Last Updated on: 13th January 2023, 11:15 am
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
The Appalachian national scenic trail is approximately 2,200 miles and stretches from Springer, Georgia, to Katahdin, Maine. It’s the longest hiking trail in the world, passing through 14 states, including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia.
The trail has numerous campsites and shelters available for thru-hikers who often take about five to seven months to complete the trails. These campsites are modern and contain basic amenities to meet the needs of hikers camping at designated points.
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail was conceived by Benton MacKaye but developed mainly by thousands of private citizens and volunteers. In New Hampshire, the trail covers about 161 miles and can be found at White Mountain National Forest, where it cuts through 17 of the 48 over four thousand feet mountains. Visitors often attempt to hike through the trails, but the ‘huts’ are spaced so that it takes a day to hike from one hut to another.
Hiking is the most popular activity at this site as it means passing through stunning surroundings, colorful flowers, gorgeous forests, wetlands, grasslands, and varying species of fauna. Hikers here are also rewarded with the view of surrounding mountains in New England from the 4,802 feet tall Mount Moosilauke.
In addition, visitors enjoy stopping by at the White Mountain National Forest for outdoor recreation opportunities. Here, you can swim in the calm rivers, hike, fish in the water bodies, climb the tallest mountains and engage in winter sports.
Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
Established in 1977, Saint-Gaudens didn’t become a Historical Park until 2019. This 370-acre national park is located in Cornish and is the only park that is part of the NPS in New Hampshire.
Saint-Gaudens is a stunning park that takes you back in time; it boasts historic buildings, sculptures, monuments, and gardens. Visitors can participate in several educational opportunities, especially in music, art, and sculpting. There are also occasional summer concerts in the park, so you can check the park’s website for scheduled events going on during your visit.
This park is named after Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of America’s foremost sculptors who once lived in this area. This park houses his home, garden, and studio. For this reason, you will find his bronze sculptures all around the park. Saint-Gaudens is best known for his sculpture or Robert Gould Shaw Memorial in Boston and William Tecumseh Sherman in New York City’s Central Park. However, he’s also quite known for designing some US coins, including the $20 double gold eagle and the $10 Indian Head gold eagle.
Several guided tours are available in the park, including house tours, Blow-Me-Down farm tours, Saint-Gaudens’ work, women, and artistic process. Meanwhile, if you prefer to tour the park on your own, you have the option too. You can engage in cell phone tours, star viewing, gallery tours, or take in the stunning scenery with clear mountain lakes, streams, and wildlife around. Other points of interest for visitors include the Saint-Gaudens flower gardens designed by the great sculptor himself, the Blow-Me-Down farm, the pond, and the numerous hiking trails. Artists are often seen along the hiking trails creating artworks and reproducing Saint-Gaudens masterpieces.