NH State Parks - Busy Adventurer Crawford Notch

Day Trips for the Busy Adventurer

Being in nature is undeniably good for the soul, but trip planning can get between you and your quest for fulfillment, especially when your time is limited. For busy adventurers, New Hampshire’s 93 state parks and properties provide accessibility to outdoor spaces without the pressure of organizing the to-dos. Included in this list are five parks across the state that make perfect day-trip destinations, from a jam-packed trip to a day of decompressing and everything in between. If you only have time for multiple one-day getaways throughout the year, an NHSP Season Pass or a New Hampshire Park Plate makes getting there and getting in, that much easier.

Crawford Notch State Park/Willey House

Day Trips with Rocky Splendor

Crawford Notch State Park is the perfect day trip to roll the windows down and cruise through the winding valley floor with the radio turned up. On your way, stop at the Willey House Historic Site. Visitors come from all over to see the grounds of a major landslide and a tragic mystery of the White Mountains. At the park is a museum dedicated to the natural disaster that left the Willey family and the two hired men nowhere to be found, but their house unscathed. The site is also home to a country store with an old-time, nostalgic feel, featuring NH made gifts, souvenirs, ice cream, fudge, a snack bar, family-friendly walking trails, a small reservoir and a picnic area. Within the rest of Crawford Notch are more geological spectacles like Ripley and Arethusa Falls, and the railroad that lays 100 feet high via the Willey Brook Trestle, and cuts through the rock gorge, bringing visitors to the area for nearly 150 years.

Go to the Park

Check Out More Day Trips for the Busy Adventurer:

Fort Stark State Historic Site

Livermore Falls State Park

Mt. Sunapee State Park

Wellington State Park