Our Towns
From New Hampshire's northern most city to small towns and rural hamlets, the municipalities that make up the Androscoggin Valley region share a community-minded spirit, rich historical roots, and untapped potential.
Berlin
Powered by the mighty Androscoggin River, the paper industry flourished for well over a century. This gave rise to a remarkable city built by immigrants who came to work here from all over the world, creating a rich legacy of diversity, architecture and history.
Natives do not pronounce the name of their city in the same way as the German city - it is pronounced 'Burrrrr-lin."
Today, the paper industry is a part of history, but lives on at the Northern Forest Heritage Park and the Brown House Museum.
The Northern Forest Heritage Park is a 3-acre site along the Androscoggin River, where a full-size replica of a logging camp has been developed.
An amphitheater alongside the river is where a number of programs and events take place in the summer. Many of those events pay tribute to the cultural heritage.
Downtown Berlin has some wonderful old architecture - Classical Revival can be seen at the Holiday Center (27 Green Square); Colonial Revival in the Berlin City Bank (9 Main St.) and City Hall, an example of Georgian Revival architecture.
Outside of town is the newly-developed Jericho Mountain State Park which features a network of ATV trails for all abilities.
In the winter, snowmobilers fan out on local trails that connect with corridors that can take them to points in Canada and Maine.
The city's amenities are also accessible in the winter via a snowmobile trail that accesses the downtown.
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Dummer
With a population of about 300 people, Dummer may be one of the smallest towns in northern New Hampshire, but it has huge outdoor opportunities, from wildlife watching to canoeing and whitewater rafting.
One of the popular destinations in Dummer is the Pontook Reservoir, an impoundment of the Androscoggin River, where bald eagles, loons and osprey can be seen. If you are very lucky, there may be a moose swimming across the water.
The Great Northern Moose Lodge, on Route 16 at the foot of 13-Mile Woods, is a great base to head out for nearby adventures or to just relax and answer the question posed by folks at the lodge: "Have you ever really heard silence?"
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Gorham
Surrounded by the tall peaks of the Presidential Range, Gorham has long been a mecca for hikers and adventurers who come to explore the region.
With its location halfway between Montreal and the Atlantic Ocean, Gorham was hub for railroad travelers. Today, the historical society, located in the original 1907 depot off the common, pays tribute to that part of the town's heritage.
There are several accommodations along Main Street and Gorham is a good launching-off headquarters for visitors looking to take in the Mount Washington Auto Road and skiing at Wildcat.
The downtown is an eclectic mix of businesses and restaurants - Saladino's Italian Market and Restaurant, the Moonbeam Cafe and Libby's Bistro are very popular. The Wonderland Bookstore is also a popular downtown destination.
A short drive from Gorham - in Pinkham Notch - is the base camp of the Appalachian Mountain Club, from where most hikers depart for climbs up Mount Washington and other peaks in the Presidential Range.
The toll road to the top of Mount Washington is also located about 8 miles south of town. Drivers can go up the Auto Road on their own or take the stages that leave at regular intervals.
At the summit is the Mount Washington State Park and the Mount Washington Observatory, where in 1934, the 2nd highest wind ever recorded on earth blew at 231 mph. The summit is a lively place, where visitors, researchers and hikers are apt to co-mingle.
At the base of Mount Washington, next to the Auto Road, is Great Glen Trails, where people can run and bike the trails, arrange kayaking trips and use the climbing wall. In the winter, a snowcoach takes skiers part-way up the Auto Road and then they can ski down.
Nightly moose tours around the area are also a popular draw, happening from June to October, leaving from the town common.
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Jefferson
On its east-west meander through northern New Hampshire, U.S. Route 2 runs through several small towns like Jefferson, which offers stunning mountain scenery that has remained little changed from the grand hotel days.
Orator and minister Thomas Starr King, known for his influence in California politics during the Civil War, was a frequent visitor to Jefferson and wrote The White Hills: Their Legends, Landscapes and Poetry in 1859.
The publication brought attention to the small town of Jefferson. Starr King thought the views in town were the best anywhere in the White Mountains and thought the town could become a popular resort destination, if only it had a grand hotel.
In 1860, he persuaded someone to do just that, which led to the construction of the Waumbek Hotel, one of the five largest grand hotels of the day, until it was destroyed by fire in 1928.
He has a mountain named after him in Jefferson, Mount Starr King. Mount Starr King in Yosemite National Park is also named after him. Surviving the town's grand hotel era is New Hampshire's oldest 18-hole golf course, the Waumbek, built in 1895.
Today, Jefferson is best known to visitors, particularly those with children, as the home to Santa's Village at one end of town and Six Gun City on the other end - both are located on Route 2.
Both attractions have passed the half-century mark and are still run by the founding families and their children. For many visitors to the area, the attractions are a summer tradition.
For those who enjoy architectural history, Jefferson has some lovely examples dating back to the grand hotel era, when a number of grand cottages were built by the Waumbek Hotel for the very affluent families that desired more privacy than they could get at the hotel. In all, 11 "cottages" were built.
Today, only six of what are known as the Waumbek Cottages remain, located on Cottage Road and Starr King Road, off Route 2. They were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. All are privately owned but give the town an elegant and stately feeling.
For outdoor enthusiasts, the Presidential Rail Trail, along a former railroad bed, goes from Jefferson 18 miles west to Gorham. The trail parallels Route 2, offers great mountain views and is suitable for off-road biking and snowmobiling.
Part of the 5,500-acres Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge is also located in Jefferson.
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Milan
When you get to this pretty farming community on the banks of the Androscoggin River, pronounce it the way the locals do: My-lin; not the way you pronounce that city in Italy.
The town has a pretty little village and not far from there is Milan Hill State Park, a popular area for hiking, cross country skiing in the winter, picnics and seasonal camping.
A fire tower is also on the property and a short climb up to the top has a wonderful panoramic view of mountains in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.
Just south of the village, on the Milan-Berlin town line is the massive Nansen Ski Jump that dramatically rises above the treetops.
It was built in 1936 and in the day, was one of the largest in the country. It has a 170-foot steep frame and a 171-foot tower, 225-foot vertical drop and a descent angle of 37.5 degrees.
Today, the Nansen Ski Club has its headquarters at the state park and provides a network of cross country ski trails.
Snowmobiling is also a popular winter activity in town.
The famed 13-Mile Woods, which follows the Androscoggin River along Route 16 to Errol is a beautiful and peaceful ride. The area offers views of kayaks and canoes paddling downstream; bankside fishermen casting into the water and (depending on the time of day) is where to go to see moose and other wildlife. Each August, Milan Old Home Day is celebrated in a daylong event, featuring, among its activities, a women's skillet toss.
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Randolph
Randolph has long been a summer retreat nestled along U.S. Route 2. Its rich history can be seen in some of the handsome cottages built here, shadowed by some of the tallest peaks in the Presidential Range.
It is also known for the Randolph Mountain Club, founded in 1910 to promote hiking and trail development. A 100-mile network of trails maintained by the club reach up the northern slopes of the Presidential Mountain Range, as well as four shelters - Grey Knob, Crag Camp, the Log Cabin and the Perch.
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Shelburne
Just a short drive east of Gorham is Shelburne, on the Maine border. Like it is elsewhere in northern New Hampshire, hospitality is a foundation in Shelburne.
The Philbrook Farm Inn has been welcoming guests since 1861 and the fifth generation of Philbrooks now runs this gracious, lovely inn.
Just over the town line with Gorham is the Town & Country Motor Inn, another institution that has been run by the same family for half a century.
A stretch of Route 2 in town is lined with birch trees that were planted decades ago as a unique memorial. Known as the Shelburne Birches, they are a tribute to the local war veterans.
Shelburne also has a couple of curious wonders - the stone fish, one of several creatures built by a wealthy estate owner in the early 1900s and the Old Man of the Valley, resembling the late great Old Man of the Mountain, which crumbled in 2003, is also an attraction.
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