The Gratts in New England: New Hampshire

When I was planning the route, I discovered the White Mountains in northern New Hampshire.  It looked so stunning, I decided I had to find a way to include it in the itinerary.  I'm glad I did because this was some of the best scenery that the Gratts saw the entire trip.

Overlook along the Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire

The Gratts checked out of the hotel in Stowe and got on the road, heading for the famous Polly's Pancake Parlor about an hour and a half from Stowe, Vermont.

This is THE place to stop on the way to Franconia Notch State Park where the Gratts were headed.  I knew the line would be long and when they got there, it was over an hour wait!

Luckily, everyone agreed the pancakes were worth the wait!

Full of pancakes, the family headed to Franconia Notch State Park where they would be walking two miles through the famous Flume Gorge.

Flume Gorge is a natural gorge with granite cliffs rising to nearly 88 feet at the base of Mount Liberty in Franconia Notch State Park. The walk through the gorge involves many steps and stairs and I encouraged Fran and Harvey to get into hiking shape. I'm proud to say they handled it like pros!

These are just some of the many beautiful pictures of their walk through the gorge.

Franconia Notch which was formed during the ice age.

The "We made it!" photo at the end of the two-mile walk.  Great job Gratts!

Everyone was ready to get to the inn and rest, so they set off on the hour drive to the Inn at Thorn Hill in Jackson, NH.

I was so excited for this inn and it ended up being their favorite of the trip.  I can't wait to stay here with Ben in October!

Ben's room.

Fran and Harvey's room.

The Gratts had dinner at the hotel restaurant, Forty.

Ben got a tiki drink and said it was one of the best he has ever had.

Ben's reward for a long day of driving.

Ben got the scallops which were delicious.

New Hampshire sunset

Ben rewarded his long day of driving with a soak in the tub!

The next day started with free breakfast at the hotel's buffet.

Yum!

Today the Gratts were going to drive the Kancamagus ("Kank-ah-mah-gus") Highway, a 34-mile scenic drive from Conway to Lincoln, New Hampshire that is known as one of the best fall foliage viewing areas in New England.  I listed all the stops in order, even indicating which ones had bathrooms -- for which everyone was very thankful!

The first stop was the Albany Covered Bridge built in 1858 which spans the Swift River.

Isn't Fran's hat adorable?

Next was Lower Falls.

Rocky Gorge, which took them on a short walk over the Swift River.

Ben and Fran walked a little further to Falls Pond which was gorgeous.

The Russell-Colbath Homestead is a wood frame house that was built in 1832 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. I included this stop specifically for the bathroom!

Next was Sabbaday Falls which was a short walk from the parking lot and considered a highlight along the Kanc.

The last stop was the Sugar Hill Overlook which was just beautiful!

Once in Lincoln, they stopped for ice cream before making their way back to the hotel in Jackson.

On the way to the Inn, they stopped at Jackson Falls in Jackson.  This is an easily accessible waterfall I knew would be a nice stop close to the hotel.

The next morning, Ben and Fran took a walk around Jackson before breakfast.  Jackson is famous for "Pumpkin People" where businesses are all decked out with pumpkins.

After a last breakfast at the Inn, the Gratts would leave New Hampshire and head to Portland, Maine for the last leg of their trip!