Loon Mountain

Loon Mountain Resort: Family-Friendly Fun Without the Snow

May 16, 2023

Loon Mountain Resort: Family-Friendly Fun Without the Snow

Frequently named as one of the best ski resorts in the East, Loon Mountain Resort is home to over 370 skiable acres in the Western White Mountains. During the snowy winter months, thousands of people visit the family-friendly ski resort to learn to ski, to nail a backflip in the terrain park, or earn first tracks on a fresh powder day. But, did you know that Loon Mountain is a four-season resort?

When the last snow pile melts, Loon transforms into a whole different world. The perfectly groomed snow-covered trails turn into grassy and rocky mountain bike trails. Families from all over the world come to enjoy Ninja Wild, world class mountain biking, the Gondola Skyride, the high-flying fun on the Aerial Forest Adventure Park and ziplining across the Pemigewasset River! A day (or more!) at Loon is sure to please everyone in the family.

Mountain Biking

Loon Mountain Resort has committed to becoming New England’s premier all-season mountain destination with its Flight Path: 2030 plan.

Catch a ride on the Northeast’s most technological advanced lift, the Kancamagus 8, and get ready to hit the trails at Loon! Opened in 2019, the new purpose-built downhill mountain biking trails at Loon Mountain are epic! Designed and built by the people who built Highland Mountain Bike Park in Northfield, New Hampshire, the Loon Mountain Bike Park offers a huge variety of freeride, technical, and cross country trails over 9 miles for every level of riders.

Have you never tried downhill before? No worries! Loon offers lessons for beginners and has plenty of rental bikes. Lessons with professional instructors will walk you through the anatomy of a downhill mountain bike, body position, and how to ride the trails and brake effectively. If downhill mountain biking is not your style, Loon is also home to six miles of cross-country mountain bike trails. The trail network of various difficulties follows along the scenic Pemigewasset River and wind through the forest along the shoulder of Black Mountain.

Loon has a full-service bike rental shop with an extensive fleet of bikes for the whole family. The shop has a variety of Giant and Rocky Mountain downhill mountain bikes along with cross-country (hardtail) mountain bikes in various sizes, including women-specific bikes. Hybrid and kids’ bikes are also available for rental to ride around town and the Franconia Notch Recreation Path. All rentals include a helmet and body pads.

Ninja Wild

Looking to be the next Ninja Warrior?! Make sure to check out Ninja Wild, an outdoor ninja course packed with wilderness-themed obstacles that puts kids (and adults) to the test.

White Mountain Express Gondola

Looking for views without the effort of hiking uphill? Make sure to take the 1.3-mile scenic ride to the summit of Loon Peak in their four-person Gondola Skyride. Take in the incredible mountain views, visit the glacial caves, and make sure to take some selfies as this activity is surely one to remember.

Loon Peak Disc Golf

Located in the White Mountain National Forest, Loon’s alpine-style Loon Peak Disc Golf Course offers incredible views of the mountains with a mountainside course. Take a scenic ride up the Gondola Skyride to the first hole at the top of the mountain. Open to both beginner and advanced players, the 18-hole disc golf course continues downhill to the base lodge. Enjoy the panoramic views of Loon Peak summit while playing a fun family-friendly game of disc golf!

Hiking for the Best Views

Experience the natural beauty of Loon Mountain from the summit! Loon Mountain is home to three miles of well-marked hiking trails. The scenic Brookway Trail is the perfect hiking trail for less experienced hikers. Enjoy the lovely views of Boyle Brook has you hike your way to the Bear Claw Trail junction where you can continue your journey on to the summit. And just as the name implies, the Sunset Loop Trail that leads to the summit of North Peak is a great place to catch the sunset over the western White Mountains.

Four Seasons of Fun at Loon

Loon Mountain Resort is committed to becoming one of Northern New England’s Premier four-season resorts. This summer, spend a weekend or week in the Western White Mountains and enjoy the many activities at Loon for the whole family. Make sure to check out their adventure packages if you’re looking to do more than one activity!

Get Your Thrills On in the White Mountains – Summer

May 4, 2023

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!

Get Out & Get Active: Winter Getaways in the White Mountains

February 6, 2023

December and January have come to a close, but there’s still quite a long stretch of winter ahead of us here in New Hampshire. While lots of people will choose to hibernate under a mound of covers or fly off to warmer climates, the White Mountains offer an affordable, fun, nearby weekend escape for couples, friends, and families. More specifically though, it’s a snowboarding, skiing, snowshoeing (and more) paradise!

In fact, the only difficult part of planning an active winter vacation in the Whites is choosing from the wide array of places to stay and play. Don’t worry though, we’ve outlined some of the best options along with some of the benefits of each to make your getaway both easy to plan and memorable.

Loon Mountain Resort

If you’re a skier, snowboarder, or any other kind of winter warrior, you’ve likely heard of Loon Mountain Resort. However, if this is your first attempt at a more active winter, you might not be aware that they offer a comprehensive group of rental equipment that will help you make the most of the snow.

Ski and snowboard rentals are offered starting at the low cost of just $59 and are suitable for all levels of experience.

Loon Mountain Resort boasts the most terrain in New Hampshire, offers both private and group lessons, and has opportunities for different types of snow-based fun like snow tubing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sno-go, and even gondola skyrides. There really is something for everyone at this destination.

More to Do: Loon Mountain is certainly a top winter fun destination, but did you know that you can take specialized snowshoeing tours? We highly recommend them.

Adair Country Inn and Restaurant

The Adair Inn is as pretty as a picture. Even their website features a charming watercolor of this quaint spot.

While staying at the Adair anytime can be lovely (there’s birdwatching, walking trails, and many other options), winter is an especially advantageous time as they run a pre-Valentine’s Day special. Stay with them any night before the 16th of February and you could save 30%!

And if your goal is a more outdoor-focused winter break, consider their snowshoe getaway option (offered in January, February, and March). What could be more romantic than the option to snowshoe on the Inn’s 200 acres with your sweetheart?

More to Do: If by chance 200 acres isn’t enough for you, just slightly past the Inn and Restaurant’s own land is the Rocks Estate, a 1,400-acre forest reservation.

Franconia Inn

Franconia Inn has everything a winter enthusiast could wish for. They even have their own cross-country ski center! Pick this inn if you love ice skating, tubing, and snowshoeing – they have 25 miles of groomed trails!

Not convinced? Check out this review about a winter stay…

“I have been going to the Franconia Inn since I was a young child. Absolutely love this gem of an inn. Very historical inside and lovely views outside. Just stayed for the weekend again this past weekend. Excited to stay at The Inn again this winter and go cross-country skiing on the property. Loved it!” –Lizzy A

More to Do: There are lots of great snowshoeing and hiking trails in Franconia including the Skookumchuck Trail. It’s rated as “hard” on AllTrails, it also scores 4.5 stars. If you’re looking for a winter challenge, take it on for yourself!

Owls Nest

Golfers and other athletic enthusiasts already know Owl’s Nest Resort is a top pick for a stay in the White Mountains area, but did you know that you can also enjoy snowsports there?

One unique factor for this destination is that some of your winter play can take place on their golf course itself! Whether you’re into cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, this is the place to experience 18 holes in a whole new way.

Believe it or not, these are just a few of the top overnight spots to take advantage of in the White Mountains region. There’s no end to the winter possibilities, so try them all!

More to Do: While you can certainly snowshoe at Owl’s Nest itself, you can also take a ride over to Alpine Adventures where you can take a guided tour across their 300 acres.

The Notch Hostel

If you’d like to take getting active to a whole new level, consider The Notch Hostel, which markets itself as “your White Mountains Base Camp.” It’s a 30-person capacity space where you can stay in both shared or private rooms.

Simply put, this is the place for you if you want to network with fellow hikers, bikers, and other like-minded souls.

More to Do: Some other inns boast major trails, but this one is next to…all of them! Situated just minutes from New Hampshire’s peaks, you won’t find a better location for winter hiking.

RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain

Guests of RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain can sign out a pair of snowshoes from the Adventure Concierge free of charge! And as the resort name suggests, the RiverWalk trail is a great place to explore.

Venture out to their backyard and find the stone pathway that leads directly to the Pemigewasset River behind the resort. Follow the trail along the river where several benches are placed along the way. If you brought your four-legged friend along (they offer pet friendly suites), this is the perfect spot to get them out and about.

More to Do: Extend your adventure by venturing over to the J.E. Henry Trail which also follows alongside the river. Enjoy the quiet and calming 1 mile walk through the forest. Or take a quick drive to Lincoln Woods Trail and explore this 2.9-mile out-and-back trail that is wide and flat with incredible views.

Nearby Must-Visits

If you’re looking to thaw out for a few hours in between snow-centric activities, but still keep to that winter theme, here are some nearby musts:

The New England Ski Museum | 2628 White Mountain Hwy, North Conway, NH 03860
The Museum of the White Mountains | 34 Highland St, Plymouth, NH 03264
The Frost Place | 158 Ridge Rd, Franconia, NH 03580
The New Hampshire Ice Castles | 24 Clark Farm Rd, North Woodstock, NH 03262

There are so many incredible ways to get active during the winter in the White Mountains. Snowboarding, snowshoeing, skiing, and other fantastic options are just a short drive away…

We hope to see you in our neck of the woods soon! And remember, the Western White Mountains Chamber of Commerce is always here to provide additional information and ideas.

Get Your Thrills On in the White Mountains – Winter

June 24, 2022

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.