s reserve currency. The conference also designed the “Gold Standard”, which would be used up until 1971. Other notable items were the creation of the IMF and World Bank. Who knew that decisions made at a ski resort in northern New Hampshire changed the world forever? The details don’t matter to most people, but the decisions that were made here in 1944, have undoubtedly impacted everyone’s lives, and continue to do so today.