Previously mentioned as a fine hostelry, is the terminus of the stage
line. Here you will meet guests who have come by stage from Gorham,
eight miles distant, on the Grand Trunk Railway, or from the summit of
Mount Washington, by the carriage road already described. This location
is more than sixteen hundred feet above sea-level, and the clear,
bracing atmosphere, the magnificent scenery, and the delightful drives
in several directions, together with the excellent manner in which the
hotel is kept, are sufficient to account for its popularity and success.
In the matter of stage-line management, it probably has no superior in
the world, that which conveys the passengers up the carriage road to the
summit of Mount Washington being notably superior in point of equipment,
and the well-known skill of its drivers.
Excursions may be made from here to the Carter Notch, Osgood’s Cascades,
Summit of Mount Madison, Garnet Pools, Emerald Pool, Thompson’s Falls,
Glen-Ellis Falls, Crystal Cascade, Tuckerman’s Ravine, and many other
places of more than ordinary interest.
[Illustration: APPROACH TO NORTH CONWAY.--P. & O. R. R.]
But again taking up our line of travel at Glen Station, the train soon
emerges upon the beautiful CONWAY INTERVALES, Intervale Station being
the next stopping place. The Intervale House, near by, is a pleasant
abode for those who choose to tarry. A short distance beyond is NORTH
CONWAY, a village of multitudinous attractions, and with a popularity as
a summer resort that is surprising to the casual visitor, who, although
seeing much to admire, fails to comprehend the peculiar combinations
which bring people year after year to spend their summers in the
vicinity. Superficially, the most attractive objects conspicuously
visible are the hotels. The spacious KIARSARGE HOUSE seems a veritable
paradise for the traveler, and its tables are unexcelled. The views
from its verandahs are superior, comprising the mountain ranges, the
famous Pequaket or Kiarsarge Mountain, and the lovely Intervales, upon
which the village is situated. The mountain from which the hotel
receives its name is about three miles from the village, and the ascent
may be made in the saddle or on foot. The altitude is 3,367 feet, and
the view from the summit comprises the entire White Mountain Range,
together with Mote Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge, Sebago Lake with other
bodies of water of less magnitude, and a stretch of landscape in every
direction most pleasing to the eye, less grand and rugged, to be sure,
than that we have been describing, but on that account more restful to
the senses.
[Illustration: KIARSARGE HOUSE AND MOUNTAIN.--DISTANT VIEW.]
The other attractions at North Conway consist of Artist’s Falls, Echo
Lake, the Cathedral and Ledges, Diana’s Baths, the Devil’s Den, and a
host of lovely drives in various directions, with sylvan paths for
pedestrianism _ad libitum_.
CONWAY CENTER, five miles southeast of North Conway, is the next
station, and has many charms as a summer resort. Mount Chocorua, with a
sharp pinnacle, towering up 3,540 feet above sea-level, is reached from
here to good advantage, as is also Walker Pond, a short distance south
of the town.
We are now in the “smiling valley” of the Saco River, in the midst of
cultivated farms and peaceful villages, in striking contrast with the
scenery just left behind. Crossing the boundary line between New
Hampshire and Maine, our next station is FRYEBURG, which some poetic
writer has called the “Queen of the Saco Valley.” It is indeed a lovely
town, embowered in deep foliage, and affording the visitor most
delightful drives. Jockey Cap, a huge granite pile, is near the village;
and close by is Lovewell’s Pond, the scene of an Indian battle in 1725.
Mount Pleasant is only seven miles distant, and has upon its summit a
fine hotel.
[Illustration: MOUNT KIARSARGE, OR PEQUAKET.]
Passing in quick succession the stations of Brownfield, Hiram, the three
Baldwins, and Steep Falls, we reach