Are you an adrenaline junkie or fueled by awesome adventures? The White Mountains is the perfect destination to experience adventurous activities. From skiing and dog sledding to a professional car rally school and taking a train up the snowy slopes of Mt. Washington, you’ll experience all sorts of thrills that will leave you coming back for more. Choose from a variety of day tours or weeklong adventures to fill your next vacation itinerary.
Ziplining (and more!)
A fixture on Main Street Lincoln, Alpine Adventures provides year-round fun for people of all ages. The Thrillsville Challenge Course is a self-guided ropes course designed with bridges, cargo nets, rope ladders, a treehouse, and much more! It’s fun for all ages and a great add-on to the other adrenaline-filled activities that Alpine Adventures has to offer on their private mountain. Alpine Adventures is most known for its zipline courses and unlike other places in the White Mountains, Alpine has two different zipline tours with varying degrees of length and speed. If high flying fun isn’t quite your speed, the Off-Road Adventure Tour in the Pinzgauers is an exciting way to explore Barron Mountain. There are very few places in the world you can ride in a 6×6 Swiss Army Pinzgauer, Zipline across a 1500’ ravine 240’ above the ground at speeds up to 60 MPH, ride down a four-story ramp in a snow tube onto a BigAirBag Stuntzone, and challenge yourself at an aerial course.
Mt. Washington Cog Railway
With multiple daily departures to their recently expanded Waumbek Station throughout the winter, the Mount Washington Cog Railway is now a YEAR-ROUND attraction! Clear-weather panoramic views from the southern Presidentials to the Canadian border are simply spectacular. Comfortable warming huts on elevated decks, a blazing firepit, and hot refreshments round out a truly unique opportunity to experience Mount Washington (and the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway) in the winter. Schedule, details and much more at www.thecog.com
SledVentures
SledVentures offers guided snowmobile tours suited for every ability from the beginner to the expert. When conditions are appropriate, their tours run every day. They supply you with the newest top of the line Ski-Doo 600cc snowmobiles and protective, new winter gear (please check with SledVentures to ensure they have your specific needs). Their newest tours are Franconia Notch Over The Top Tour and the Mega Midweek Mountain Adventure tour, and their most popular tour is the Bog Pond/ Franconia Notch tour. They also offer private tours and Sled & Stay packages with some of the local hotels and resorts.
Rally School
Live out your Fast and the Furious dreams with Team O’Neil Rally School in Dalton. Founded in 1997, Team O’Neil is an off-road driving school offering courses in rally driving, winter driving, and off-road driving for people looking for a unique experience. The facility has 583 acres with a road course consisting of corners, blind crests, and other features that you’d only see in the movies. Each course lasts approximately one to five days depending on the course and what you hope to learn. As your lessons conclude, you’ll get to take one of the specially designed cars out on the course to test your new knowledge and experience the thrill of a lifetime!
Skiing and Riding
Home to Olympic gold medalist, Bode Miller, Cannon Mountain is New Hampshire’s highest ski area standing at 4,080 feet. With 97 trails and glades and the longest vertical drop in the state, Cannon Mountain attracts skiers and snowboarders from around New England and beyond every winter. Cannon has three terrain parks where you can progressively work on your big air tricks to wow the crowds of onlookers or just your friends on Instagram. Make sure you hashtag Cannon Mountain! Cannon Mountain is located within Franconia Notch State Park and during the warmer months, it’s a great place to hike.
Known as one of New England’s best ski mountains, Loon Mountain is a favorite among families for its skiing and resort amenities. The mountain offers 61 trails and glades of varying difficulties and from atop the 3,050-foot summit, you have panoramic views of the White Mountains. While the resort is geared more towards beginner and immediate trails, Loon Mountain has quite a few black diamond trails that will get your heart pumping. Angel Street is one of the most notorious black diamond trails offering devilish pitches that pass underneath the Gondola. There’s great tree skiing on North Peak with Walking Boss Woods and Bucksaw. For those with goals of competing in the X Games or just like to show off their tricks, Loon has six different terrain parks and the only superpipe in New Hampshire.
Dog Sledding
Experience the thrill of being pulled by a team of dogs through the snowy woods and fields of the White Mountains. Muddy Paws Dog Sledding provides year-round dog sledding fun for all ages. The 1.5 Hour Tour is the most popular – where you’ll have the opportunity to meet the sled dogs and then embark on a five-mile ride. Make sure to give all the good pups lots of belly rubs!
For state-wide information, head to VisitNH.gov
