Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region, NH

This beautiful part of New Hampshire offers opportunities for outdoor sports and adventure all year round. Lake Sunapee—the third-largest lake in the state—and its neighbors are great spots for swimming, fishing, boating, paddling, and more. Pillsbury State Park also boasts incredible paddling and fishing opportunities on its many ponds, plus camping at waterfront sites.

Nearby are Mount Kearsarge and Mount Sunapee, both of which offer hiking trails from spring through fall, and ski and snowmobile trails in winter. Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury offers a wide variety of downhill trails, as well as a half-pipe and Alpine terrain park. It’s a great spot for families who want to learn snowboarding and downhill, but there are Nordic trails as well.

As you would imagine, the fall foliage in this region is spectacular, with postcard-perfect scenes around every bend of the road and trail. Mountain biking, hiking, and fishing are all popular pursuits at this colorful time of year.

For a bit of history, as well as easy outdoor hiking, head to The Fells and the John Hay National Wildlife Refuge in Newbury. This property, formerly the estate of John Hay, secretary to Abraham Lincoln, is an early 20th-century summer estate with outstanding gardens and Colonial Revival buildings. The property’s hiking trails along Lake Sunapee are open year-round.

Your one-stop shop for aerial adventure is Morningside Flight Park, where you can try hang-gliding, paragliding, or powered paragliding. Morningflight has been teaching students of all ages for over 40 years, and offers tandem flights, zip-line canopy tours, kayaking, and outdoor laser tag.