North Conway Visit
 

Going to North Conway this weekend. Going to do Storyland one day with my 8 and 11 year old daughters. Was looking to do something else for another day.

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks.

Driving up Mount Washington is pretty exciting.Paul

It is one of the great outlet centers in the US but I hope you have something else in mind.

If the girls are reasonable walkers, there are three walks that they might enjoy:

1. from Pinkham Notch to Lost Pond. The name is thrilling and the walk is easy. I have seen a moose there. Get directions at the AMC lodge in Pinkham Notch. Similarly, the walk to Crystal Cascade from the same place.

2. from Crawford Notch to Elephant Head. Thrilling name, good views, easy walk IIRC, with a hint of climb. Eat a picnic on top. Directions at AMC in the old Crawford Notch railroad station.

3. from Crawford Notch up Mt Willard via an old logging road. It is a bit longer but a very easy walk, and the view down Crawford Notch from the end is outstanding.

These kinds of trips make kids into lifelong hikers.

If you don't want to walk, how about the Cog Railway to the summit of Mt Washington? Oldest cog railway in the world, even older than those in Switzerland. Steam operated, 100+ year old cars.

tovarich said above: "Driving up Mount Washington is pretty exciting."

That may be true, but not necessarily in a good way. If you're going to attempt this, my understanding is that you'd better make sure your car (especially brakes, transmission, and tires) are in tip-top shape. My understanding is that the road does not have guard rails either, which may be white-knuckle inducing for those with vertigo issues.

The Cog Railway is likely a better option here.

We have driven up the Mount Washington auto road. You definitely need to have a car you trust brakes, transmission and tires as bachslunch said. A standard trasnmission is better, but auto is fine, you will need to be driving it in low gear so you don't ride the brakes all the way down.

It can definitely be white knuckle inducing. We did it in heavy fog, and couldn't see 20 feet in front of us. When we reached the top there was no view because of cloud cover. The clouds actually broke shortly after we started down, so we pulled out at one of the overlooks for a great view.

It's really very exciting, and I recommend it, but ONLY if you feel comfortable in your car, and don't mind narrow mountain roads.

Otherwise, the cog railway is a better choice.

Lost River is another fun place for kids - lots of little caves and crannies for them to explore, nice picnic area, not too touristy.

You can hike about a mile off West Side Road to Diana's Bath. Lovely waterfalls and swimming holes. Echo Lake is right there for swimming. Another fun trip is to take the Kancamangus Highway and stop for a dip in the Saco when you get hot. The Five & Dime Store and Zeb's in the center of North Conway are fun for kids. You can take a train ride out of No. Conway Ctr. Plenty of mini-golf. Have fun!

When you drive up Mt.Washington you're obliged to do it in first gear.You get a CD guiding you along the way giving all the interesting info about the mountain.You should only attempt it on a clear day.There is a notice stating that if you're not confident or have never driven any mountain roads you should take their mini buses up the mountain.