White Lake State Park: A New Hampshire fall favorite
New Hampshire is known for a lot of things: its White Mountains, its lakes, its spectacular foliage, its super-short coastline. Well, White Lake State Park in Tamworth provides three out of four, with a gorgeous lakefront setting and 3,490-foot Mount Chocorua as a gorgeous backdrop. Add the turning leaves of fall, and the park is an absolute stunner.
We first stumbled on White Lake last September—and by accident. We had booked a weekend at Sebago Lake State Park in Naples, Maine, and, to be honest, we were underwhelmed. With a not-so-great site, very little privacy, and rainy weather rolling in, we decided to leave Sebago Lake SP after one night and take a scenic route home, heading a little north and crossing over the New Hampshire border around Fryeburg, Maine. We drove up to North Conway and then, on our way back home on Route 16, we were treated to bright blue skies and brilliant sunshine. And we just so happened to be near White Lake State Park. With the van fully loaded from camping the previous night, we figured we’d check and see if we could still salvage the weekend. We pulled in, asked if there happened to be any availability, and the kind woman at the desk gave us a map, told us which sites were open, and told us to check them out, choose one, return and let her know. We did, and we ended up with a waterfront site—W-8. We spent only one night, but we loved it.
A few weeks after our first visit, we spent another single night at a different waterfront site (W-6, our last camping night of the 2019 season). And this year, we spent another single night at yet another waterfront site (W-4)—for what just might be the last camping night of the 2020 season. Of all the sites, W-4 was our least favorite; the main path down to the beach area was adjacent to our site, making for a steady flow of traffic. We had reservations booked for White Lake earlier in the season, but with cancellations due to COVID, park closures, and our state’s travel guidelines, we didn’t get there until mid-September—and even then for only night. But even our one-night stays in this not-so-faraway park (just 1:22 from home) have been so worth it. Unfortunately, we haven’t done as thorough a job scouting sites here; honestly, to have a waterfront site, we might be a *little* more willing to compromise on the main factors we prioritize: seclusion/privacy and quiet. The sites are wooded (even the waterfront ones), affording plenty of prime hammocking spots.
White Lake State Park is located in Tamworth, about 20 minutes south of North Conway. According to the campground description, the park is “ located on a National Natural Landmark of 72 acre Pitch Pine Stand, surrounding a glacier formed lake.” It’s big—with nearly 200 sites among its three areas. On our first visit, Area 1 was closed, but we enjoyed a nice walk from our site to the lake and its beachfront and then through Area 1 to check out the sites there. While we’ve only stayed in waterfront sites—and only in September, after Labor Day weekend—we can’t speak to “peak season” at White Lake. My guess is that it’s packed—and for good reasons. The lake is gorgeous, the location terrific, and the sites pretty well spaced out. Of course, we’re partial to water views, and the sun setting over White Lake is a real treat.
New Hampshire has 93 state parks; camping is available at 20 (14 this year, due to COVID). While we haven’t camped at all of them (yet!), White Lake is not to be missed. Would we camp there in the height of summer? Probably not. If you follow the blog, you know that we crave solitude and privacy when we’re camping. And White Lake is popular. Even on this mid-September weekend with no neighbors on either side of us, the noise of a very loud group of adults nearby carried. I can’t imagine what the park might feel like (and sound like) on a summer weekend at full capacity. To be honest, we probably won’t ever find out! For us, White Lake is the perfect late season quick getaway and the perfect place to soak up the last moments of summer before surrendering to fall…
This might just be our last camping weekend of the season, but I have some fun blog posts planned for the future: round-ups and wrap-ups, gear lists and meal lists. And the most exciting news of all? We’re upgrading to a Class B RV—a Winnebago Travato!! We should be taking delivery of that in November, so stay tuned. Of course, that means saying farewell to this beauty, our 2002 VW Eurovan Weekender, and a “tribute” post will surely be in order!
These are tough times we’re living in, folks. Be kind out there.