Easy to Moderate Family Hikes
Kancamagus Highway
Sabbaday Falls – easy
Champney and Pitcher Falls
On the trail to Mt. Chocorua – moderate
23 miles from LS
3.4. miles RT
Champney and Pitcher Falls are two waterfalls flowing from the side of Mt. Chocorua. They have the unique quality of being located right beside each other, on two converging brooks. Champney Falls, an average series of little cascades, with its many drops and pools, invites splashing on a hot day. Pitcher Falls, set back in a gorge, is less accessible, but more interesting.
Allen’s Ledge on the (UNH) Mt. Hedgehog Trail – moderate
20 miles from LS
2.2 miles RT
A moderate climb delivers a good viewpoint on this very nice ledge. Going counter-clockwise, starting with the west loop, it’s 1.1 miles to Allen’s Ledge (another 0.8 miles to the summit of Hedgehog). Then retrace your steps to go back rather than continuing on the loop.
Franconia Notch
Mt. Pemigewasset
Easy to moderate, one of the first to do when the kids are ready
6 miles from LS
Park at the top end (north) of the Flume Parking lot by the bike trail
3.6 miles RT -- moderate
Good views
Bald Mountain and Artist's Bluff
A the top of the Notch – easy – great starter hike with great view
13 miles from LS
The 1.5 mile loop begins in the parking area across Route 18 from the Peabody Base Area. After .25 mile, a short, steep path diverges left for .1 mile to the open summit of Bald Mountain. The main trail continues on from the junction and bears right, up and across the low ridge. A short, unmarked path diverges left to the open top of Artists Bluff. The main trail continues down to Route 18 near Echo Lake.
The Flume
Fee in season, free out of season, you can just walk it, snowshoe it, etc. – easy
6 miles from LS
2-mile loop (currently has Covid restrictions and reservations)
Basin Cascades -- The Basin – easy
8 miles from LS
2.2 miles RT
The Basin is one of Franconia Notch State Park's most popular tourist attractions. On a summer weekend, swarms of visitors walk its paved paths to see the circular bowl and curved waterfall on the Pemigewasset River known as The Basin. Plenty of other exciting water features await around it. Hikers have the opportunity to venture beyond the paved walkways and follow the delightful Cascade Brook to Rocky Glen Falls.
Lonesome Lake and Lonesome Lake AMC Hut – moderate
14 miles from LS if you go up to the top of the notch to park at Lafayette Place
3.2 miles out-and-back with loop – moderate
Lonesome Lake is one of the state's most popular and scenic mountain ponds. A loop trail around the lake shows you tranquil waters, mountain vistas, docks and beaches, and dark bogs.
Trailhead is located on Rt. 93, at the always crowded Lafayette Place Campground. There are parking areas on both sides of the highway. If you parked on the east side of the highway (Falling Waters Trail/Old Bridal Path Parking), walk through the underpass to the other side of the highway.
Waterville Valley
Waterville Cascades – Cascade Path
27 miles from LS
3.4 miles out-and-back with loop
These picturesque cascades in the quaint town of Waterville Valley make for one of the most enjoyable and rewarding waterfall hikes in New Hampshire. After an easy walk in the woods, a loop encircles the cascades, passing numerous drops, fans, rapids, and pools in Cascade Brook. Start at the ski chairlift parking lot. The only trail to avoid is the Greeley Ledges, which is rocky and steep in places.
Pine Flats/Yellow Jacket/Smarts Brook (or Tri-Town) Loop
20 miles from LS on RT. 49
3.7 mile loop
Easy stroll with a gorge, a brook, pretty woods, and a swimming hole on Smarts Brook Trail.
Crawford Notch
Mt. Willard – easy to moderate, one of the first to do when the kids are ready
32 miles from LS
3.2 miles RT – easy
Although dwarfed by the high mountains all around it, Mt. Willard's south cliff makes seem an impressive peak to travelers on Rt. 302. Mt. Willard's perfect position is what gives it such an incredible view. Its cliff-top summit yields a view looking straight through the southern part of Crawford Notch.
Elephant Head – a fun viewpoint, not really a hike
32 miles from LS
.6 miles RT
Elephant Head is a rock formation at the northern end of Crawford Notch. Seen from the north, the rock assumes the shape of an elephant's head embedded in the hillside. There is a short hiking trail leading to the top of the rock, from which you see a wide vista of the Crawford Notch "gateway" region. The hike starts on the Webster-Jackson Trail. Note: the elephant’s “head” is at road level – don’t look up for it.
Arethusa Falls (highest waterfall in NH) – a favorite of ours – moderate
38 miles from LS
3.1 miles RT
Arethusa Falls is New Hampshire's tallest single drop waterfall, and also one of the most scenic. As you stand in its dominating presence, dwarfed by the immense sheet of crashing white, a sense of awe will overcome you.
Rumney
Stinson Mountain – moderate
27 miles from LS
3.6 miles RT -- moderate
At the southern tip of the White Mountain National Forest stands Stinson Mountain, once the site of a fire tower. Part of an unnamed range of low, rolling mountains, it is just under 3000 feet in elevation and has a rocky summit with directional views to the south
Kinsman Notch
Lost River Gorge (fee) – easy
8 miles from LS
The Lost River Gorge & Boulder Caves, located in New Hampshire’s Kinsman Notch in the White Mountains, is a land of spectacular beauty forged by the powerful forces of water, wind, weather, and time. The fun route consists of caves and boardwalks. In addition, there are a couple of nature walks.
Bald Peak – moderate
Bethlehem/Twin Mountain
Zealand Falls and Zealand Hut – moderate, short steep section to hut
Middle and North Sugarloaf – moderate
27 miles from LS (on Zealand Road before the Zealand parking lot)
3.4 miles RT
Middle Sugarloaf in particular commands one of the finest views for its small size in the White Mountains. The trail forks in the gap between the two mountains. Visit North Sugarloaf first (turn right).
Jefferson, NH
Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge – easy
34 miles from LS but worth it!
Nestled beneath the mountains north of the Presidential Range, Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge has often been called one of the “crown jewels” of New Hampshire’s landscape, and visitors to the site will easily understand why. The ponds, wetlands, and forests of this refuge support a wide variety of significant ecological features.
North Haverhill
Windy Ridge Orchard
Blueberries, apples, pumpkins, christmas trees, nature walk
21 miles from LS
Open daily
Around Lincoln
Cross-country trails
The granite “beach” on the Pemi.
Walk down to Cooper Memorial bridge and pick up the J.E. Henry trail. Hang out and swim. You can also continue on the J.E. Henry trail, which merges with South Peak Road to Loon, and turn it into a 4-miles loop.
Key
RT- round trip
OW - one way
LS – Lincoln Station