Are you an adrenaline junkie or fueled by awesome adventures? The Western White Mountains is the perfect destination to experience year-round adventurous activities. From skiing and dog sledding in the winter to downhill mountain biking and off-roading in the summer, 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.
Loon Mountain Resort
Loon Mountain is a popular place during the winter months, but did you know it’s open during the summer months as well? Enjoy a 1.3-mile scenic ride to the summit of Loon Peak in their four-person Gondola Skyride. At the end of the ascent, enter a high alpine world of refreshing breezes and stunning mountain views encompassing adventure and an array of summit activities. Test your agility, strength and speed in the Wild. Ninja Wild is an outdoor ninja course packed with wilderness-themed obstacles that puts kids (and adults) to the test. Loon also has an impressive downhill mountain biking trail network and bike park!
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. And don’t miss the new Side x Side off-road tour where you can explore Barron Mountain in your own Kawasaki Teryx KRX 1000s. 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, and challenge yourself at an aerial course.
Mt. Washington Cog Railway
The Cog is the first mountain-climbing cog railway in the world and takes riders to the 6,288′ summit of Mt. Washington. With an average grade of 25% (some sections approach nearly 38%), it’s also the second steepest! Motive power is primarily provided by a fleet of seven powerful biodiesel locomotives, each custom designed, built and maintained on site. And with a nod to its steam heritage, the railway also continues to operate a pair of coal-fired steam engines in the warmer months, both well over a century old. The round trip to the summit and back is just under 3 hours!
DirtVentures
DirtVentures offer guests exciting ATV adventures and fresh air – which they say, will make you want to move here immediately! Like their snowmobile tours, there are options for both beginners and experienced riders. Get ready to get dirty!
Downhill Mountain Biking
Loon’s Bike Park is a network of over 7.2 miles of terrain located at Loon Mountain Resort. A work in progress, the mountain plans to offer over 25 miles of downhill and cross-country biking trails once completed. Whether you’re new to the sport or an old pro, this is a bike destination for all riders to enjoy. No gear? No problem! Loon rents equipment and also offers beginner lessons to help you get started.
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!
Dog Sledding
Experience the thrill of being pulled by a team of dogs through the woods and fields of the White Mountains. Muddy Paws Dog Sledding provides year-round dog sledding fun for all ages. During the summer and fall months, Muddy Paws offers snowless tours where you ride in a wheeled cart, so no matter what time of year you visit the White Mountains, you can give lots of belly rubs to the hardworking sled dogs!
For state-wide information, head to VisitNH.gov
