Ultimate Winter Roadtrip - A Guide to Lakes & Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Regions, New Hampshire

We spent 3 full days road tripping and adventuring around the Lakes and Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Regions of New Hampshire.  If you’re looking for a beautiful place with lots of winter activities, look no further!

You can fly into either Boston Logan International or Manchester Regional.  We flew into Boston Logan International and it took about an hour to cross the border into New Hampshire and just two hours to get to the Lakes Region.  We highly recommend renting a vehicle with 4-wheel drive as the roads can get icy!

The best months for snowfall in New Hampshire are January, February, and March.

Make sure to get tickets online in advance as they can sell out pretty quickly.  Gunstock also has night skiing if you’re down for that!  Be sure to check their calendar since night skiing and tubing are on select days only.

If you’re looking to do some cross-country skiing, there are a ton of great trails at the resort and in the area!

Gunstock Mountain offers snowshoe rentals for their trails.  However, if you want to venture off outside of the resort trails, then you need to bring your own snowshoes or rent from a ski shop.  We went this route and rented from Piche’s.  We chose to hike Lockes Hill trail to catch a view of Lake Winnipesaukee.  For a change of scenery, head north to Squam Lake for some hikes around the lake.

While we weren’t able to go ice fishing during our time in New Hampshire, it is certainly something that caught our attention!  To learn more about ice fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee, check out this blog post.  Also, Lake Winnipesaukee holds its annual The Great Rotary Ice Fishing Derby every February.  This huge fishing derby attracts people from all over the country and even Canada.  There are plenty of festivities in the Meredith area for everyone to enjoy during this time.

There are tons of great trails for snowshoeing in the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region.  Here are some popular trails:

• Dexter’s Inn – A great inn that offers snowshoe rentals for their onsite trails.  Perfect if you are staying there.
• Newbury Trail – Offers great views of Lake Solitude from White Cliff Overlook.  About 4.8 miles out and back with 1,584 ft. of elevation.
• Morgan Pond Trail – A dog-friendly trail that’s great for both snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.  It’s about 5.7 miles out and back with 633 ft. of elevation.
• Eastman Cross Country Center – Named one of the top places for cross-country skiing in New Hampshire in 2021. Check their website for their operating hours and events.

Lakes Region options

• Hermit Woods Winery & Deli
• Winnipesaukee Winery
• Wolfe’s Tavern
• Cider Press at the Barn
• Lone Wolfe Brewing Company
• Twin Barns Brewing Company (love the domes they have outside)
• Fratellos Laconia
• Wayfarer Coffee
• Kellerhaus

Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee options

• Flying Goose Brew Pub & Grill
• Oak & Grain at The Inn at Pleasant Lake
• Tucker’s
• The Coach House Restaurant at New London Inn
• Village Pizza of Newport
• Grounds

New Hampshire is home to tons of charming inns and B&Bs, which we highly recommend to experience the full cozy winter vibe!

• Lake Opechee Inn and Spa – A 4-star inn perfect for couples.
• Inn at Pleasant Lake – A charming and upscale bed and breakfast with a great restaurant located on-site.
• TownPlace Suites by Marriott Laconia Gilford – For those loyal to the Marriott chain.
• Getaway Blake Brook – Unique cabins located in Epsom.  Instagram-worthy.

1. Check the weather frequently when planning out your New Hampshire itinerary because it changes often and the temperature can affect your plans. 
2. When visiting New Hampshire, please make sure to follow all Leave No Trace principles in order to preserve and keep New Hampshire beautiful for everyone to enjoy! 
3. Have fun! New Hampshire is beautiful and really has a lot to offer!