The Notchland Inn

The Notchland Inn is a granite-block lodge from 1862 set inside Crawford Notch State Park, on the southern approach to Mount Washington. Thirteen rooms, a small dining room, trails leaving the property in three directions, and a guest list that runs heavily to hikers and people who want to be cold and quiet. It's the rare White Mountains inn whose location is still remote rather than commercial.

The building was originally a stage stop on the road through the Notch, then a private home, then an inn. Most of its current shape dates to the post-Civil-War era and the granite walls are part of the original structure. The road outside is the same one Daniel Webster used to take through the mountains.

The setting

Hart's Location, New Hampshire — population under 50, the smallest town in the state by population. The inn sits on Route 302 inside the boundary of Crawford Notch State Park, with the Notch's granite walls rising on both sides of the valley. Mount Washington's southern approaches start within a few miles. The town of North Conway, the nearest commercial center, is twenty minutes south.

It's quiet at night in a way that has to be experienced. The Saco River runs near the property; trains on the Conway Scenic Railroad still pass on the line.

The building

A stone-and-timber lodge, granite block walls at the base, timber framing above. The interior has the period bones — exposed beams, plank floors, multiple working fireplaces, a small library. Public spaces are restrained — sitting room, dining room, a back porch toward the river. The aesthetic is rustic Americana with an emphasis on actual rust rather than the magazine version.

It's owner-operated and the operation is clearly a labor of long-running attention.

The rooms

Thirteen rooms across the main building and a small adjacent cottage. Categories range from compact rooms (around $295) up through suites with working fireplaces, soaking tubs, and views toward the Notch's walls. Beds are queens and kings, linens are heavy, bathrooms are updated to a competent standard. Several rooms have working wood-burning fireplaces — this is a building where fireplaces matter.

The cottage units have more privacy and are favored by repeat guests.

Food & drink

The inn runs a small dining room with a fixed-menu dinner most evenings (open to non-guests by reservation). The food is regional New England — local meat, regional fish, seasonal vegetables, a workmanlike wine list. Breakfast is included. The dining room is small enough that you'll want to book ahead.

On the property

The Notch is the amenity.

• Multiple trails leaving the property
• Outdoor hot tub
• Working fireplaces in select rooms
• Continental and hot breakfast included
• Dining room with fixed-menu dinner
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Hikers heading for Mount Washington's southern approaches
• Couples doing a fall foliage or winter snowshoe weekend
• Anyone whose idea of a hotel is a quiet inn with fireplaces and a view
• Travelers who'd rather be inside Crawford Notch than next to it

Who it's not for

• Travelers who need walkable restaurants outside the inn
• Families with very young children — the inn allows children but the format is quiet
• Anyone who needs a full hotel operation with bar service and gym

Nearby

The Mount Washington Cog Railway base station is twenty minutes north. Crawford Notch's hiking trailheads — Arethusa Falls, Frankenstein Cliff, the southern approach to the Presidentials — are within ten minutes. Bretton Woods (winter skiing, the Mount Washington Hotel) is fifteen minutes north. North Conway and the outlets are twenty minutes south. The Conway Scenic Railroad runs through the property's backyard; rides on the Notch Train are worth the ticket. Echo Lake State Park and Cathedral Ledge are slightly further south.