Attitash Mountain Resort | Best New Hampshire Summer Adventure Parks
Photo Credit : LIz Cancelliere/Courtesy of Attitash Mountain Resort
If you’re on the lookout for new places to have a little fun in the sun, check out New Hampshire’s ski areas in summer. Once the snow is gone, many of the state’s iconic winter destinations serve up a host of outdoor adventures, from ziplines to mountain coasters to water tubing. Ready to jump into the action? Read on for our list of the best New Hampshire summer adventure parks. (You may end up surprised to discover that you prefer New Hampshire ski resorts in summer over winter!)
Best New Hampshire Ski Resorts to Visit This Summer
Loon Mountain Resort | Best New Hampshire Summer Adventure Parks Photo Credit : Courtesy of Loon Mountain Resort
Miles of mountain-biking fun await at this popular summer resort, where glacial lakes, historic logging roads, and rushing waterfalls are all a part of the scenery. At Loon’s Aerial Forest Adventure Park, more fun challenges are on offer, including a get-you-off-the-ground obstacle course, a climbing wall, a zipline, and gondola rides. Hike the Loon slopes, or find a different kind of elevation with the resort’s mountaintop yoga classes.
Bretton Woods | Best New Hampshire Summer Adventure Parks Photo Credit : Courtesy of Bretton Woods
Home to some of the best views in the White Mountains, Bretton Woods gives summer visitors a front-row seat to all those gorgeous Presidential Range peaks with its three-hour (!) zipline tour. Alternatively, you can explore the slopes by bike or ATV, then test your mettle at the slopeside climbing wall. For smaller thrill-seekers, the Kinderwoods Adventure Playground has mini ziplines, rope bridges, and Tarzan swings. After a full day of fun amid the majesty of nature, treat yourself to a night in the equally grand surroundings of the nearby Omni Mountain Washington Resort.
Cranmore Mountain Resort | Best New Hampshire Summer Adventure Parks Photo Credit : Courtesy of Cranmore Mountain Resort
This popular North Conway destination offers all manner of ways of getting up and getting back down. Tackle the climbing wall, find your seat aboard a scenic chairlift ride, bounce high on the bungee trampoline, or hit the curves at maximum speed on the mountain coaster. Afterward, the park’s summer tubing slides are the perfect place to cool off.
Gunstock Mountain Resort | Best New Hampshire Summer Adventure Parks Photo Credit : Courtesy of Gunstock Mountain Resort
The star attraction at Gunstock’s adventure park is its Aerial Treetop Adventure. The obstacle course — New England’s largest — features eight high ropes courses that range from newbie experiences that run 15 feet above the ground to more challenging offerings that can go as high as 100 feet. Scenic chairlift rides get you above the trees, while the park’s mountain coaster lets you zip around them. For something a little more centered, try Gunstock’s mountaintop yoga.
Heart-pounding activities abound at Sunapee. There’s plenty of treetop action on the adventure park’s zipline, which takes visitors on a three-quarter-mile ride through the canopy, while the Aerial Challenge Course offers 32 different obstacles of varying heights. Power up the climbing wall or practice the art of letting go by free-falling from heights of eight or 14 feet onto a big airbag. Disc golf, hiking, and chairlift rides are also available.
Attitash Mountain Resort | Best New Hampshire Summer Adventure Parks Photo Credit : LIz Cancelliere/Courtesy of Attitash Mountain Resort
If there’s an activity that gets visitors jumping, climbing, sliding or racing, chances are Attitash has it. The Nor’easter Mountain Coaster is one of New England’s longest; its 2,880-foot drop has brought many adrenaline junkies back for seconds. (And thirds.) There are several waterslides to cool you down and a trampoline, climbing wall, and airbag jump to get you going again.
Ian Aldrich is the Senior Features Editor at Yankee magazine, where he has worked for more for nearly two decades. As the magazine’s staff feature writer, he writes stories that delve deep into issues facing communities throughout New England. In 2019 he received gold in the reporting category at the annual City-Regional Magazine conference for his story on New England’s opioid crisis. Ian’s work has been recognized by both the Best American Sports and Best American Travel Writing anthologies. He lives with his family in Dublin, New Hampshire.
