Guided Adventures

Guided Adventures in New Hampshire

Immerse yourself in New Hampshire’s wilderness alongside a local guide

The craggy cliffs, dramatic mountain passes, and marvelous lakes of New Hampshire are stunning to even a casual observer, but it gets so much better during a deep immersion by, say, snowmobile or ATV, mountain bike, or snowshoe or canoe or kayak. Whoops – you don’t own an ATV or a canoe, and don’t know where to find the trailhead or launch? Here is the quick answer: find a guided tour that provides instruction, equipment, and a person with full expertise in the sport, who will show you the way from start to finish. Guided tours exist for a surprisingly wide range of activities: back country skiing or hiking, snowmobiling and ATV riding, fishing and paddling, backpacking, wildlife observation (you are in New Hampshire, so consider a dawn or dusk van tour to see the huge majesty of a moose in the wild). Guides are experts, so they get you ready to go, answer questions, point out the hidden bits of nature along the way, and even, if you are lucky, spin yarns about the place, its people, and adventures of people who came before you. A guided exploration is great fun for a family or group of friends to enjoy nature and really dig into the experience together.

Mt. Washington Summit Sign in Winter - Photo Credit Peter Orszag & Wikipedia Commons

2 places to visit

Morningside Flight Park

Guided adventures at flight park include hang gliding, paragliding, laser tag games

357 Morningside Lane Charlestown, NH 03603 603-542-4416

Guided adventures in the air and on the ground are a specialty at the Morningside Flight Park, perched among the Connecticut River Valley’s rolling hills in New Hampshire on land that seems to have been naturally created for hang gliding and paragliding. After an overview and instructions, a professional tandem flight instructor and you will be hooked into a special tandem hang glider for the flight of your life. Or take some introductory lessons in paragliding. There’s also a zip line tour through the tree tops, featuring four zip lines (a fifth takes you back to the ground). On land, guides will lead you through a variety of five-on-five laser tag games in one- and two-hour sessions. Overnight options include tent sites, platform cabins and a large summit cabin.

Learn More

Great Glen Trails

Superior equipment, instruction, base camp and, most important, trails for cross-country skiing

Route 16 at Pinkham Notch Gorham, NH 03581 603-466-3988

It’s hard not to wax poetic when you talk about the cross-country skiing at the Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center. It’s the combination of the striking White Mountains vistas, the knowledgeable staff, the superior equipment available and, of course, the quality of the trails. You can rent classic or skate skis in confidence, knowing new equipment is available every season. Groomed terrain is accessible right from the comfortable base lodge, with its lockers, showers, a wax room and a fireplace. No road crossings, just, well-marked terrain for all abilities. There’s a learn-to-ski package that includes a lesson, trail pass and equipment rental. Or, take semi-private ski lessons for ages 5 and above. The center’s Outfitters Shop is known for being one of the best Nordic ski shops around.

Learn More