If you’re looking to escape the city and spend a weekend in the wilderness, here are five places you should consider adding to your road-trip idea list!
We live in Southern New Hampshire (not quite Boston, we know), but it’s pretty close! Every year for CeLynn’s birthday, which always falls on Labor Day weekend, we plan a trip north. A weekend centered around canoeing, hiking, and spending time outdoors together. A mini getaway! Labor Day weekend often has perfect weather for camping and being outdoors. Here are some of the places we hold close to our hearts to fill our adventure cup.
Rangeley, Maine
Although Maine is well-known for its beautiful ocean-side scenery spots, we like to venture a bit more inland to find real peace and quiet. In 2023, we spent Labor Day weekend camping at Rangeley State Park. We LOVED it. Not only is it secluded and right next to Rangeley Lake, but they have a huge boating area with a nice launch and canoe rentals. We brought our own canoe so we could paddle early and late for sunrise and sunset, but if you don’t own one, it’s not a problem here. It is a very large lake so paddling early or late is your best bet to find calmer waters. Here are a few must-do activities and sites to see during your time in Rangeley.
Height of Land
If you’re heading to Rangeley from the south, you’re likely to drive by Height of Land – it’s worth the stop! This roadside vista on Route 17 provides gorgeous views of the surrounding area. It’s a short drive from here to Rangeley State Park.
Angel Falls, Smalls Falls, & Cascade Stream Gorge
ANGEL FALLS
Angel Falls is a 90-foot waterfall – impressive & beautiful! It takes a small hike to get to which includes some rough dirt roads and a couple small river crossings. This waterfall is on private land so please be respectful and remember to leave no trace. Be careful to watch for logging trucks and ATV’s on the roads leading up to it. It is also recommended you download a map to get to it ahead of time because there is little to no service.
SMALLS FALLS
This roadside attraction includes four different waterfalls. There is a walking path to follow to see all four. It is part of a rest area with bathrooms and ample parking, but the parking can fill up fast on busy weekends!
CASCADE STREAM GORGE
The full trail is about 1/2 mile long (1 mile total out and back) and follows alongside the stream. It features several waterfalls, the last being the best. This was a nice one to do and stretch our legs on before our long drive home.
Carrabassett Valley Hiking
Many of Maine’s 4,000-foot mountains are in and around this area. We hiked Sugarloaf and Spaulding. Sugarloaf is also a ski area so you can hike up the slopes as far as you’d like and get some beautiful views! Nearby is also the Bigelow Range, which has several summits and more beautiful hiking terrain.
Other Notables
Quill Hill is another nice vista point with a winding drive to a picnic area. It provides 360-degree views of the surrounding area and even has a pizza oven available for public use! There is a suggested $5 donation fee for visiting.
Coos Canyon is a roadside attraction that is along the Swift River. It’s a nice picnic spot or place to take a dip in Byron, Maine.
Pittsburg, New Hampshire
Pittsburg, New Hampshire is a place we have visited countless times because it is just the perfect place to relax. With many beautiful lakes and backwoods ponds to paddle, scenic logging roads, and wildlife, it’s just incredible. The last time we visited, we camped at Lake Francis State Park. It was perfect for being right on the water and very quiet. We enjoyed the loon calls every evening and loved having nighttime campfires.
Backwoods Bogs
We love driving the logging roads to find backwoods places to paddle. We got an early start to head to this bog, Scott Bog, to paddle and look for moose and other wildlife. If you’re driving these back logging roads, be sure to have a paper map or downloaded maps so you know where you are. You can accidentally follow some into Canada and easily get turned around on them, with little to no cell service.
Magalloway Mountain
If you’re working on your New Hampshire “52 With a View” list, be sure to hike Magalloway Mountain while you’re up here! There are a couple of different trails to the summit and once atop, you climb the fire tower for 360-degree views.
Beaver Brook Falls & Garfield Falls
BEAVER BROOK FALLS
Right alongside the road in Colebrook is an 80-foot waterfall that hides in the trees. It sits next to a beautiful picnic area and has some walking paths below and alongside it.
GARFIELD FALLS
A short hiking trail will help you descend down to the 40-foot waterfall, Garfield Falls. This one is well worth the small hike! It’s a remote drive to get to it, so be sure to download a map!
Other Notables
Buck Rub Pub is a local eatery that serves a wide-variety of great food! Be sure to arrive early on weekends as it’s a well-loved establishment that gets very busy.
The Connecticut Lakes are a series of bodies of water in Pittsburg that are used for swimming, boating, and fishing. There are four of them in total. Watching the sunset from the shoreline of First Connecticut Lakes is one of our favorite things to do.
Dixville Notch – Table Rock is a popular, short but very steep hike that you may drive by on your way up to Pittsburg. It’s well worth the climb, providing a steep dropoff view of the Balsams and the road below.
Adirondacks, New York
Upstate New York has some incredible hiking and paddling spots. We have mostly paddled here but like to combine our trips with some hiking so we could start checking off the 46, 4,000-footers. We’ve spent the most time in the northern Adirondacks but there is plenty to see, all around this region! Our favorite place to camp is Rollins Pond Campground since you can score campsites right on the water!
Rollins Pond Paddling
Rollins Pond and Fish Creek Pond Campgrounds have waterfront sites, perfect for paddling! There is also a nearby boat rental place, Upper Saranac Marina, where you can get a canoe for the day. The best part of this region is the multitude of pond-hopping options you have. We did a 10-mile portage (where you carry your boat a short distance over land to the next body of water) and paddle route. We saw loons, a bald eagle, and even a sleeping bear up in a tree!
Adirondacks Hiking
There are ample places for hiking in the Adirondacks. You can do day hikes or plan ahead to do some backpacking in this region. A popular hike is to Avalanche Lake. This unique lake features boardwalks, ladders, and more to traverse around the difficult terrain. We then proceeded from here to hike the very steep, Mount Colden, but many hike just to the lake to take in the views.
Saranac Lakes
Large bodies of water in Upstate New York include the Saranac Lakes. The Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes are beautiful, clean lakes, perfect for boating and swimming. You can also move between the bodies of water using a series of locks – a unique experience that is very cool to do!
Other Notables
Lake Placid is where the 1980 Olympic Games were held. Check out the massive ski jump and sports complexes!
Whiteface Mountain is New York’s fifth highest peak and you can drive the Veteran’s Memorial Highway to the top of it.
Ausable Chasm, nicknamed “The Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks” is a huge gorge that you can hike, climb, or raft through. There is a large waterfall and lots of interesting geological formations to check out.
Northeast Kingdom, Vermont
CeLynn is originally from Vermont, so she has spent a lot of time exploring in the Northeast Kingdom (the top right-hand corner of the state). This part of Vermont is great for all outdoor activities, from mountain biking to paddling, hiking, skiing, or camping.
Crystal, Shadow & Willoughby Lakes
CRYSTAL
Crystal Lake is a larger, very clean body of water in Barton. We have loved paddling, boating, and waterskiing there. The state park has an expansive, beautiful beach to hang out on and large bathhouses.
SHADOW
Near Crystal, is a smaller lake that is better for paddling. This lake in Glover is quieter and also has a small beach.
WILLOUGHBY
Well known for its foliage season photographic scenery, Willoughby is the deepest lake in Vermont. Formed by glaciers, the lake sits between two large peaks and is 328 feet deep. Mount Pisgah is a popular hike on the side of the lake that brings you to an incredible scenic overlook of the whole body of water. It’s well worth the steep climb!
Northeast Hiking
The trails in the Northeast Kingdom are much less crowded, so you can enjoy many of them to yourself or with a few other visitors. Jay Peak is a popular skiing mountain that can also be hiked for beautiful 360-views. Another lesser-known hike we love is Wheeler Mountain – a real gem with gorgeous views!
Other Notables
Parker Pie is a local favorite in West Glover! They have the best pizza in town and a small grocery/beer store as well.
Kingdom Trails Mountain Biking is home to some of the best mountain biking trails in the country! There are over 300 miles of trails to explore, as well as rental shops to get you started.
Craftsbury Outdoor Center is best known for its pristine cross-country skiing trails but you can also explore on foot or mountain bike!
White Moutains, NH
We all know the White Mountain National Forest is known for its incredible hiking, but there is more to the region than just the beautiful peaks! There are beautiful swimming spots, great small towns with local eateries and shops, and opportunities for other outdoor recreation and camping.
Hiking in the Whites
The most well-known areas of the Whites are likely the Franconia Ridge Traverse and the Presidential Range. Although these incredible spots provide beautiful views, there are many other options to escape the crowds and get a little more solitude. Do some research on the “52 With a View” list for shorter (under 3,000 feet tall) peaks that provide some great views for the effort. In summer, if you’re only option is hiking on the weekend, it’s best to get their early or later for a sunset hike, this will give you a better opportunity at finding parking.
Swimming Holes
There are many great swimming holes in the mountains. Beware, the water is often very cold, but it’s also often very clean and colorful! Here are a few great ones to check out:
- Diana’s Baths
- Emerald Pool
- Falls on the Smarts Brook Trail
- Franconia Falls
- Jackson Falls
Other Notables
Loon Mountain is a popular ski mountain in winter but you can also mountain bike in the summer!
Mount Washington Auto Road or Cog Railway to see the top of the Northeast! If you haven’t been to the top of Mount Washington, it’s worth a visit.
Flume Gorge is a beautiful walking path that brings you to many waterfalls. The gorge is over 800 feet long.
Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway is another way to see beautiful views of Franconia Ridge and the surrounding area. It will bring you to the top of Cannon Mountain in about 10 minutes.
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