New Hampshire's White Mountains are famous for fall colour, but the forests between the peaks hide a stranger story. Scattered along the region's popular hiking corridors are the remains of an abandoned lumber town, the wreck of a WWII bomber, the site of America's most famous UFO abduction, and more. Five spots, in particular, are worth working into an autumn itinerary.
First, the ghost town of Livermore, a logging settlement founded in the early days of the industry up here and emptied out within about a century. Today moss-covered bricks, rusty artefacts and the odd stone foundation poke through the forest floor. It's reached off Route 302 by walking down Sawyer River Road, and the surrounding trailheads make it an easy add-on to a day of hiking.
The most sobering site sits on the slopes of Mount Waternomee near Woodstock, where a Douglas B-18A bomber slammed into the mountain in January 1942. The plane had taken off to patrol the North Atlantic for German U-boats, but navigational errors and wind pushed it over the White Mountains on its way back to western Massachusetts. Locals rescued the survivors through a snowstorm, and hikers who make the tough trek in from Walker Brook Road off Route 118 will find fuselage pieces still embedded in the hillside, marked with American flags left by visitors.
Then there's Lincoln, home to the Barney and Betty Hill incident, arguably the world's best-known UFO abduction story. The couple said a strange white light followed their car along U.S. Route 3 one night, their car vibrated, a piercing beep sounded, and they later reported missing time and disturbing memories, filing a report with the Air Force the next day. With the region's minimal light pollution, driving that same stretch after dark is an appropriately eerie experience. A historic marker along Route 3 in Lincoln tells the tale.
Franconia Notch holds a different kind of loss: the Old Man of the Mountain, the granite profile that watched over Profile Lake until it collapsed in 2003 despite decades of attempts to secure the formation to the cliff. Not far away, the grand Profile House inn, built to serve travellers drawn to the stone face, burned down and vanished almost entirely. A short paved path from the parking area at Exit 34B on Route 93 leads to Profile Lake and the Old Man Memorial, with rougher trails looping past the old inn grounds.
Finally, Mount Chocorua in Albany pairs panoramic valley views with the legend of Pequawket Chief Chocorua, killed on the mountain by a white settler in the most common version of the story. Moderate hiking trails circle the peak, and some walkers report unsettling sounds in the woods. A historic marker off Route 16 in Tamworth recounts the legend.
Who's this for? Leaf-peepers who've already done the standard Kancamagus Highway loop and want substance behind the scenery. These sites slot easily into a fall driving tour of the White Mountains, and each pairs a genuinely good hike or roadside stop with a story you'll retell later. Just bring a map, layers, and maybe a healthy tolerance for the unexplained.
