Which hidden gems have travelers nominated in New Hampshire?

Travelers have nominated spots like Chutters, Redstone Rocket, Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves, Castle in the Clouds. These are Gem Hunt candidates, not canonical Roamward check-in places unless they are marked finalist or winner.

Where can I play golf in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire has bookable public courses including Mount Washington (Bretton Woods), Owl's Nest, Beaver Meadow — see them all and find a tee time on Roamward.

What are the best hikes in New Hampshire?

Trails like Arethusa Falls, Diana’s Baths, Franconia Ridge Loop — from easy family walks to bucket-list climbs, mapped on Roamward (great for the RV and camping crew).

Where should I eat on a New Hampshire road trip?

Start with Granite Restaurant and Bar, Revival Kitchen and Bar, Tucker's, Glen Junction Family Restaurant — curated route-town and gateway meals that make sense for a driving day.

What scenic drives and trails go through New Hampshire?

New Hampshire is part of routes and trails like Kancamagus Highway, Mount Washington Auto Road — each mapped stop-by-stop on Roamward, with the gems worth a detour along the way.

What's the best way to plan a New Hampshire road trip?

Roamward builds the scenic route, surfaces the gems and events worth a slack day, and finds where to stay — start at roamward.app/places/new-hampshire.

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Road trips · New Hampshire

New Hampshire road trips & hidden gems.

New Hampshire is the White Mountains — fierce above-treeline weather, Crawford Notch views, and Kancamagus fall color, plus a short tax-free coast. Summer and fall are prime, and the foliage is world-class. Live free and hike.

Vote NH gems New Hampshire golf

Best time to visitSummer & fall (peak foliage)

Don’t missThe Kancamagus Highway in October

Gem Hunt nominees10 candidates

Hikes10 curated

Scenic drives2

Worth-the-detour corridors

Drives through New Hampshire

Ranked city-to-city drives that cross New Hampshire — each with honest +N min detours on the shelf.

New York → Acadia NP

Open the drive guide →

New York → Portland

Open the drive guide →

All worth-the-detour drives →

Gem Hunt nominees

What locals say you shouldn’t miss.

Community-nominated candidates. Add yours and vote to help choose the first published finalists.

Chutters

Home of the world's longest candy counter, a Guinness-certified 112-foot run of 600-plus jars on Main Street in Littleton, in the western White Mountains — an easy, sweet detour.

Redstone Rocket

A real decommissioned Redstone missile standing in the town square of tiny Warren, honoring nearby-born astronaut Alan Shepard — pull right up any time and visit the little museum steps away.

Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves

A mile of mossy boardwalk threading through eleven glacial boulder caves and hidden waterfalls in Kinsman Notch near North Woodstock, with a tight final cave squeeze for the brave.

Castle in the Clouds

The 1913 Lucknow Mansion perched on a 6,300-acre estate above Lake Winnipesaukee in Moultonborough, with some of the best views in the Lakes Region and trails all around.

Madison Boulder Natural Area

The largest known glacial erratic in North America, a 5,000-ton granite slab dropped by the ice age in a quiet wood near Madison — a short, free, easy walk-up off the beaten path.

America's Stonehenge

A 30-acre maze of stone chambers and astronomically aligned slabs in North Salem, where solstice sunrises still line up with the rocks and an alpaca farm shares the trails — off I-93 in the southeast.

Add a NH gem →

Explore by interest

Everything else worth a stop in New Hampshire.

Start with a few highlights, choose one interest, or explicitly open the full state guide.

General guide 2 Hikes 10 Wild lands 1 Waterfalls 9 Beaches 2 Ski & snowboard 4 Mountain biking 1 Cycling 1 Dining 42 Golf 6 Scenic routes 2

Showing General guide and Scenic routes highlights. Choose a category or Show all for the full state guide.

Scenic drives

Scenic routes through New Hampshire.

Kancamagus HighwayLincoln → Conway, NH · ~34 milesRoute →Mount Washington Auto RoadPinkham Notch → Mount Washington summit, NH · 7.6 miles to the summitRoute →

All scenic routes →

More worth the detour

The general guide to New Hampshire.

Museums, monuments, historic sites, and local-only stops from Roamward's shared place map.

Strawbery Banke Museum

Museums

Open-air museum of 32 historic buildings on their original waterfront sites, spanning 350+ years of one neighborhood.

USS Albacore

Museums

Landlocked 1953 research submarine you can board — the hull shape that set the template for modern subs.

Open the full New Hampshire guide →

Boots on

Best hikes in New Hampshire.

From family-easy to bucket-list — trails worth the detour, great for the RV & camping crew.

Arethusa Falls

Moderate · 2.8 mi · Out & back · 900 ft

the tallest waterfall in New Hampshire

Diana’s Baths

Easy · 1.2 mi · Out & back · 100 ft

tiered cascades and pools — family/RV

Franconia Ridge Loop

Expert · 8.6 mi · Loop · 3,900 ft

an iconic, exposed above-treeline ridge walk

Lonesome Lake

Moderate · 3.2 mi · Loop · 1,000 ft

an easy Franconia Notch lake with an AMC hut

Mount Chocorua (Piper Trail)

Hard · 7.5 mi · Out & back · 2,500 ft

a rocky, much-photographed summit

Mount Major

Moderate · 3 mi · Loop · 1,100 ft

a kid-friendly summit over Lake Winnipesaukee

All New Hampshire hikes & guide →

Beyond the parks

Wild lands in New Hampshire.

National forests, wilderness, and monuments — the big scenic public land between the parks and the gems.

White Mountains

National Forest

The Presidentials and the Kancamagus.

All wild lands →

Where to eat

Road-trip dining in New Hampshire.

Restaurants, diners, and food halls that fit the drive — curated by town, not scraped from a phone book.

Granite Restaurant and Bar

New American · Concord · $$$

Modern New England classics and farm-to-table cuisine at the historic Centennial Hotel, using locally sourced ingredients at every opportunity.

Revival Kitchen and Bar

New American · Concord · $$$

Award-winning chef Corey Fletcher serves a seasonally changing farm-to-table menu sourced from local farms and foragers in historic downtown Concord.

Tucker's

American · Concord · $$

New Hampshire farm-to-table favorite for brunch, working with local farms for hearty morning plates in a bright, family-friendly room.

Glen Junction Family Restaurant

Coffee & Breakfast · Glen · $$

A train-themed Glen breakfast stop for Mount Washington Auto Road mornings, especially when the summit drive needs an easy family launch.

White Mountain Cider Co.

New American · Glen · $$$

A more refined Mount Washington Valley dinner after the Kanc or Auto Road.

Big Day Brewing

Brewpub · Gorham · $$

A Gorham brewpub dinner pick on the northern White Mountains side, useful when Mount Washington weather pushes the schedule around.

All New Hampshire dining →

Snow season

Best ski resorts in New Hampshire.

Big-mountain steeps, all-mountain variety, and family hills.

Bretton Woods

Family · Carroll

grand-hotel cruising below Mount Washington.

Loon Mountain

Family · Lincoln

polished, busy, and family-friendly in the White Mountains.

Cannon Mountain

Big-mountain · Franconia

old-school, steep, and gloriously weather-tough in Franconia Notch.

Waterville Valley

Family · Waterville Valley

a self-contained family ski town.

All New Hampshire ski resorts →

On two wheels (road)

Best cycling in New Hampshire.

Scenic road rides, iconic climbs, and car-free rail-trails.

Mount Washington Auto Road

Climb · Gorham

the brutal "world’s toughest hillclimb," averaging 12%.

All New Hampshire cycling →

Knobby tires

Best mountain biking in New Hampshire.

Trail systems, bike parks, and gravel routes.

Highland Mountain Bike Park

Bike park · Northfield

the East Coast’s premier dedicated lift-served bike park.

All New Hampshire mountain biking →

Sand & surf

Best beaches in New Hampshire.

Family sand, surf breaks, wild shores — find your vibe.

Hampton Beach

Family · Hampton

New Hampshire’s lively boardwalk beach with summer fireworks.

Wallis Sands State Beach

Family · Rye

a clean, family beach with Isles of Shoals views.

All New Hampshire beaches →

Chasing water

Best waterfalls in New Hampshire.

From roadside stops to bucket-list hikes — easy ones flagged for the RV & family crew.

Arethusa Falls

Moderate hike · 140 ft

the tallest single-drop fall in New Hampshire, in Crawford Notch.

Ripley Falls

Moderate hike · 100 ft

a long sliding cascade in Crawford Notch.

Bridal Veil Falls (Franconia)

Strenuous hike · 80 ft

a long slide-and-plunge reached by the Coppermine Trail.

Crystal Cascade

Short walk · 80 ft

a tall cascade on the way up Mount Washington.

Diana’s Baths

Short walk · 75 ft

a kid-friendly staircase of pools and small falls.

Glen Ellis Falls

Short walk · 64 ft

a powerful plunge a short walk from Pinkham Notch.

All New Hampshire waterfalls →

Tee it up

Public golf you can book in New Hampshire.

Mount Washington (Bretton Woods)

Bretton Woods · $$$ — Donald Ross

Owl's Nest

Thornton · $$$

Beaver Meadow

Concord · $$

Breakfast Hill

Greenland · $$

Campbell's Scottish Highlands

Salem · $$

Eastman

Grantham · $$

All New Hampshire golf →

Plan the New Hampshire trip

Get the scenic route, the stops, and the timing.

Explore and save the trip on the web now. Join the iOS beta list for verified check-ins, shared trips, badges, and your growing map.

Open the Gem Hunt

Where to stay

Find a place to stay near New Hampshire.

Hotels, cabins, and rentals close to the action — compare and book for your trip.

See places to stay →

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