Motel in NH

Taking my kids hiking in the White Mountains early this summer. need some suggestions on some easier 4,000 foot peaks to start them on and also a decent, inexpensive motel centrally located. No huts, dorm rooms, etc.

Anybody with 10-12 year old kids would love to share the trip, but I know that is asking a lot. Going the week of June 21.

Been to Whites only once.

Lindsey

hiker13901 said:

Taking my kids hiking in the White Mountains early this summer. need some suggestions on some easier 4,000 foot peaks to start them on and also a decent, inexpensive motel centrally located. No huts, dorm rooms, etc.

Anybody with 10-12 year old kids would love to share the trip, but I know that is asking a lot. Going the week of June 21.

Been to Whites only once.

Lindsey

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If they are motivated for it, Osceola from Tripoli Road is fairly tame. Hale, Waumbek, and Jackson are relatively low key.

If those are more than the kids are up for, Willard is quite a nice hike: it's not too long and has great views. it give lots of bang for the buck.

Cannon could be enticing, climbing up and taking the tram down. I have done that with my youngest. I also did a waterfall hike. We went to Zealand Falls and poked around a bit, then had lunch at Thoreau Falls.

Sorry, I don't have any motel reccomendations.

The easier 4000'ers are Osceola, Pierce, Tom, Field, Waumbek, Zealand, Garfield, Galehead, Passaconaway, Hale, Tecumseh.

Of those only Osceola and Garfield have 360 views. Pierce has about 180 or so. Tom, Field and Passaconaway have limited views. Waumbek, Zealand and Galehead have none at the summit, but nice lookouts nearby,

Cannon, Carrigain, Jackson, Eisenhower, Lafayette and Lincoln, Moosilaukee, and the Kinsmans would be the next step up, although still not too bad for kids that age. They all have good views.

I can't help you with the motel. The Whites are between 1.5 and 2.5 hours from where I live so I just drive back the same day.

Above The Notch at Bretton Woods. A short hop to Hale, Jackson, Pierce, et al. Tell Steve "Mark from Fla." sent ya!

Unless your concentrating on the 4,000 list, I would start with the easier peaks with the best views. Woods walks are great but I think that kids like the sense of accomplishment of getting to the top. Here are some sites that gives some good examples

Shorter hikes

52 with a view

Moderate 4,000 footers

Here are some previous threads with some lodging options. Hope they help.
Lodging
AMC Lodging thread

I enjoyed my stay at the Grand View Lodge in Randolph, NH this past weekend. It is not too fancy and not too expensive. It is very close to Gorham (for family dining) and it is about 10 minutes from the Starr King/Mount Waumbek trailhead. Waumbek wouldn't be a bad 4000' peak to start on.

The views of Madison and Adams from the hotel were awesome (plus they have a pool for the kids) and the views from Starr King are amazing!

If you're feeling more adventurous, take the kids up the nearby Valley Way trail to Madison Hut. It is a longer hike, but also a nice route and the hut will give them a feeling for what hiking in NH can truly offer! If the weather is good and you are careful on the rocks, Madison's summit is only a half mile farther. Just being above treeline is exhilarating, anyway. It is an 8 mile roundtrip hike, though, and that might be too much for the kids. A lot of blisters can show up in 8 miles!

Gris said:

Above The Notch at Bretton Woods. A short hop to Hale, Jackson, Pierce, et al. Tell Steve "Mark from Fla." sent ya!

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i agree. above the notch has been host to many goodtimes for ol' bruno and friends.

i'd also recommend hiker's paradise in gorham. hike up mount moriah just out of town. or some of the trails out of randolph.

bruno said:

i'd also recommend hiker's paradise in gorham.

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Isn't that a bunkhouse kind of arrangement?

A descent inexpensive motel that is centrally located is the Northlander Motel in Twin Mountain. They have both rooms and cabins which are nothing great, but fit the criteria of "descent", "inexpensive" and "centrally located".

Some fun 4k's for kids are Cannon, Pierce, Jackson, & Hale, which are all within 1/2 hour drive of Twin Mountain. A few other slightly harder but more scenic options are Jefferson via Caps Ridge, or Eisenhower vis Edmand's Path (my daughter climbed it when she was 8).

Enjoy your trip!

Check out this Visit the White Mountains site for lodging. We use it whenever we travel in the area to find a place to stay. It lists the lodging offerings by town.

Frodo said:

A descent inexpensive motel that is centrally located is the Northlander Motel in Twin Mountain. They have both rooms and cabins which are nothing great, but fit the criteria of "descent", "inexpensive" and "centrally located".

Enjoy your trip!

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While I wasn't thrilled with the place I stayed, I did like Twin Mountain.
I recommend Hank's General Store.

I liked a stay this winter at Twin View Cottages in Twin Mountain NH. It wasn't the cheapest, but it had a full kitchen. When you add in the savings of not eating out, it ended up being the cheapest. And since they allow dogs, I imagine they might allow well-behaved children too.

hiker13901 said:

Taking my kids hiking in the White Mountains early this summer. need some suggestions on some easier 4,000 foot peaks to start them on

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Jun 21 is in the middle of wildflower season, if you're all into that stuff, I'd look for a little above-treeline hiking. My recommendation would be Pierce. If you're a little more intrepid, go for Eisenhower. A little more than that would be a loop over Pierce & Eisenhower (w/ either a car spot or walk along the road); the Crawford Path between Pierce & Eisenhower has some stunning scenery, but be prepared to turn around when you get to the first peak if you don't think you're up for a loop. Crawford Path & Edmands Path have excellent grading & it makes the hiking much easier than other trails where you have to spend more time watching your footing.

If you want a good warmup hike, consider the Sugarloaves off of Zealand Rd, easy hike with lots of good views.

Jefferson VIA Caps Ridge is always a fun time, I saw many families on trail and the views are tops.

These are all places I've stayed.

For an ordinary motel room, Johnson's in Twin Mountain is clean, simple, and inexpensive.

For a nice 2 or 3 room arrangement with a small kitchen, nice grounds and even a screenhouse and bbq area right on the shore of the river, Seven Dwarfs in Twin Mountain is a great place to stay. If you're staying several days the extra space and ability to cook your own food are worth it.

And if you're staying further south, I had a great experience at the Mt Liberty Cabins & Motel in Lincoln. The motel rooms are nice and the cabins fantastic. One caveat is that the place was sold at the end of last season so you'll have to call to find out what's up for this summer.

Woodstock cabins

Two summers ago, we stayed, three adults and two children, in a cabin at the KOA in Woodstock:
http://www.koakampgrounds.com/where/nh/29101/
It has a pool, a shower building and lots of room for the kids to run around. With most motel rooms, there isn't room to let the kids burn off excess energy. This place had a ton of room, all within sight of us.
The cabins are relatively close together while the tentsites are well spaced.
People partied around their areas up to 10 p.m., then the place went very quiet.
It was perfect for our family's needs. Tripoli Rd, the west end of the Kancamagus and Moosilauke are all close by.

Twin Mountain is a good central location for all the Whites except possibly the extreme eastern area. Try Johnson's Motel there. There's a two-bedroom "cottage," with sleeping porch also if it's warm enough, that's quite decent. Full kitchen too. It's the one behind the office that I'm thinking of.