Hiking

In addition to the Flume and the Basin, Franconia Notch State Park (603/745-8391, www.franconianotchstatepark.com [1]) has many more challenging hikes into the surrounding mountains. You can earn your views from the top of Cannon Mountain by taking the Kinsman Trail from the base of the tramway up to the top of the peak, a grueling two-mile ascent that’ll have you sounding a barbaric yawp by the end of it. If that’s not enough mountain for you, the trail continues another 15 miles over the peak to Lost River Gorge.

On the other side of the highway, the Franconia Ridge is a popular day hike, despite the difficulty of the gorgeous climb up above the tree line. The loop is a seven-mile passage over Mount Lafayette (5,240 ft.), Mount Lincoln (5,089 ft.), and Little Haystack Mountain (4,760 ft.), with many places to stop and admire the scenery. Keep on your toes for a particularly dangerous section known as the Knife’s Edge (use your imagination). The hike takes about seven hours all told; start early during peak season to avoid the cattle herd.

For a fun family hike in the Waterville Valley [2] region, head out on the Cascade Trail, a 3.6-mile walk to a picnic area by some impressive waterfalls. The trailhead starts on Route 49, eight miles east of I-93. From the same location also rises the much tougher Sandwich Mountain Trail, a little-known hike to one of the most gorgeous mountain views in the area. Since the peak is only 3,993 feet high, it resists the hordes of hikers obsessed with bagging all the 4,000-footers.