Things to do in New England, New England: The Best State Parks

April 16, 2022 Claudia Navarrete

Discover the best top things to do in New England, New England including Popham Beach State Park, Franconia Notch State Park, White Mountain National Forest, Grafton Notch State Park, Colt State Park, Mount Washington State Park, Camden Hills State Park, Ferry Beach State Park, Smugglers Notch State Park, Halibut Point State Park.
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1. Popham Beach State Park

10 Perkins Farm Ln, Phippsburg, ME 04562-4731 +1 207-389-1335 http://www.stateparks.com/popham_beach_state_park_in_maine.html
Excellent
83%
Good
14%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 394 reviews

Popham Beach State Park

State park and beach area that is located on a peninsula near Bath, Maine.

Reviewed By BeachSeekers123 - Louisville, United States

We spent three days at Popham Beach and loved it. The views are spectacular, you can walk to historic forts and at low tide walk out to a rocky island. It was a little chilly here in early October, but this is definitely a place I would recommend and hope we are able to return to in warmer weather good place to watch a sunset!

2. Franconia Notch State Park

260 Tramway Dr, Franconia, NH 03580-4402 +1 603-823-8800 http://www.nhstateparks.org/explore/state-parks/franconia-notch-state-park.aspx
Excellent
82%
Good
15%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 639 reviews

Franconia Notch State Park

Named one of the 12 best state parks in America.

Reviewed By MT1 - Aurora, United States

I lived in NH for many years and have passed through Franconia Notch many times, back when the actual Old Man of the Mountain actually existed. This is a beautiful drive, especially in the Fall, and there are lots of places to stop and things to do - the Old Man of the Mountain "hologram" if you will, the Flume Gorge, the Basin, Profile Lake, hiking trails, etc. If you are visiting NH you should definitely make a visit here, and you can also check out the nice little town of Littleton on the north side of "the Notch".

3. White Mountain National Forest

Kancamagus Highway Supervisors Office, NH 03246-2741 +1 603-536-6100 http://www.fs.usda.gov/whitemountain
Excellent
87%
Good
11%
Satisfactory
1%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 236 reviews

White Mountain National Forest

Great outdoors activities all year long.

Reviewed By WaitForIttttt - Hazlet, United States

My husband and I visited White Mountain National Forest this week for some pandemic-safe hiking because we heard it was forecasted to be peak foliage. We were so glad we did because the scenery was breathtaking, featuring all the gorgeous colors of autumn. There were tons of beautiful overlooks to stop at and a diverse selection of trails. We decided to hike the Champney Falls Trail and it was a lovely trail that followed the brook through the leaves to the waterfall. This Forest is definitely a must-see in Autumn!

4. Grafton Notch State Park

1941 Bear River Rd, Bethel, ME 04261-3640 +1 207-824-2912 http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/doc/parksearch/details.pl?park_id=1
Excellent
79%
Good
18%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 198 reviews

Grafton Notch State Park

Affords breathtaking views of waterfalls, caves, and hiking trails without the parking lots, tourists, gift shops and hot dog stands.

Reviewed By nicks60610 - Portland, United States

This was a true gem hidden away in the area with a nice hike, and some awesome waterfalls and areas to swim and relax - can’t wait to come back here again

5. Colt State Park

114 Hope St, Bristol, RI 02809-2048 +1 401-253-7482 http://riparks.com
Excellent
83%
Good
16%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 454 reviews

Colt State Park

Reviewed By SugaKows - Rhodes, Greece

This is an excellent spot for a family reunion, or just soaking up the sun and breeze. Right by the water, so no matter how hot it gets, you always get an ocean breeze, blowing off the water. Prices are really reasonable, and the spots are spacious and open. You also have Bristol Town Beach right next store. The park is a walkable park, and you have access to the East Bay Bike path.

6. Mount Washington State Park

1598 Mount Washington Auto Road Sargent's Purchase, Mount Washington, NH 00176 +1 603-466-3347 http://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/mount-washington-state-park.aspx
Excellent
87%
Good
10%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 97 reviews

Mount Washington State Park

Reviewed By AM731

Choosing when to go is tricky, choose a good, sunny day and yo may have to queue for hours to do it. Choose a less fine day and you won’t get the promised view from the summit. We first tried on a sunny Saturday and met a queue some way out from the entrance. We dutifully queued for over an hour but gave up when an operative told us that it would be at least another hour. We returned the next day, no queue, fantastic! You’re given a cassette to play which talks you through the climb and gives the history of the road’s construction. Continual advice to use low gear and to stop and cool the brakes on the way down. It’s fascinating to see the change in vegetation and tree cover at different heights. The road is built to take passing traffic but is narrow and does have sheer drops. Some drivers find that difficult and try and take more than their share of it! It was very windy when we parked and got out, I needed to hold on. The low cloud soaked you too. Underfoot there was ice in places. The cafe was basic but the food and drink was gratefully received. The gift shop was as expected. The museum was excellent, very informative. The post office was the only one I saw in the States during our visit. Really worth doing, highly recommended.

7. Camden Hills State Park

280 Belfast Rd, Camden, ME 04843-4519 +1 207-236-3109 http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/doc/parksearch/details.pl?park_id=14
Excellent
71%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 753 reviews

Camden Hills State Park

Thirty miles of hiking trails keep the staunchest hiker trekking along.

Reviewed By cardou27 - Greenwich, United States

Great views overlooking the harbor of Camden from Mount Battie and an informative map on the top (near the stone tower which is currently closed for Covid) showing the surrounding islands. A leisurely drive to the top of about 1.25 miles or a hike from one of the many parking lots. Also, plenty of hiking trails of a variety of difficulty and parking for campers.

8. Ferry Beach State Park

95 Bayview Rd, Saco, ME 04072-1701 +1 207-283-0067 http://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/doc/parksearch/index.pl?search_radio=1&state_park=8&historic_site=&public_reserved_land=&shared_use_trails=&town=&distance=&submit=Go+%BB
Excellent
54%
Good
35%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
3%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 105 reviews

Ferry Beach State Park

Located between Old Orchard Beach and Saco, this 117-acre park offers white sand beaches with swimming, picnicking, trail hiking and guided nature programs.

Reviewed By H9118APdavidb

Bathrooms, life guards in the summer, and a wonderful sandy beach. Not crowed, and if it is, the beach goes on for miles

9. Smugglers Notch State Park

6443 Mountain Rd, Stowe, VT 05672-5111 +1 802-253-4014 http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/smugglers.cfm
Excellent
75%
Good
21%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 357 reviews

Smugglers Notch State Park

This narrow path through thousand-foot cliffs, once a smuggling route into Canada, is now a park used for biking, hiking, picnicking and rockclimbing.

Reviewed By MaryJ071597 - Spokane, United States

We stayed a night in Stowe during the peak color season and this drive was recommended to us. We are so glad we did it. It was gorgeous! We had limited time so we were very disappointed we didn't get to experience more of this area. We made it to Smugglers Notch though and captured some beautiful shots. The road is very winding up there. It was super windy and we watched the leaves getting blown off the trees. We definitey recommend this scenic drive.

10. Halibut Point State Park

Gott Ave, Rockport, MA 01966 +1 978-546-2997 [email protected] http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-north/halibut-point-state-park.html
Excellent
73%
Good
23%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 725 reviews

Halibut Point State Park

Scramble across ledges scarred by the granite industry and examine tide pools teeming with marine life.

Reviewed By hmuchas - Charleston, United States

Wonderful walk around an old granite quarry with markers explaining the process of extracting granite in the days before electric drills and heavy equipment.

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