The admission fee to Flume Gorge in Lincoln is higher than many of the other state park and forest areas, but it didn’t take long to understand why. The main trail is two miles, and the highlight is a narrow wooden stairway through Flume Gorge. Other highlights included the enormous glacial boulders, wooden bridges, and the short “wolf den” crawl/hike through a cave-like rock formation.

From Lincoln driving east on Kancamagus Highway we found plenty of easy trails and places to climb on rocks and swim in the river.  Each parking area was well marked from the highway and during busy times I would imagine parking could be a nightmare. We self-paid our admission at our first stop with cash. The Rail and River trail was an easy flat walk with interpretation about the ecological history of the region. Champney Falls was a relatively easy hike with wooden staircases and bridges. The highlight of each trip was the Lower Falls recreation area. The water in August was very warm and the natural pools were deep enough for swimming.

There aren’t as many hiking stops along Crawford Notch Highway as there were along Kancamagus. Attitash Mountain Ski Resort offers summer lift rides with the opportunity to walk along the summit. We attempted to hike the 2 miles to Arethusa Falls, but it wasn’t clear from the trailhead map that the first mile of the hike was straight up a rocky mountain trail. The hike was a bit too strenuous for a 10-year old on the third straight day of hiking, and after a mile we retreated to the river bed area to recuperate at the small waterfalls.

A drive between Glen, New Hampshire and Bethel, Maine gave us a wide range of activities and landscapes. Traveling as a family with a child between 8-10 years old I’m not sure you could find a better itinerary; visit an amusement park, then hike to waterfalls and then jump in a river for swimming. Finally, we ended a trip in the foothills of the White Mountains in Maine, and touch a piece of Mars at the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum, thus completing our rock-centric vacation.