Autumn in New Hampshire- Lake house edition!
New Hampshire is probably one of my favorite states to visit, especially in the Fall. Every time we go leaf peepin’ in the White Mountains we have the best time, and are in awe at how beautiful the entire area is. This year was extra special because we were able to find the perfect little cottage right on a lake in Haverhill. This place was so dreamy and exactly what we needed. There’s something super relaxing about waking up early to watch the fog slowly rise over the lake on an Autumn morning. The cabin was super cozy and had a wood burning stove, a large wooden deck off the back that had benches and a table so you can sit out and enjoy the lake views. Perfection.
The last few times we have visited New Hampshire, we went to Franconia Notch State park and have walked the Flume Gorge trail several times. We just love it so much and find it so beautiful so we always are drawn back to it. This time we decided to go somewhere new and chose the Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves. Due to COVID safety precautions you had to make a reservation in advance on their website. I was actually relieved to see this because I was worried it might be very busy due to everyone being out to see the Fall foliage. However, we chose a reservation time and pretty much had the place to ourselves despite maybe 2-3 other groups. Everything is so spread out that you don’t run into each other which I loved. It made me feel a lot safer not having to worry about overcrowding on the pathways. Lost River has a similar vibe to the Flume Gorge Trail or even Bushkill Falls in Pennsylvania but was it did have some unique features of its own. The pathways were very winding and steep at some points which I loved (but that might not be for everyone) and they also have areas where you can leave the path and crawl through boulder caves that are naturally occurring along the path. I am extremely claustrophobic so unfortunately I did not participate in any of the cave crawling but my boyfriend and my friends did and loved it. Many of the caves are extremely narrow inside and some you have to crawl on your hands and knees. (NOPE NOPE NOPE! NOT FOR ME) So my fellow claustrophobic friends do not worry about having the go through the caves in order to complete the trail, they are optional and you can wait for your buddies to come out the other side safely above ground, phew! :)
Since we had a little extra time before we had to catch the ferry home, we decided to make a quick stop in Salem because … why wouldn’t we?! This was my 4th time visiting Salem and I love it more each time I go. I will have to do a full blog post just about Salem one day soon but I wanted to keep this one short and sweet for now since we just made a quick stop for a few hours. I have been there in the off season as well as a week before Halloween and I must admit, being there during spooky season definitely brings the place alive and makes it SO fun. Usually during Halloween it is very crowded and the streets are packed with people wearing costumes . This year was obviously different due to COVID but everything was still decorated and decked out for Halloween and I just loved it so much. If you haven’t had a chance to visit Salem definitely get yourself there at some point! It’s beautiful during any season…but extra special in October of course. Hoping to get back there next October and keeping my fingers crossed that COVID is long behind us by then and we are back to normal.
