The White Mountains in New Hampshire are one of my family’s favorite destinations in the world to visit. We have explored the area many times and have hiked countless trails. The area is vast and beautiful — you could almost spend a lifetime exploring this wonderful National Forest. Standing at the foot of Mount Washington and looking up at the towering mountain is awe-inspiring. Traveling down the Kangamangus Highway or exploring the many small towns that call home nestled into this incredible mountain range is always memorable, and the waterfalls in the White Mountains, as well as many lesser-known treasures, are always worth a visit. So, when we planned to do some camping in New Hampshire, I guess you could say the excitement was hard to measure. We grabbed our gear and headed out for an amazing camping trip that created family memories that will last a lifetime. 

We lived in Maine, so the White Mountains were a two-hour drive from home. Being so close allowed us to enjoy epic day trips, but on this occasion, we allowed ourselves a little more time to slow down and enjoy each step of the journey.
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodge
We took off on Friday and headed straight to our campground. We tented at the Lincoln Woodstock KOA on the western side of the White Mountains. The location was incredible - close to many places we loved to visit. We love traveling on the Kangamangus Highway and discovering hidden treasures or driving down I93. I personally think that the Franconia Notch area is one of the prettiest places in all of the White Mountains, but I’ll share some more details on that later.
The Lincoln Woodstock KOA is my favorite campground in all of New Hampshire. We like to travel and camp at KOA campgrounds because we know there is a standard they all uphold and Lincoln Woodstock KOA is no exception.
Lincoln / Woodstock KOA Holiday, 1000 Eastside Rd RT 175, Woodstock, NH 03293, USA
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodge
The tent site we got was in the woods and incredibly spacious. We were close to the bathrooms and the playground - which my children were quite happy about.
The playground here was one of the best we have seen. From a giant rope structure that looked like a spider web to a wooden castle, the area was huge and was filled with excited kids playing.
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodge
The jumping pillow was also unbelievably huge - the size of about three other jump pads we have seen before. The staff was friendly and there were many events to enjoy during our two-night stay.
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodge
One night, they hid candy throughout the fields and had kids search with flashlights for the treats. On our last night, they even had an old fire truck and took the kids for a ride all throughout the campground. We enjoyed many other fun activities as well, including the pool, mini-golf, game room, the nature walk to a pond, and watching dogs enjoy the dog park. You could easily spend many days at this KOA with plenty to keep you busy. We highly recommend you camp at the Lincoln Woodstock KOA.
We enjoyed a nice night's sleep after a long campfire and arose the next morning early and eager to get out to Mount Willard.
Mount Willard, Mt Willard, Hart's Location, NH 03812, USA
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodge
The Mount Willard Trail topped my White Mountains hiking wishlist. We had attempted it in the spring and decided once we got up in elevation that it was too icy. So, I was excited to get there to finally experience this wonderful trail and my family shared in the excitement as well. Knowing it was now summer, we were not concerned with ice and knew that we would soon be at the summit overlooking the beautiful Crawford Notch.

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As the jump point for many longer trails, most of the time it is extremely busy at the Crawford Notch Train Station. Getting there early is key to finding a parking spot.
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodge
We crossed the train tracks and followed the worn path leading us right into the woods. Shortly into the hike, the trail will split - noting the Mount Willard sign, we took a left and continued on. There is a small stream crossing that was easily manageable. When we went in the spring, the snow was melting and made this stream crossing a little more treacherous. If you go, always look ahead at the weather conditions beforehand.

The trail is 3.1 miles long with 895 feet of elevation gain and is rated moderate. I agree with the moderate part - near the beginning sections, it can be steep but after traveling the first half of the hike, the trail levels off more. You will still be going up, but it's not as steep. There are however loose rocks - I like to call them "ankle twisters." Some people might want to bring a hiking pole or use a stick, especially on the way down.

The journey is delightful, and once you get to the top, the trees open up to reveal one of the most incredible views I have seen on a mountain top. The Crawford Notch is really seen in all its splendor laid out before you with the road winding through the mountains as well as the train tracks off to the right. We stopped and had a snack while taking in the views. My daughters were super proud of themselves for their climb and were rewarded with an incredible view. I always say that if my little girls can hike it, you can too.
Many trails that are out and back really don't offer much on the way down, though I would suggest you take a quick detour to the Centennial Pool. You can do it on the way up, but it feels like another welcome reward on the way down.
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodge
We watched many people come and look at the top of the pool and the accompanying waterfall and then move on. If you want a good view, as we did, then you will want to climb the rocks down for a much different way to appreciate the Centennial Pool. We took back to the path and once we arrived at the train tracks we allowed a little time for our girls to pretend to be a train. We then got in the car and drove to our next location.

Here is a video of our whole hike for a closer look.

We pulled into Echo Lake Beach off of I93 and were greeted by a beautiful still and peaceful lake nestled into the mountains.
Artists Bluff, Franconia, NH 03580, USA
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodge
We had a picnic at one of the picnic tables to fuel up for our next adventure. Echo Lake is also the perfect jump point for the popular Artist Bluff/Bald Mountain Trail. Many people don’t know this, but if you park at the Echo Lake Beach parking lot and follow the road towards I93, on the left you will see a guardrail. Behind the guardrail is the trailhead for Artist Bluff. We normally would use this trailhead to hike straight up to Artist Bluff, but this day, we were planning on doing the whole loop. We have gone to Artist Bluff many times, but this was our first time doing the whole loop, so we started it by going counterclockwise, though I suppose you could hike either direction.
The entire loop is 1.5 miles with an elevation gain of 436 feet and is rated as moderate. The first section of the trail takes you almost straight up. This very steep climb will take you up to Artist Bluff.
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodge
We have actually done this half-mile section of the trail before in ten minutes, so it is a quick way to see an incredible view. Looking out over the Franconia Notch you have an amazing view of Echo Lake, Cannon Mountain, and Mount Lafayette. This view never gets old and I always have to peel myself away from it because the vista is my favorite in all of the White Mountains.
As amazing as it was, we wanted to do the rest of the loop so we took off back through the woods and onto Bald Mountain.
Bald Mountain, Franconia, NH 03580, USA
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodge
The rest of the trail takes you through a series of steep ups and downs, but nothing like getting up to Artist Bluff. We found large boulders and lush sections of the forest with many ferns, which are my favorite plants.
Once you get to the Bald Mountain spur trail be prepared for some more scrambling. There were about three sections where you will need your hands and feet for. Two are relatively small but the last one is a very steep bald rock face you have to climb up.
Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodge
My wife, who carried our youngest one on her back opted out of the last steep incline, which we both agreed was a wise choice. My oldest who loves climbing rocks was up for the task and we climbed up the last stretch of the trail. Looking back down, I honestly don’t really know how we climbed it because it looks almost impossible.

Once up on Bald Mountain, we were greeted with more stunning views. You will enjoy a phenomenal view of Cannon Mountain from the summit of Bald Mountain. We took off and headed down again to finish off the loop. We then went back and enjoyed another night's stay at the Lincoln Woodstock KOA. For more of a closer look check out this video we took of the hike.

This trip was everything we had hoped it would be. We spent lots of quality time around the campfire and sharing meals cooked on our small camping stove. We played with our kids with the many fun options the campground offers. Our family hiked and conquered three mountain summits and were rewarded with amazing views. This weekend trip was something I have recommended to several people since and am proud to present it to you as well. So like the Lincoln Woodstock KOA likes to say “Get outdoors s’more” and enjoy this amazing National Forest in New Hampshire. Have you ever been to any of these places? What are your favorite campgrounds and your favorite hikes in the White Mountains? Let us know in the comments below! You can travel through these beautiful mountains all year long. The winter can be a great time for some unforgettable adventuring, we have been many times throughout every season so don’t let the weather stop you. If you want more White Mountain trip ideas check out this video by Adventuring in the Moment to see what a winter wonderland adventure day can look like:

To discover more incredible boots-on-the-ground adventures across America from our team of local travel experts, check out all of the articles in OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers series. What destinations would you like to see featured next on OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers? Tell us where we should go on our nominations page.

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