gfii e r hiit e> Mountains New THE WHITE MOUNTAINS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE In the Heart of the Nation's Playground Boston and Maine Railroad J. H. HUSTIS, Temporary Receiver ISSUED BY THE PASSENGER TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 1917 Mt. Washington from Bretton Woods ' We •• On the Road to Whitefield THE WHITE MOUNTAINS Vacation Land's Scenic Treasure Here is a country that lifts the tired mortal out of all contact with the cares and worries and drudgeries that have been left in the hot and noisy city, but a few hours before. Here are the requirements that go to make up a vacation to be remembered and repeated: — varied as those requirements are. In the White Mountains the visitor will find these complete. From the A of accommodations to the Z of zest with which vacation days are enjoyed there is nothing lacking in this breezy, germ-free, wide- spaced, sky-communing land of summer delight that soothes and heals and builds up tissue and brain-cell — and satisfies. And, after all, it is satisfaction, in vacation as in life itself, that is the chief desire of humanity. Georgiana Kails. North Woodstock Elephants Head and Mt. Webster From the standpoint of beauty, healthfulness and pure enjoy- ment, there is no section in the East to compare with the White Mountain region. What is most notable, and perhaps the least appreciated about it, is the fact that this region of amazing vacation resources is within twenty hours' journey of the homes of thirty million people. If this were being written twenty-five or fifty years ago, it would, in all probability, deal almost wholly with the scenic attributes of the White Mountain region — the phase that Thomas Starr King and Samuel Adams Drake and the long line of other illustrious word-painters loved to describe. In those days there was not much else to write about; but to-day it is different, for life has come to the New England Highlands — life that fills their echoing valleys with the laughter of the strong-lunged and care-free; that effervesces on golf-course, tennis-court and baseball field: that scintillates in gorgeously illuminated lobby and ballroom; that sprawls along interminable miles of range-encircling trails, and makes its presence felt in a score of thriving centers whose existence was as little foreseen by old Abel Crawford and the ill-fated Willey family as was the coming of the first motor car. These pages are likely to have as much to say concerning what the summer visitor does as what he sees from lofty mountain top or sunken floor of notch or ravine. Unchangeable is the scenery of the Mountains, but the human equation changes ever. Filling the northern corner of the picturesque "Granite State'' with their four-hundred-and-odd square miles of cloud-saluting peaks, this wonderful group of the Appalachian system challenges the atten- tion of America's millions from the geographical, the scenic and the social point of view. That the region was given its conformation and Bridge over Saco River, Crawford Notch Rugged Chocorua placed there by the Great Architect as a place of refuge for the wearied hosts who were by and by to people the busy cities and towns of America is a conclusion difficult to escape. Certainly it is Nature's own sana- torium, where even the modern hay-fever victim may count on finding sure relief. Mountains with their intervening valleys and basins are to be counted by the score. There are at least forty with an altitude of more than 4,000 feet, and eleven whose height above sea level exceeds 5,000 feet. The king of this royal company, famous Mt, Washington, rears itself to an altitude of 6,290 feet, with all the stately grandeur of the illustrious American for whom it was named. It is upon its lofty summit that the ridgepole of eastern America is found; and to stand there and gaze around the hundred-mile radius of propsect is to make one feel as though he were on the roof of the world with the stars for his nearest neighbor. Assaquam Brook, Crawford The First Drive At Waumbek And, best of all, these Mountains and their attractive foothills are clothed with something like 2,000,000 acres of forests, hiding many of the loveliest waterfalls, most picturesque streams and remarkable geological freaks to be found in the open pages of Nature's book. Through these sinuous valleys and notches wind miles and miles of the finest highways to be found on the continent, offering rare in- ducements to those who enjoy motoring or driving, and athwart the precipitous slopes of the Mountains themselves and along their con- necting ridges run ribbon-like trails for those who love to tramp the glorious hills, their evening couch perchance a handful of fir boughs and their canopy a cotton shelter tent, or perhaps the open sky itself. It is a sort of grown-up fairyland, this White Mountain region, each turn of a road or path, or each achievement of a summit revealing some new and wonderful spectacle or experience. The stimulating, sustaining mountain air, tinctured with the largest of the balsam growths, the wonderful clarity of the atmosphere, the surpassing glory of the sunsets and sunrises, the wraith-like effects of fog and cloud on moun- tain top and in valley, the weird and enchanting moonlight pictures, and the harmonious, enlivening and wholesome social life of the hotels and summer colonies together form such a magnetic combination that one learns without surprise that there are regular visitors to the Moun- tains who have been spending their summers there continuously for thirty and forty years. In the White Mountains to-day every highway, be it of steel or earth, leads, directly or indirectly, to Mt. Washington. This is the Mt. Blanc of the New England Switzerland, the hub of the vacation world. It is entirely fitting to enter upon a brief consideration of the White Mountains and their summer joys by utilizing Mt. Washington as the starting-point, for if one does not start from there, he is sure to eventually reach there. It is because of this fact that Mt. Washington is the center of the Mountains that Bretton Woods has come into existence as the chief Bret ton Woods Links are Sporty and Sightly Stickney Memorial Chapel, Bretton Woods resort of wealth and fashion in the region. It is to the White Moun- tains what Bar Harbor is to Maine or St. Augustine to Florida. When the great million-and-a-half-dollar palace hotel at Bretton Woods, the "Mount Washington," is aglow at night with its 5,000 incandescent lamps, there is an indoor scene comparable in brilliancy to a reception to the diplomatic corps at the White House or a levee at the Court of St. James. The "Mount Washington" is pioneer of a succession of other vacation-season palaces whose walls continue to uprear themselves in the White Mountains. But Bretton Woods, with its dress parade of millionaires, its en- chanting scenery, its 1,600 feet of altitude, its wonderful golf-course and its prismatic social life, has by no means a monopoly in the Moun- tains. It is merely a symptom. Near neighbor of Bretton Woods stands historic Fabyan, of de- lightful memory to two generations of White Mountain devotees. It is one of the most attractive, as well as the most accessible, of the Mountain resorts, and the views of Mt. Washington and the Presi- dential Range it affords are among the most satisfying in the region. As a center of White Mountain drives, rail excursions and tramping trips. Fabyan is without a peer. There are other places — many of them — where one can enjoy just as good a time, according to one's taste or means — resorts like Bethle- hem, Maple wood, Profile House, Jefferson, Littleton, North Woodstock, Crawford, Franconia, Sugar Hill, Randolph, Gorham, North Conway, Intervale, Jackson, Whitefield, Dixville Notch and others to be men- tioned later. Each of these places has its own local attractions and associations, and to a large extent its own clientele. The same mag- nificent air, the same superb scenery, the identical outdoor activities are shared by each and all of these resorts, and in effect they are units of one big and ever-growing vacation family, indulging in friendly Through Franconia Notch Swimming Pool, Ammonoosuc River rivalries on the baseball diamond or tennis-court and exchanging social visits when the spirit moves. And the spirit moves with oft-recurring regularity. The summer vacation season in the Mountains (there is nowadays, by the way, a winter vacation season there, too) begins about the last week in June, although some of the larger houses do not open until somewhat later. At Bethlehem, Maplewood, Profile House, Jefferson, Bretton Woods, Crawford, Fabyan, Twin Mountain, North Woodstock, North Conway, Jackson, Dixville Notch and elsewhere some of the leading hotels are ready to receive guests about June fifteenth, and of late years the custom of spending the Fourth of July in the Moun- tains has been followed by many. No more effective and sensible method of escaping the noise and heat of the Glorious Fourth could possibly be adopted. The quick transition from city clamor to Mountain quiet is almost miraculous. The noise of the celebration is far less trying because of that impressive silence in which it is so easily lost. Shortly after Independence Day the regular summer visitors begin to put in an appearance at the various Mountain resorts. Panting locomotives draw them in long trainloads up through the wonderful fifteen-mile Crawford Notch; big delegations of them drop off the trains at North Woodstock, and hundreds swing round the south- western frontier of the Mountains and disembark at Bethlehem, Maplewood. Jefferson or whatever point on the West Side they are booked for. By the first of August the hotels begin to take on the appearance of a London 'bus on a bank holiday, and throughout this ideal month the summer life is at crescendo. The younger members of the big summer colony are in an hourly whirl of delicious excitement — golfing, driving, fishing, motoring, disporting in swimming-pools, playing base- Golf Club, Profile House Good Courts Draw the Enthusiast ball, tennis or squash, rowing, sailing (for you can row and sail in some parts of the Mountains), enjoying picnics and hay rides, camping out, photographing, sketching, playing croquet, billiards or bridge, enjoying concerts or theatricals — in short, having a good time, as only those who summer in the White Mountains can enjoy one. For their elders, there are plenty of less exacting recreations, and failing all else, there is always the inspiring and satisfying scenery to enjoy — for the White Mountain scenery is genial and soothing, and lacks the austerity that marks some of the mountain scenery of the far West. Life goes on much like this until the middle of October, for the season, once ending with August, has a tendency to lengthen a little every year, so loath are the lovers of the Mountains to leave their splendid sanatorium. In considering the varied list of possible outdoor pastimes in this playground of the millions, it is rather difficult to decide which excels in popular favor. It will, however, be entirely safe to place the royal game of golf near the head of the list, for in no part of the country are the facilities for indulging in this popular sport more extensive than in the White Mountains. Some of the finest courses in America are to be found here, and, needless to say, some of the most celebrated players in the world follow the elusive ball over their velvety acres. There are at least a score of such courses in various parts of the White Mountain territory, of which five are eighteen-hole courses — those at Bretton Woods, Maplewood, Bethlehem, The Balsams and Jefferson. There are nine-hole courses at Crawford House, Jackson, North Conway, Fabyan, Twin Mountain, Profile House, Sugar Hill, Whitefield and Franconia. Some of these are maintained by the hotels, while others are under the control of local clubs, as in the case of Bethlehem and Jefferson. Each course has its own characteristics, while in combination they Coifing Two Thousand Feet Above the Sea . . A Country Lane, Whitefield The Links at Sugar Hill supply every requirement of sporty play. In point of sheer pictur- esqueness, there are few golf-links in the United States that are to be compared with those at Maplewood. The new clubhouse at The Balsams affords a view unsurpassed in New England; while the Bretton Woods course, from its peculiar situation in the great mountain-walled basin that forms the resort, is entirely unique. The Bretton Woods course is distinctive in one other respect, and that is the number and discipline of its caddies. These are a battalion of some sixty bright boys annually brought up from Boston, carefully trained and drilled for the work and handled by their instructors in all their various comings and goings on semi-military principles. As a rule, the various professional and amateur tournaments at Bretton Woods, Maplewood, Jefferson and the other more important resorts are among the most spectacular outdoor events of the season in the Mountains. It is by no means an uncommon event for more than one hundred golfers to play over the Bretton Woods course in a single day. Tennis is an outdoor sport that has an ineradicable hold in this section, and there are a number of excellent courts, but none is more enchantingly located, nor more famous throughout the country than that at Crawford House, at the very gateway of the marvelous Crawford Notch. At the annual tennis tournament here, players and devotees of the game flock from every hotel in the Mountains, and the picture pre- sented by players and fashionably attired spectators on a fine August afternoon is a particularly brilliant one. There are frequently fifty or more entries, with some of the most expert players in the country in the lists. The result of these annual tournaments is always regarded as one of the most important bits of published athletic intelligence of the day. Title Matches at Crawford are Well Attended The Pinch Hitter The friendly rivalry between leading hotels and centers in the Mountains, which serves to accentuate the interest of summer life therein, finds its chief safety-valve in baseball matches, however. Practically every center in the Mountains has its local team of no mean caliber, and exciting, indeed, are some of the contests that take place between them. From the beginning the national game has always been popular in the White Mountains, and from the Glorious Fourth until the last trainload of summer visitors has departed, the players and "fans" are in daily action all over the region. In tennis, golf and the other conventional pastimes, women, of course, participate extensively; and those who do not golf or wield the racket may well be devotees of horse-back riding, one of the most popular and delightful exercises possible in the Mountains. For those who do not bring their own mounts, as many do, there are splendid liveries at all of the leading centers and, in addition. riding-masters and instructors of national renown. The entire White Mountain country, with its magnificent highways and its fine bridle- paths, offers exceptional opportunities for riding under the most de- lightful conditions of climate and scenery, and no more body-building and muscle-hardening pastime can be indulged in. \t some of the resorts there are also bowling-greens maintained, where this fine old sport may be enjoyed by its lovers; and clock golf is also on the list. At Bretton Woods water sports are frequently held, the great swimming-pool at "The Mount Washington" making this possible, as well as furnishing the visiting vacationists a most excellent substitute for a morning or afternoon dip in the sea. Dashes, under-water races, diving and tub races are included, the Bretton Woods caddies having an excellent opportunity to display their natatorial talents here. Driving, of course, is one of the perennially popular pastimes throughout the White Mountains; and these expeditions may be made Bethlehem Coif Club Boy's Camp, Upper Falls, Ammonoosuc River delightful outings of several days' duration such as have become popu- lar in California and Colorado, and in competition with which the automobile has no part. It is no uncommon thing for a large party of congenial spirits to start out in tallyhos or Mountain wagons from one of the big hotels, accompanied by chef and chaperone, and be gone the greater part of a week, visiting where they will among the important centers of interest in the Mountains, reveling in the wonderful scenery and bracing air, and camping out at night in true gypsy style, if the weather is propitious. Smaller parties sometimes enjoy the same nomadic experiences in motor-cars, for the hotels have up-to-date garages as well as liveries. Then there is the combined carriage and railroad one-day trip, which enables the sojourner at almost any of the score or more of White Mountain resorts to visit the summit of Mt. Washington, explore the wonders of Crawford Notch, or gaze with awe upon the stern features Humphrey's Ledge, North Conway of the Old Man of the Mountains, returning home in time for dinner, — that all-important factor in vacation life in the Mountains as elsewhere. Broadly speaking, one may nowadays, through the aid of the railroads — standard-gauge, narrow-gauge and cog — get from any- where to anywhere else in the Mountains and back again in a period but a little longer than that usually devoted to a day's business in office or bank. One can more easily climb a mountain than was the case a quarter of a century ago, for the way has been made easier and safer through the good offices of the modern trail-builder. Nor does the foregoing by any means exhaust the list of possi- bilities in the line of outdoor pastimes in the Mountains. Rather it is only a beginning. Think what wonderful worlds there are awaiting the conquering approach of the tramper. Weston in his pedestrian journeys across the continent did not quaff of half the joys that await the outdoor explorer in the White Mountains. Saco Lake and Presidential Range The "Old Man of the Mountains' Presidential Range from Whitefield Most impressive about the White Mountains is scenic beauty. It does not matter from which side one approaches, every effect is satis- fying. And the longer one remains the more attractive the picture becomes. It is new every hour of each day, with the changing cloud effects, and the varying angles to which each view may be subjected. Although the area included within the mountain territory exceeds four hundred square miles yet the section is so connected by railroad, and contains so many fine roads and clearly defined trails, as to make each part easily accessible from every other. And while the beauties of the region are hidden from no one who enters its famous portals, the full glory of its possibilities is revealed most completely to him who leaves the broad highway and tramps the trails in pursuit of his pleasure. To him there is the finest of exercise, in the purest of air, by day, and restful, health-building sleep by night. Clear skies and fine outlooks are wonderful, while storms and fogs are no less wonderful and im- mensely impressive. The problem of food and sleep is easily met by the owners of the farmhouses, if one is away from the hotel district. There is no Mountain summit, notch, ravine, valley, lake, stream, ice cave, ridge, gulf, overlook, precipice, waterfall, village, lumber camp or hermit's hut that the tramper cannot reach or explore. Lost rivers are lost no more when he takes the trail; and even winter, with its five or six feet of snow and its temperature of 25 degrees below zero, has no terrors for him, for he simply dons his snowshoes, like the Craw- fords of old and the Indians before them, and even the ice-bound crown of Mt. Washington itself is his, if he so wills. The Department of Agriculture, acting under the provisions of the so-called Weeks Law, has established a National Forest in New Hampshire, with headquarters at Gorham. The National Forests are the great recreation grounds of the Nation. The White Mountain National Forest includes the central White Mountain region, embracing all of the higher ranges and moun- Mt. Webster from Mt. Willard Carter Notch, Fire Warden's Camp, within the National Forest tain peaks, among which rise the main tributaries of the most impor- tant rivers of New England, the Connecticut, the Androscoggin, the Merrimac, and the Saco. All National Forests are public property, maintained for the benefit of the public. They are open to every kind of use and occupancy which does not reduce their value to the community or conflict with the principle of equal rights for all. Their primary purpose is to provide a self-renewing timber supply and a regulated streamflow. Camping, hunting, fishing, and trapping in the Forests are free. The advent of Uncle Sam in the role of proprietor of the hills has given a tremendous impetus to the playground idea. His coming is a token of liberty to roam without fear of the trespass laws. Through the co-operation of the Government's Forest Service and the moun- Millbrook Cascade at Thornton taineering clubs, the White Mountains are soon to be to New England what the Black Forest has long been to Germany, a forest and a rec- reation ground combined, and the problem of catering to this phase of vacationing is already pressing for solution. The Appalachian Mountain Club has now open three shelters, with more in contempla- tion. The Madison Stone Hut is the oldest. It lies between Mts. Adams and Madison, and is reached by direct paths from Appalachia Station, Randolph. Then there is the Carter Notch Stone Hut, which lies between Carter Dome and Wildcat. One reaches it on the Jack- son or Glen House Trails. The newest of these shelters is The Lakes of the Clouds Hut, which was dedicated August 7, 1915. It is located on a spur of Mt. Washington, near the Crawford Bridle Path. Until the schemes now on foot are perfected by the Appalachian Club and the Forest Service, much primitive camping must be done by those who respond to the call of the wanderlust. All the Forest Down the Glen from Mt. Washington Golf at The Maplewood Ranger will ask of the camper, however, is that he clean up his camp site and carefully put out every ember of his camp-fire. Later huts and cabins, providing bunks and food, and connected with each other by telephone, will be established. Then will this Forest be the ideal of the tramp de luxe. The Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture explains the purpose and use of the National Forest in the following terms : "The White Mountain National Forest is the largest of sixteen National Forests in the East whose creation was made possible through the passage by Congress in 1911 of the so-called Weeks Law, which provided for the acquisition of forest lands for the protection of the watersheds of navigable streams. In addition to the primary object of the law, the establishment of National Forests in the East is of importance because of the provision which is made for the con- tinuance of a timber supply to meet the demands of the industries of the region, and for the preservation of the beauty and attractive- ness of the uplands for the recreation and pleasure of the American people. "The White Mountain National Forest area consists of about 827,600 acres in Coos, Carroll and Grafton counties in New Hampshire, and projects slightly into the adjoining State of Maine. Its boundaries embrace nearly all of the mountain country from the Pliny Range on the north to Sandwich Dome on the south, and from beyond the Maine State line on the east nearly to the Connecticut River on the west. It contains numerous mountains which reach a height of over 4000 feet and the loftiest of these, Mount Washington, rises to an altitude of 6,290 feet above sea level, and is one of the highest mountains of the Appa- lachian system. "The region is essentially a forest country containing considerable areas of primeval forest as well as a large amount of other land from The Old Toll Gate, Glen, N. H. Israel River, Cherry Mountain which the timber has been removed. Some of this has been badly damaged by forest fires. The preservation of forest conditions has long been regarded as absolutely necessary, not only by the Federal Government but by the State and local organizations interested in pre- serving the picturescme woods for which the region is noted. If unpro- tected from fire and careless timber cutting, it would soon lose much of its attractiveness, and the disastrous effects on the streams which flow from its lofty ranges would be almost incalculable. "The watersheds of four of the most important rivers of New England — the Connecticut, the Androscoggin, the Merrimac and the Saco — lie in part within the White Mountain Area, of which the Federal ( i< >\ eminent has already purchased, or is acquiring 360,000 acres. Other purchases are being made as rapidly as possible, and according to the working plan of the National Forest Reservation Commission most of the 827,600 acres will in time become National Forest. "As rapidly as the land is acquired it is placed under administration in the same way as is done in the case of the larger National Forests in the West. Primarily the Forests are protected from fire and other de- structive agencies. The scenic beauty of this region, its valuable timber and the influence of the Forest in regulating the stream flow are all more or less dependent on the protective measures made effective by Govern- ment ownership. The many miles of trails which the Government found already made when it acquired the land facilitate the constant patrol necessary during the dry seasons when the danger of forest fires is great. In co-operation with the State of New Hampshire, watchmen are sta- tioned during the summer season on commanding peaks having an ex- tended view of the surrounding country. These lookout stations, as they are called, are usually connected by telephone with the valleys in order that the lookout man may quickly report the location of any fire which may occur, and secure the necessary assistance to extinguish it. Above the Clouds, Summit Mt. Washington Presidential Range ■ uckerman's Ravine "Many people still think of the National Forests as reserves, and believe that their resources are 'locked up,' but this is a mistaken idea. The National Forests are not reserves in that sense of the word. Their resources are for wise use and are developed along lines which will con- tribute most to the upbuilding of the localities in which they are situated and to the needs of the nation. In allowing any use of the primary question to be decided is, of course, whether it will interfere with the purpose for which the Forests have been created. The White Mountain National Forest contains a large amount of valuable timber. The mature timber is sold to private operators at a price that will allow them a fair return on their investments. In contrast to the usual methods of stripping the mountain slopes of all the trees, however, the operators are required to cut only the trees marked by the Forest Officer. This marking is done by experienced men in such a way that a future crop of timber is assured and at the same time the scenic beauty of the forest is A Typical Summer Home of Simple Construction, Attractively Located in the White Mountains The Flume, North Woodstock A View of Mt. Madison from One of the Available Summer Home Sites on Government Land in the White Mountains preserved. On portions of especial scenic interest, no cutting is allowed at all. The same principle applies to other uses. "The establishment of the White Mountain Forest performs a most important public service in providing a playground for the people, and its use for all sorts of outdoor recreation is encouraged. The trails, whether constructed by the Forest Service or by outing organizations, are open to the public, and these trails make accessible the most beautiful parts of this region and offer opportunities for many interesting tramping trips. "The Forest is covered by a network of good roads, including many miles of State highway all suitable for motor travel, and the tourist can always find accommodations at the numerous hotels, inns and boarding houses within or near the National Forest. A very useful guide map of the White Mountain region, together with instructions and information for tourists, campers and others, can be obtained by writing to the Forest Supervisor at Gorham, New Hampshire. Looking Off from Gulfside Trail "Government ownership has given new impetus to recreational development of the region. Under the system of special-use permits which is in force on all the National Forests, the public may use the land in any way that is compatible with its proper protection and adminis- tration. Persons who wish to maintain camps on the Forest may do so under a short-term permit or they may take advantage of the law which provides that National Forest land may be leased in tracts of five acres or less for periods not exceeding thirty years for permanent summer homes. There are many sites in accessible and, if desired, in relatively inaccessible locations which are suitable for camps, cottages, resorts, hotels, and stores, and which may be obtained from the Government at rates ranging from $12 a year up. "Until recently, this region was celebrated only as a delightful sum- mering place. Within the past few years, however, such a keen and active interest has been taken in the winter sports that there is every indication Snowcovered Peaks of Presidential Range Beautiful Lakes are Near at Hand that it will soon be almost as popular as a winter resort. The wonderful opportunities for skiing, snowshoeing, tobogganing, skating, and sleigh- ing are bringing in increasing numbers every year people who enjoy these unique and delightful winter sports. Annual midwinter tours by mem- bers of outing clubs, students of universities and schools are now perma- nent features in the White Mountains, and these outings are becoming more and more popular each year. "In the development of the recreational opportunities of the region, the preservation of its scenic beauty and its valuable timber, the co-op- eration of both the local inhabitants and the visitor is needed. The Forest Service extends many privileges to the public. Camping, fishing, hunting, snowshoeing and other pleasures may be enjoyed; one need only comply with the laws of the State and the regulations of the De- partment of Agriculture. In return, the public is expected to take the simple precautions necessary to protect the timber, prevent stream Echo Lake, Franconia Mountains > T^i*,, > »»r ~«W«^ ■ *a» Lake Gloriette, Dixville Notch pollution, and forest fires, and to co-operate in keeping camp sites, trailsides and roadsides in neat and attractive condition." Men and women, boys and girls, alike in these days tramp the Mountains for days and miles with the perseverance of Irocmois and the nonchalence of gypsies, getting from their glorious experience a hardening of flesh, a brightness of eye and a bronzing of skin that might well have been the heritage of the Western pioneers. Sleeping be- neath a cotton tent, or under the friendly roofs of the Appalachian Mountain Club huts, they soon learn that the joy of living is something more than a mere printed phrase. It is the essence of summer vacation enjoyment and experience in the White Moun- tains. Walking parties, small, large and medium-sized, as well as in- dividual trampers, are always to be encountered wherever one finds one's self in the Mountains; and not infrequently the visitor descend- ing Mt. Washington by the carriage-road meets a bevy of red-cheeked, bright-eyed maidens attired in bloomers, from some girls' camp, perhaps forty or fifty miles distant; or while the tourist is quietly enjoying the wonderful view from the summit of that lofty eminence, suddenly an imposing company of brown-clad youths will disturb his medita- tions by emerging from the Crawford trail and descending, half-famished, upon the restaurant installed in the fine new hotel. From Bretton Woods, Fabyan, Jefferson, Randolph, Gorham, Jackson, North Conway, Maplewood, Bethlehem, North Woodstock, and the rest of the Mountain centers glorious trail trips through valley and over summit radiate in every direction, some of them leading in a few minutes to prospects of which the Rockies themselves need not be ashamed. From North Woodstock, one may easily and quickly explore the interesting Pemigewasset and Franconia Notch region, including the famous Flume. About seven miles from North Woodstock, on the road The Pool, Franconia Notch Presidential Range from Intervale to Warren, is the spectacular Lost River Region, where the State has established a reservation, with a shelter, the use of which is free^ This territory is newly opened and well worth a trip to see. North Conway and Intervale offer tramping opportunities innumerable among the lower members of the Mountain colony, including Moat Mountain and Mt. Pequawket and several of the picturesque cascades and basins of the vicinity. From Jackson and the Crawford House, one may negotiate the Crawford and Pinkham Notches, with their rugged and beautiful scenery, and climb to some of the magnificent overlooks that have been placed there, balcony-like, by a prodigal Creator for the benefit of the twentieth-century tourist. Bretton Woods offers a wide variety of both long and short ex- cursions afoot, including such well-known places as Mt. Echo, Mt. Stickney, Mt. Pleasant, Mt. Willard, Mt. Webster, Mt. Deception, Ammonoosuc Falls, the Lakes of the Clouds and the various peaks of the Presidential Range, including Mt. Washington itself. From New Profile House, with its score of cosy cottages, the tourist may reach in comfort Echo Lake, Mt. Cannon, Mt. Lafayette, the Pool, the Flume and various other popular objectives of the summer visitor, invariably finding excellent roads and trails. Bethlehem and Maplewood, places of magnificent distances and smiling landscape, have breezy Mt. Agassiz. topped by an observation tower, from which the visitor may look out upon a scene of grandeur and enchantment, taking in large portions of northern New Hampshire, of Vermont, and even of parts of Canada. The habitues of Jefferson have always in their mind's eye a jaunt to Cherry Mountain, to the summit of Starr King, or to the top of Mt. Washington itself; and so at Gorham, Randolph, Whitefield, Dixville Notch, Holderness, Plymouth, Sugar Hill and the rest of the illustrious White Mountain list there is a variety of these always- enjoyable expeditions afoot to be enjoyed, their extent being limited Carnival at Bethlehem On the Summit, Mt. Washington only by physical conditions or weather or time. Different devotees of mountain climbing have their different ways of doing it. Some make it a rule to start before sunrise on their day's expedition; others prefer to delay till the cool of the afternoon. To mention but one of many enjoyable walking jaunts, it is possible for a party to leave Bretton Woods at 6 o'clock in the morning, ride to the base of Mt. Pleasant, and then begin their climb to the clouds. After reaching the summit of Mt. Washington over the fine trail, the crest of Mt. Jefferson may be negotiated by the Gulfside trail, the return being made by the Westside trail to Mt. Pleasant, thence down by the Franklin path, a total distance of about twenty-live miles. A record-breaking trip, covering every peak of the Presidential Range, was recently made by three men, a doctor, a lawyer and a minister, who tramped from Randolph to the Crawford House in a little more than seven hours, starting shortly before 8 in the morning Falls of Paradise, Lost River and reaching their destination about 3.15 in the afternoon. The summits of Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Clay, Washington, Monroe, Franklin, Pleasant and Clinton were crossed and a stop of about half an hour was made at the Tip-Top House on the summit of Mt. Wash- ington, where, with the blue Atlantic on one side of them and the Domin- ion of Canada on the other, they enjoyed lunch with the zest that is known only to mountain-climbers. When all other forms of outdoor enjoyment are exhausted (if such a thing could be possible in the Mountains), there still remains the historic pastime of fishing. The Saco and the Ammonoosuc and the numerous brooks that enter them, not to mention the Pemigewasset, abound in brook trout, and afford hours, and even days, of royal sport. There are many summer sojourners here who find their chief recreation in whipping the trout brooks of the mountain region, and seldom are they obliged to return home with empty creels. Golf Clubhouse, Dixville Notch On the Green Needless to say, the White Mountains are literally a paradise for the wielders of brush and pencil as well as for the devotees of art photography. The wonderful conformations, the marvelous atmos- phere, the gorgeous sunrise and sunset effects and the startling com- binations of cloud and mist make them a very wonderland of picture- esqueness. The region has been well described as Nature's mammoth museum. Of the many natural wonders, it is necessary here to refer to a few only. There is the wonderful Flume, in Franconia Notch, a great cleft in the mountain, 900 feet long and 60 to 70 feet high; its neighboring Pool and Basin, remarkable depressions filled with crystal water and amid most romantic surroundings; the world-famous "Old Man of the Mountains," stern and immovable sentinel of this entire region; White Horse Ledge, near North Conway and Intervale, so called on account of its fancied resemblance to a dashing steed; Lost River, at North Woodstock, and the remarkable Lakes of the Clouds, situated in a depression between Mt. Washington and Mt. Monroe, 5,000 feet above the sea. One of the greatest and most awe-inspiring of Nature's wonders is the Crawford Notch, up whose steep grades and between whose beetling cliffs the laboring train brings throngs of marveling tourists every day in summer. The Notch, named after one of the noted pioneer families of the region, is about 15 miles long and its western portal is 1,890 feet above the level of the ocean. In the 26 miles between North Conway and Crawford 1,380 feet of this elevation occurs, there being a rise of 116 feet to the mile for nine consecutive miles in its steepest portion. It was in the heart of the Crawford Notch that the members of the Willey family were destroyed by the historic landslide of August. 1826. The site of this catastrophe is one of the landmarks of the region, Crawford, N. H., Gateway to Notch Pemigewasset River, Franconia and is visited by hundreds of tourists every year. The drive through the Notch is an obligation amounting almost to unwritten law on the part of vacationists sojourning at Crawford, Bretton Woods, Fabyan, Twin Mountain, Jackson and the Intervale-North Conway region. No White Mountain experience is more delightful. After every one of the White Mountain centers was given its due in printed and illustrated page (which would be quite impracticable from the guide-book point of view), they would all, figuratively speak- ing, still have to take off their hats to grand old Mt. Washington. As in the ancient days when the White Mountains were first revealed to the eyes of white men, this peak continues to be monarch of all it surveys, and that is a good deal, geographically speaking. From the summit of Mt. Washington, the radius of view is much more than one hundred miles, taking in the ocean, the New Hampshire lake country, the Connecticut River Valley, the Rangeley Lake country and to Mt. Katahdin in Maine, and reaching far into Vermont and Canada. This is one of the reasons why so many thousands of the world's people have been impelled to ascend to its breeze-swept summit during the last half century or so, princes, presidents and potentates among them. Like the Mountains in general, Mt. Washington is not quite to be described; it must be visited and studied on its own account. Every fine day in summer the famous cog-railway, with its pushing locomotives and inclining cars, is busy transporting visitors from all parts of the globe to the top of this famous mountain. The Mt. Washington Railway has been running since 1869, and in all these years not a passenger has been killed or injured. From the Base Station, the distance covered by the cog-railway is about three miles, and the average grade is 1,300 feet to the mile. At its greatest gradient it is nearly 2,000 feet to the mile. Its famous trestle, Base Station, Mt. Washington Railway Jacob's Ladder, Mt. Washington Ry. or "Jacob's Ladder," together with its peculiarly shaped locomotives, are familiar to millions of Americans who have never seen them, through the medium of printed illustrations and descriptions. Trains running over rails of standard gauge take the tourists from Fabyan and Bretton Woods to Base Station (both the Boston and Maine and Maine Central Railroads meeting at the former sta- tions), and at the Base the passengers change to the cog-railway, which conveys them to the summit by a slow yet all too rapid journey. The ever-changing panorama spread out before the eye of the ascending tourits, the differentiations of air and flora, the stop at the brink of the awesome Gulf, and the final disembarkation at the summit of the great eminence, nearly a mile and a quarter above the sea, form a series of kaleidoscopic impressions that can never be effaced from the memory. The tourist has the privilege of ascending several high mountains in America, but none of these bring quite the satisfactory results of a climb to the summit of Mt. Washington. Up here on the roof of New England has been erected the "New Station and Restaurant" to replace the old Summit House destroyed some years ago. Arriving at the summit by the cog-railway, one enters the New Station directly from the station platform, through an ample vestibule, into a large room, in the center of which is the office. At the right will be found the commodious dining room for eighty guests, while to the left is the lounging and rest room, fdled with comfortable chairs drawn up around a big, old-fashioned fire- place. Here, also, at the southern end, is the writing room, while along the west side is the souvenir stand, which always attracts so much attention on Mt. Washington. Up stairs there are eighteen guests' rooms, with twin beds, together with lavatories and bathrooms. The new building is in every way a credit to New Hampshire's grandest mountain. The patronage brought daily by the trains to this lofty hostelry g^!. , HWlipfifir The New Summit House Along the Gale River, Franconia Village is reinforced by the ever-moving contingent of mountain-climbers, of both sexes, who are constantly traveling the trails that connect the Presidential Peaks. The cloud pictures unfolded from this lofty point of vantage, when conditions are ripe, are simply superb; and there are times when the beholder finds it exceedingly difficult to believe that he is looking upon mist-billows and not upon those of the ocean. The original Tip-Top House, erected in 1853, was destroyed by fire in 1915. The stone walls and foundations, however, were not affected, and it was rebuilt in 1916. Sufficient time is permitted on the summit for a satisfactory view of the wonderful New England panorama and dinner in the Summit House before the train departs for the Base. Many tourists, in order to complete their White Mountain education and add a few more ex- periences to their vacation note-books, descend the Mountain by way • mwM \r/i. J Tip-Top House, Summit Mt. Washington, Labor Day, 1916 Upper Falls of the Ammonoosuc River Mt. Jefferson from Stage Road of the carriage road on the west side. This is, indeed, an experience to go hand in hand with that of descending the steep California moun- tains behind a six-horse team. The stage ride down the Mountain gives the tourist an entirely different aspect of White Mountain scenery than the one he enjoyed com- ing up by train; and by the time the last steep section of the carriage road has been passed and he is well on his way through glorious Pinkham Notch, he is doubly glad he elected to return to his hotel this way. The homeward route affords him an opportunity to see pictur- esque Glen Ellis Falls and the pretty White Mountain resort, Jackson, with its tumbling Wildcat River, and brings him out to the railroad at Glen and Jackson station in time to ascend Crawford Notch at at an hour when it is in its most romantic mood. In all the world there is not a more inspiring, delightful, satisfying day's outing than this. The scenic charms of Jefferson, Randolph, Gorham and the north Glen Ellis Falls. Pinkham Notch side of the Mountains generally lose nothing of their impressiveness on closer acquaintance. Jefferson, with its growing Waumbek Colony, represents one of the highest types of the White Mountain vacation resort. It is a community of cottages as well as of lively hotel life, and the younger element in the summer tourist population seems to be peculiarly well represented here. The Waumbek golf links, already mentioned, rank among the highest in the region and are annually the scene of many an interesting tournament, participated in by noted experts. Starr King Mountain, lifting its massive proportions here, is one of the features of the landscape; and Cherry Mountain is another of Jefferson's prized possessions. The summer social life here is every- thing that could be desired, and there is no form of outdoor or indoor amusement common to the Mountains generally that cannot be en- joyed here, including trap shooting. There is a splendid livery and the highways are ideal. Cherry Mountain and the Waumbek Golf Links a m*i&&b^* Bridal Veil Cascade, Sugar Hill A Typical Mountain Road The delightful Randolph Valley, in which the town of Randolph nestles has an elevation of 1.200 feet above the sea and is hemmed m by Mt. Adams and Mt. Madison on the sonth and the Mt. Crescent Range on the north, the Carter Range lying i„ the foreground, to the east. Tins ,s another hay-fever-proof region. Randolph is connected with the sumnnt of Mt. Washington by two admirably constructed mountam paths, the benefaction of the late J. Rayner Edmunds. Other pa hs cad,atc from Randolph to some of the most attractive parts ol the Presidents Range section where the numerous mountain streams m the vicinity break into exquisite falls. It is a center that appeals T^Z W "° We ^ "" M " — — -d theloys Colebrook, situated about twenty-five miles southwest of the famous < """ecfcut lakes, source of the Connecticut River, is anZ popular tonnst center that may properly be classed among the White Mountain resorts. Ten miles beyond it lies romantic Di ville Notch with its splendid summer hotel. The Balsams, nestling at the side of lovely Lake Gloriette. Here is an ideal rest resort if ever there was The Dixville Mountains, in which is the romantic Notch of that name, are really a group apart from the White Mountains, and some forty miles distant from the Presidential Range. It is gratifying to all who love outdoor life that the tendency to lengthen the period of vacation in the Mountains increases year 1>> vear until now the season of autumnal foliage, crisper atmosphere and clearer horizons finds a constantly growing contingent still lingering at hotel and cottage. For it is then that the White Mountains fall under the spell ol the Great Painters, and grim Mt. Washington looks through the amber September or October haze upon a far-reaching harlequinade of rainbow hues. Dixville Notch There is nothing upon all this continent that can compare with the autumnal glory of the White Mountains. It can neither be de- scribed nor painted. No matter from what point of vantage the autum- nal foliage of the Mountains is viewed — whether from summit or valley — the spectacle is one that is beyond imagination. For many, the true vacation is now commencing. While others have gone back from seashore, lake or mountain to take up the tasks of business, those who love and understand the Mountains are on the way to their favorite haunts to spend the summer end in the most exhilarating and beneficial of outdoor pastimes — mountain-climbing, driving, golfing, fishing and shooting. The Crawford, Franconia, Pinkham, Dixville and Carter Notches lend themselves particularly to this marvelous display of color and contrast — for vivid, indeed, is the contrast between the brilliant colors of the maples and the somber green of the pines and firs. Fortunate is the visitor who can view the incomparable picture from each and all of these vantage points. Certainly, "There is a beautiful spirit breathing now, Its mellow richness on the clustered trees." Such are the wondrous White Mountains of New Hampshire! Clock Golf at Twin Mountain Altitude of White Mountains Resorts in Feet Ashland Bartlett Berlin Bethlehem Bretton Woods . . . Burleyville Campton Chocorua (Town) . Cole brook Connecticut Lakes Conway Crawford Dixville Notch . . . Fabyan Franconia Franconia Notch . . Gorham Holderness Intervale Jackson 555 Jefferson 680 Lancaster .013 Lincoln ,470 Lisbon ,620 Littleton 670 Madison 687 Maplewood 550 New London .... ,017 Newport ,600 New Profile 466 North Conway . . . ,891 North Woodstock ,831 Plymouth ,580 Randolph 990 Sandwich ,911 Shelburne 853 Sugar Hill 475 Twin Mountain . . 544 Wentworth 757 Whitefield 1,400 887 1,400 557 772 478 1,489 1,531 804 1,911 517 739 483 1,203 648 701 1,334 1,450 697 952 Altitude of Mountain Peaks in Feet Washington 6,290 Adams 5,805 Jefferson 5,725 Clay 5,554 Monroe 5,390 Madison 5,380 Lafayette 5,269 Franklin 5,028 Carter Dome 4,860 Moosilauke 4,810 North Twin 4,783 Pleasant 4,775 Carrigin 4,647 Hancock 4,430 Wildcat 4,415 Osceola 4,352 Field 4,300 Clinton 4,275 Willey Tripyramid Passaconaway Sandwich Dome Jackson Tecumseh Starr King Webster Deception Cherry Chocorua Pequawket Paugus North Moat Mountain Crawford Baldcap South Moat Mountain Agassiz 4,261 4,189 4,116 4,071 4,012 4,008 3,919 3,876 3,700 3,600 3,508 3,260 3,248 3.195 3,101 3,100 2,760 2,394 Au Revoir A Vacation Library ISSUED BY Boston and Maine Railroad THE wonderfully attractive vacation places in Eastern and Northern New England are pictured and described in the series of booklets issued by the Passenger Traffic Department of the Boston and Maine Railroad. These books contain much helpful information for the vaca- tionist. Where to Stay in Vacation Land (Issued Annually) White Mountains of New Hampshire Along New England Shores Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Sunapee A copy of any publication in this list may be obtained by writing to the Passenger Traffic Department, North Station, Bos- ton, Mass. They may also be obtained at the City Ticket Office in New York, 171 Broadway, and at the City Ticket Office in Boston, corner of Washington and Court Streets. 7 Fold-out Placeholder This fold-out is being digitized, and will be inserted at i future date.