The posts in this section are contributed by our staff and guests and reflect information available at the time they were written. Because details can change, some content may no longer be current. For the most up-to-date property information, availability, amenities, and policies, please refer to the specific listing or reach out to our team directly.
09/28/26
QUICK FACTS: WHITE MOUNTAINS IN SEPTEMBER 2026 Crowd level Noticeably lighter than July and August, especially on weekdays Weather Warm afternoons, cool mornings and nights, most reliable hiking weather of the year Foliage Just beginning at higher elevations by late September Whale’s Tale Water Park Typically closes around Labor Day Story Land Daily through early September, then weekends only through late October Santa’s Village Select Saturdays and “FEASTival” Sundays through...
09/21/26
QUICK FACTS: APPLE PICKING NEAR THE WHITE MOUNTAINS 2026 Season Early September through mid-October, varies by orchard Closest option Solid Earth Farm, Lisbon, NH Best for families Windy Ridge Orchard, North Haverhill, NH Only PYO orchard in the Conways Hatch Orchard, Center Conway, NH What to bring Cash, your own bags or buckets, comfortable shoes Pairs well with Fall foliage season, which overlaps almost exactly Apple season in New...
09/14/26
QUICK FACTS: 2026 NH HIGHLAND GAMES & FESTIVAL Dates Friday, September 18 through Sunday, September 20, 2026 Location Loon Mountain Resort, Lincoln, NH Edition 51st annual Tickets Single-day or 3-day weekend pass, available at nhscot.org/buy-tickets or at the gate Kids 14 and under free with a paying adult Parking Free shuttle buses from designated lots (daytime only, ending around 6pm) Pets Service animals only, no pets on the grounds Distance...
09/7/26
QUICK FACTS: WHITE MOUNTAINS FALL FOLIAGE 2026 Peak color window Late September through mid-October Best single drive Kancamagus Highway (NH Route 112, Lincoln to Conway) Live tracker NH Fall Foliage Map, updated weekly starting mid-September Foliage hotline 1-800-258-3608 Busiest weekends Late September through Columbus Day weekend Book lodging by Late August for peak-weekend stays Cannon Mountain Tramway Not operating in 2026, retired for a planned rebuild Higher elevations around...
08/31/26
Labor Day weekend has a specific feel in the White Mountains that’s different from the rest of summer. The crowds thin out from their July and August peak, the evenings start cooling off just enough to notice, and there’s a general sense that everyone’s squeezing in one last real getaway before schedules snap back to normal. In 2026, Labor Day falls on Monday, September 7, which means the long weekend...
08/10/26
Every third Saturday in August, a few hundred cyclists line up at the base of the Mount Washington Auto Road and do something most people would call unreasonable: ride a bike, uphill, for 7.6 miles, with an average grade of 12 percent and a final stretch so steep it’s simply called “the Wall.” In 2026, that day falls on August 15, with a rain date of August 16 if the...
08/3/26
The White Mountains sit far enough from Boston and Manchester that the sky actually looks like a sky. On a clear August night, the Milky Way shows up as a real band of light overhead, not a rumor you half remember from childhood camping trips. This year gives stargazers an extra reason to stay up late: the Perseid meteor shower peaks August 12-13, 2026, and it lines up with a...
07/27/26
North Conway sits at the center of everything the White Mountains offer in summer. Within a 30-minute drive in any direction from the village, you can reach some of the best hiking in the Northeast, one of the most beloved family theme parks in New England, New Hampshire’s only aquarium, a tax-free outlet village, scenic train rides through mountain passes, and Echo Lake, a swimming beach at the foot of...
07/20/26
Golf in the White Mountains is not a consolation prize for a trip that ran out of hiking ideas. The courses here are the real thing: historic layouts from the early twentieth century, set against the Presidential Range with views that most golfers in the Northeast never experience. Two of the four courses covered in this guide opened before 1920. One has been rated Golfweek’s Best Course You Can Play...
07/13/26
Summer is when the White Mountains show off. The trails are dry, the days are long, and the high ridges are cleaner and more dramatic than at any other point in the year. If you are based out of Bretton Woods, North Conway, Franconia, or anywhere along the Route 302 corridor, you have access to some of the best summer hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire within 45...
