North Conway (White Mountains)

North Conway sits in the Mount Washington Valley in the northern White Mountains, in Carroll County, New Hampshire, with Mount Washington itself to the northwest. The area developed as a resort destination through the 19th century, drawing artists to its terrain before tourists followed; snow trains began carrying skiers to the area starting in 1932. The Portsmouth, Great Falls & Conway Railroad reached North Conway in 1872, and the Victorian-era depot built in 1874 still stands as the station for today's Conway Scenic Railroad.

Mount Washington itself, at 6,288.3 feet, is the highest peak in the northeastern United States. Its summit observatory recorded a 231 mph wind gust on April 12, 1934 — a record described as the highest wind speed ever recorded until a 1996 measurement elsewhere, and one that remains the highest non-cyclonic (straight-line) wind speed ever measured.

Two separate historic routes reach the summit from opposite sides of the mountain. The Mount Washington Auto Road, on the mountain's east side, is a 7.6-mile private toll road that opened to the public in 1861 and climbs 4,618 feet. The Mount Washington Cog Railway, on the western slope, began operating in 1869 using a Marsh rack system and was the first successful rack railway in the United States. They are not two ends of the same route — a vehicle on the Auto Road and a train on the Cog Railway start from different towns on different sides of the mountain and do not connect.

Mount Washington is the anchor of a White Mountains visit, reachable by two separate historic routes on opposite sides of the peak. The Auto Road, on the east side, is a self-driven or guided-van toll road; the Cog Railway, on the western slope, is a train ride using a rack-and-pinion system dating to 1869. They begin in different towns and do not connect — choosing between them means choosing a side of the mountain, not a stretch of the same road.

*Fees subject to change, please check mt-washington.com for updated information.

We were unable to confirm which restaurants on North Conway's Main Street are currently operating; check each business's own website before planning around a specific name.

New Hampshire has no general sales tax on goods, so retail purchases in the North Conway area, including its outlet shopping district, carry no state sales tax; restaurant meals are taxed separately under the state's Meals and Rentals tax, which the Department of Revenue Administration lists at 8.5%.

3 breweries within 10 miles of North Conway (White Mountains), 2 of them brewpubs with a kitchen.

Brewpub locations from Open Brewery DB (MIT)

North Conway is a resort village of about 2,100 people with no professional or college teams; the nearest are in Manchester, roughly two hours south.

23 more Highway Heads places lie within about 180 miles of North Conway (White Mountains) in a straight line — far enough that most are a night away rather than an afternoon.

• PortlandMaineabout 50 mi
• FreeportMaineabout 55 mi
• ConcordNew Hampshireabout 60 mi
• AugustaMaineabout 70 mi
• PortsmouthNew Hampshireabout 70 mi
• ManchesterNew Hampshireabout 75 mi
• MontpelierVermontabout 75 mi
• StoweVermontabout 80 mi
• WaterburyVermontabout 85 mi
• BurlingtonVermontabout 110 mi
• SalemMassachusettsabout 110 mi
• BostonMassachusettsabout 120 mi
• Acadia National ParkMaineabout 140 mi
• Bar Harbor (Acadia)Maineabout 150 mi
• Basketball Hall of FameMassachusettsabout 150 mi
• PlymouthMassachusettsabout 150 mi
• ProvidenceRhode Islandabout 150 mi
• Provincetown (Cape Cod)Massachusettsabout 150 mi
• SpringfieldMassachusettsabout 150 mi
• Albany/CooperstownNew Yorkabout 160 mi
• BristolRhode Islandabout 160 mi
• HartfordConnecticutabout 180 mi
• NewportRhode Islandabout 180 mi

• Santa's VillageRoadside attraction / tourist stopJeffersonabout 32 miles away

  Cost to see it

  Costs something — we did not find the price published

  When you can see it

  Seasonal — not open all year

  Nearest road

  US-2

  Christmas theme park with rides and reindeer

  • Open seasonally, not all year

  Read on the page we checked

• Redstone RocketOffbeat landmarkWarrenabout 39 miles away

  Cost to see it

  Free

  When you can see it

  Any time — outdoors, visible from the road

  Nearest road

  NH-25

  Real 73-foot rocket standing in a small town

  Read on the page we checked

These are things you can go and look at, not a recommendation of any of them. Oddities move, get sold and quietly disappear more than anything else we list, so check anything you are driving a long way for. Where this list says we did not find a price or opening times published, that is exactly what we mean. A blank is not “free” and not “always open”. Some sit on private land and can only be seen from the road — please do not go onto anyone’s property. Every entry links the page we read it off.

The Mount Washington Auto Road and Cog Railway are separate operations on opposite sides of the mountain; confirm which side matches the rest of your route before choosing between them.

Summit weather is often much different from valley conditions and can change quickly, according to the Mount Washington Observatory; check current conditions before ascending by either route.

North Conway's outlet shopping district and historic village center are both along Route 16 but represent distinct parts of a visit.

New Hampshire charges no general sales tax, but the state's Meals and Rooms (Rentals) Tax adds 8.5% to restaurant meals, hotel rooms and motor vehicle rentals throughout the North Conway and White Mountains area.

18 public campgrounds within 25 miles of North Conway (White Mountains), 17 of them bookable ahead. Public campgrounds run by federal agencies. State-park and private campgrounds are not included.

Mount Washington Cog Railway

Address

3168 Base Station Rd, Mount Washington, NH 03589

Hours

Seasonal; check the official site for current schedule. Round trip runs about three hours including a one-hour summit layover

Price

Check the official site for current ticket prices

Link

thecog.com

We checked fees, reservations, opening hours and operating status on 2026-10-13. These change without notice — confirm with mt-washington.com, revenue.nh.gov, nhstateparks.org and thecog.com the week you travel.

Straight-line distance from North Conway (White Mountains), not drive time.

• Portland International Jetport (PWM) — 50 miles
• Brunswick Executive (NHZ) — 60 miles
• Concord Municipal (CON) — 62 miles