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Biking the Whites In Autumn New Hampshire's White Mountains will show you New England's autumn at its best when experienced on a bicycle or on a hiking trail. |
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...there is no better way to take in some of Nature's finest moments...
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 You've heard about the extraordinary beauty of the fall season in New England when the hills are almost fluorescent with vibrant colors and you wish you could bottle the crystalline air to take back home. It's all true, and there is no better way to take in some of Nature's finest moments in this splendid corner of America than to bicycle and hike the White Mountains of New Hampshire, an area that is an easy and scenic 140-mile drive from Boston. |
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Once determined, routes are self-guided... |
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 Bike the Whites Now, it is possible to do just that with an unprecedented degree of convenience coupled with the comfort and charm afforded by the hospitality of a bygone era. Bike the Whites is a splendid four-day/three-night, inn-to-inn bicycle tour of the Mt. Washington Valley with the White Mountain range as a spectacular backdrop. Three lovely country inns situated about 20 miles from each other form a triangle in the vicinity of the four-season resort town of Conway. The package price for the tour includes accommodations for the three nights, three breakfasts and three gourmet dinners, daily transfer of luggage inn-to-inn, and route planning. Once determined, routes are self-guided, and there is no accompanying vehicle, but a phone call will bring road assistance, should that be required. |
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The inn is an authentic 1890's Victorian era B&B
After a restful night's sleep and an energy replenishing breakfast... |
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 The Forest, A Country Inn A Bike the Whites tour begins on Sunday afternoon when your car pulls in to the charming Forest Inn at Intervale. The inn is an authentic 1890's Victorian era B&B with 11 sparkling guest rooms furnished with antiques, some rooms with fireplaces, a stone cottage with Jacuzzi tub, a pool, well-tended gardens and, as with all three inns, very special attention given to providing hearty New England breakfasts and truly gourmet-quality dinners. Lisa and Bill Guppy--formerly she was a laboratory technician and he an engineer--now are enthusiastic and hospitable innkeepers who also look after tour bookings, e-mail correspondence and help guests plan biking routes according to their abilities.  Routings between the three inns range from an easy 20 miles to more demanding 30- and 40-milers. These bike trails follow back roads that take you through parts of the White Mountain National Forest, past cool mountain streams, covered bridges, mountain lakes for swimming, park-and-hike interpretive nature trails, and--with some village detours--great shopping boutiques. The Forest Inn also is headquarters for bike rentals for those guests who have not brought their own equipment. If you are renting a bicycle for the three day tour ($70,) Bill Guppy will outfit you with one of his all new Trek 7200 24-speed hybrid bike. Says Bill, "We decided on the Trek 7200 because of its ratings for being one of the best all-around bikes for the kind of terrain experienced on Bike the Whites tours and its popularity with riders."  After a restful night's sleep and an energy replenishing breakfast, Bill and Lisa lay out maps to help you plan the best route to the next inn, based on your biking capabilities, and it's off you go. |
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First is the turn-of-the-century main house with its splendid view of the mountains... |
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 Snowville Inn Next comes the Snowvillage Inn in the township of Snowville. This 18-room hilltop inn, once the home of noted historian and political writer Frank Simonds, is a lively blend of New England charm and Alpine flair consisting of three buildings. First is the turn-of-the-century main house with its splendid view of the mountains, a candlelit restaurant that has acquired a well-deserved reputation for fine food extending well beyond New Hampshire, and interesting old-time parlors and sun porches. Second is the carriage barn, converted into a guest house by the inn's first innkeeper, a Swiss. Last is the recently built Chimney House, containing a baronial entrance foyer/library and four spacious, elegantly furnished rooms with full bathrooms. The grounds in summer are a flower-bedecked gardener's delight. One caveat: the bike ride up the three-quarter-mile road to this hilltop inn is not for the weak-hearted to negotiate by pedal power. Most walk their bikes up the hill.  Another word to the hungry: the Flynn family, innkeepers of Snowvillage for the past eight years, recommend that even overnight guests make reservations for dinner, since the restaurant is widely admired in the area, and folks come from all over just for chef Laura Tessier's outstandingly prepared and presented food. Best of all, your meal that evening is included in the tour price. |
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...an historic establishment built in 1833 to accommodate travelers on the Conway stagecoach line...
Francis Cleveland, the president's son established the "Barnstormers" summer theater... |
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 Tamworth Inn The last stop for an over-night is on Tuesday evening when you arrive at the Tamworth Inn, an historic establishment built in 1833 to accommodate travelers on the Conway stagecoach line. In 1928, President Grover Cleveland purchased a summer home in Tamworth, and the small village became the site of the Summer Whitehouse.  Shortly after, Francis Cleveland, the president's son established the "Barnstormers" summer theater, the oldest actors equity house in the U.S. The original theater was in a building on the Tamworth Inn property. Now, in newer quarters across the street from the Inn, this professional theater is still in operation performing musicals ("Ernest In Love" based on an Oscar Wilde play) to heavy dramas ("The Crucible" by Arthur Miller.) Innkeepers Virginia and Bob Schrader have up-graded the Inn's 15 guest rooms, converting the third floor to elegant and spacious multiple-room suites, two of them with see-through fireplaces from bedroom to living area. Virginia is a veteran of the hospitality industry in the United States and the Caribbean and Bob is still a part-time law professor and practitioner when innkeeping duties allow. One unusual feature of the Tamworth Inn is that pets are allowed in some of the rooms. In fact, the Schrader's St. Bernard, Dagny by name, is usually in evidence to welcome incoming guests.  As with Snowville, this inn prides itself in its superb cuisine and has been singled out by Yankee Magazine as an editor's pick and is listed in the most prominent guides for inns and B&Bs in the U.S. and abroad. Here too, reservations are important for dinner, as the outstanding fare attracts area visitors, long-time residents and theatergoers. |
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The cost of the Biking the Whites package is surprisingly modest.
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The cost of the Biking the Whites package is surprisingly modest. The four-day/three-night tour package is $249 in May and $310 from June to September. The price quoted is per person, double occupancy and includes taxes and service plus all the features listed above. Note: Bike the Whites closes down for the month of April, but it's a three-season winner, and the inns are open individually during ski season. |
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The goal here is Tuckerman's Ravine...and Hermit Lake, one of the most beautiful little mountain ponds anywhere. |
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 Hiking the Whites You've now completed Bike the Whites on Wednesday afternoon. To round your spectacular week of Autumn in New Hampshire, you must continue on your own to Pinkham Notch, headquarters of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) in Gorham, a short drive into the White Mountains along route 16. This is the rustic, but excellent hostel that is base camp for hikers doing the hut-to-hut trails across the White Mountain range. Accommodations range from rooms for two to bunkhouse quarters for groups. Bathroom facilities are communal and stick-to-you-ribs breakfasts and dinners are served family-style.  Day hikes from Pinkham Notch are possible along gorgeous mountain and valley trails and, of course, extended hiking is the norm here, with overnight accommodations in Alpine huts that provide rustic comforts, energy replenishing meals and much fellowship among physically active people of all ages. A favorite day hike for the physically fit starts at base camp and climbs part of the route up to the peak of Mount Washington, highest peak in the Northeast.  The goal here is Tuckerman's Ravine, in fall a spectacular hike, a highlight of which is Hermit Lake, one of the most beautiful little mountain ponds anywhere. In winter, Tuckerman's Ravine provides some of the most exciting--and dangerous--mountain skiing on the East Coast of the U.S. A word of warning: For those going into the mountains, proper attire is a must. Weather can turn nasty on the peaks of this mountain range, and even a day hike in the late fall or early spring can turn into a survival experience for those not prepared. |
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The view is not only an awesome sight of Nature in her most splendid attire, but a look back in time.
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 Near Pinkham Notch is Wildcat Mountain, a favored ski resort in winter and with continuing ski lift service through summer and fall to take visitors up the mountain. The ski lift is a painless and fast way to gain altitude for truly spectacular fall foliage viewing and for an unparalleled vantage point to admire Mount Washington across the notch. The view is not only an awesome sight of Nature in her most splendid attire, but a look back in time. The Whites are rich in history, having been occupied by Native-American peoples since 10,000 B.C. and by Europeans since the 1600s. The Whites are also known as the Presidential Range with peaks named Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Monroe, Madison, Lincoln, Garfield, Jackson, and yes, even Carter, and Clinton, though the last were named long before those two gentlemen assumed the highest office. |
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Some useful contact numbers for reservations and information: Bike The Whites: Phone: 800-448-3534 Website: http://www.bikethewhites.com E-mail: info@bikethewhites.com Appalachian Mountain Club at Pinkham Notch: Phone: 603-466-2727 Website: http://www.amc-nh.org/ Images by: Rod Lopez-Fabrega, Mary Ashcraft, Rivendell Art (purchased card) |
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© 2001 ROMAR TRAVEL GUIDES
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