Hotel at a Glance: RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain

RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain offers visitors an array of luxury amenities along with breathtaking views of the White Mountains. Here, guests can visit the onsite commercial winery to sample wine in the tasting room, visit the spa for a relaxing treatment, or dine at the upscale Italian restaurant. Guests can also retreat to their spacious suites to cook a meal in the full kitchen or get some fresh air out on the balcony.

• Dining: La Vista Italian Cuisine serves up dishes such as wood-oven pizza.
• Studios are equipped with microwaves, coffeemakers, sinks, toasters and fridges.
• One-bedroom suites have full kitchens and add soaker tubs and private balconies.
• Signature spa treatment: the White Mountains foot soak, infused with scents of cedar, pine, and fir
• For families: a game room, poolside fire pits, and a seasonal ice skating rink that converts into a 170,000-gallon lagoon heated swimming pool.
• For fitness: an all-season outdoor heated pool and a health club

Lincoln, New Hampshire: New England Town amid White Mountains and Forests

Formerly a mill town, Lincoln is now home to a modest collection of roadside diners and antique shops. But many visitors are drawn to Lincoln for its proximity to the White Mountains. Loon Mountain, the closest peak, looms 3,050 feet above town. The mountain is best known for its ski slopes—there are 61 trails on 370 skiable acres—and one of New Hampshire’s longest gondola rides, which leads to glacial caves and the trails.

Just northeast of town, Franconia Notch State Park boasts the Flume Gorge as well as the former site of the Old Man of the Mountain, a rock formation that remains New Hampshire’s state emblem despite having collapsed in 2003. Photogenic nature scenes can be found at almost every turn here. Birch trees jut out of the cliffs and thick mats of moss sprawl over giant boulders. In winter, blankets of snow add to the air of tranquility.