When we encourage you to “GO NORTH,” just where the heck are you going? As it turns out, that’s a very good question. Even residents disagree about where the North Country begins, and what it encompasses. For us it encompasses Northern New Hampshire and Northeastern Vermont.
Probably the best description was the one former Governor Sherman Adams used: “north of the Notches.” That would be north of Franconia Notch, Crawford Notch and Pinkham Notch, all in the beautiful White Mountains/Presidential Range to our south. The North Country is ready to welcome all who are ready for a Great North Woods adventure unlike any other!
Most of our visitors arrive by driving up U.S. Route 3, which follows the twists and turns of the Connecticut River on the border with Vermont. This lovely highway runs through the towns of Stratford, Columbia, Colebrook and Pittsburg before crossing over into Quebec, Canada. Most of the North Country’s population lives along this highway, and most of our adventure-oriented businesses can be found here.
From Colebrook, State Route 26 works its way east toward Maine, passing through Dixville Notch (the one notch we call our own), Millsfield and into Errol on the edge of beautiful Lake Umbagog on the Maine border.
The rest of our North Country consists of thousands of square miles of beautiful, pristine forests, wildlife management areas, national reserves, and state and federal parks. Our mountains are a bit lower than the impressive rocky peaks in the Presidential range, but there are hundreds of miles of great hiking trails and wilderness campgrounds. Countless lakes and ponds feed miles of beautiful whitewater streams and rivers teeming with fish. And our human population is dwarfed by our North Country wildlife: herds of moose and deer; woodcock, grouse and turkey; red fox and coyote; bald eagles; brook, brown and rainbow trout, and much, much more.
The Locals of The North Country
You will find our people to be welcoming and glad to have you share the natural beauty and outdoor adventures to be found in our small part of the world. North Country people are hard-working, but we know how to have fun. Our families have lived in these parts for generations, hunting, fishing and living off the land and in the deep woods. We are independent, but tolerant, proud but gracious, warm and welcoming to our many visitors. We love living and working in this beautiful North Country, and we want every visitor to take away a happy memory of this special place we call home.