While the White Mountains have a reputation for being very hardcore, they are in fact very accessible for hikers and adventurers of all levels of ability. If this is a region you’d like to learn about more for family adventures and recreational day hiking, I’d recommend the following resources, which I’ve broken out by activity:
Hiking and Backpacking Guides
- AMC White Mountain Guide – The Definitive Guide to Hiking in the Whites
- AMC Best Backpacking in New England
- Backpacking the White Mountain 4000 Footers (Free)
- AMC Best Day Hikes in the White Mountains
Hiking Maps
Nature
- Waterfalls of the White Mountains: 30 Hikes to 100 Waterfalls
- Nature Hikes In the White Mountains, Great Family Hikes in the Heart of the White Mountain National Forest
- Nature Guide to the Northern Forest
- The Nature of New Hampshire
History
- White Mountains Hiking History: Trail Blazers of the Granite State
- Logging Railroads of the White Mountains
About the author
Philip Werner has hiked and backpacked over 8500 miles in the United States and the UK and written over 3000 articles as the founder of SectionHiker.com, noted for its backpacking gear reviews and hiking FAQs. A devotee of New Hampshire and Maine hiking and backpacking, Philip has hiked all 650+ trails in the White Mountains twice and has completed 10 rounds of the 48 peaks on the White Mountains 4000 footer list with over 560 summits in all four seasons. He is also the author of Backpacking the White Mountain 4000 Footers, a free online guidebook of the best backpacking trips in the White Mountains in New Hampshire and Maine. He lives in New Hampshire. Click here to subscribe to the SectionHiker newsletter.
They look great and so close to home as well. Lucky man.