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*A little acorn grows
into a big tree:
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Near the northern end of one of the two
oldest mountain ranges in the world
is the White Mountain National Forest...
The Old Man of the
Mountain
is the image usually
associated with
New Hamsphire.
It is not man-made!
Seasons
The White Mountains of New Hampshire are a place of
beautiful and distinct seasons...
Autumn begins with a little color...
...and finishes with a lot!
Only a few places in the world get colors
like this in the Fall.
The others are in Western Europe
and northeastern China.
[click here for more]
Autumn is a great time of year to go
for bike rides in the White Mountains,
so you can really see the colors.
Overhead view of a mostly-frozen river
Winter is a good time to go cross-country skiing, so you can enjoy the peaceful
snow-covered forests.
Winter
Snow falls and turns the
White Mountains...
what else? White!
Mount Washington
King of Winds
Even though Mt. Washington is a small mountain in height (6 288 feet/1915 m) it is a very
big mountain in one thing: WIND. The fastest non-tornado wind ever recorded on the
surface of the earth was on Mt. Washington in 1931--a wind speed of 231 MPH/370 KPH!
Mt. Washington in the distance
"The area ahead has the worst
weather in America. Many have
died from exposure, even in the
summer. Turn back now if the
weather is bad."
In part because of the wind,
the worst wind chills on
the top of Mt. Washington
are about as bad as the
worst wind chills found in
Antarctica!
Weather around Mt. Washington on an average winter day
The visitor center at Pinkham Notch (say PINK-um notch),
at the foot of Mt. Washington,
gives the daily weather report for the whole area around Mt. Washington
Wind chills fall below -100°F/-73°C every few days in the winter--cold enough to freeze skin instantly if it isn't covered up!
Because of the hard winter weather,
trees do not grow very high on
the mountains around Mt. Washington.
The dark area is where the trees grow. Where it turns white, the
trees disappear...
Here the trees stop at about 4500ft/1371m, lowest in the world this close to the
Equator.
Up on the exposed ridges, everything
turns to ice
Why is Mt. Washington so
windy?
A jet stream (winds high in the sky)
that flows over the northern United States comes down very low right over the
mountain--and hits it hard.
Summer
When the winter snow melts,
the forests turn velvety green.
The icy ridges warm,
revealing rocky trails
Summer is a good time to hike,
so you can enjoy seeing the
green valleys and mountains.
How to Get There: The nearest big city is Boston, which is several hours away, so you have to drive to get to the White Mountains.
Times To Go: The White Mountains are very popular in the autumn, because of the colors, and also popular in the summer because of the weather. If you don't mind crowds, those are good times to go. Most places are not very crowded in the winter and probably even less in the early spring. Whatever season you pick will be beautiful!
Things To Do: Hiking and walks through the forest are good any time of the year. There are many streams, waterfalls and beautiful woods to walk through. Because the White Mountains are so windy, it can be hard to ski or snowboard in the winter, but they are a great place for cross-country skiing.
Where To Stay: Most of the places to stay around Mt. Washington are in the area of the town of North Conway. But, for the best outdoor experience, you can camp in many campgrounds in and around the White Mountain National Forest.
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