in recent days, my best friend Elise and I enjoyed some found time and took the opportunity to drive 90 minutes north of Grantham to the idyllic village of Sugar Hill. The main purpose of our little road trip was to check out what we had heard is one of the most scenic venues in the state of New Hampshire. This is particularly true during early to mid-June when the colorful lupines are at their annual flowering peak.
By way of background, Sugar Hill is one of those small northern New Hampshire towns that probably looks and feels a lot today just as it did, say, 75 years ago. In fact, it is officially the newest incorporated town in NH having earned this status 60 years ago in 1962. Once a Victorian resort town, Sugar Hill is perhaps best known today as the home of Polly’s Pancake Parlor which has been serving up breakfast/brunch fare for over 80 years.
In early June, it’s the lupines that take center stage in Sugar Hill. For nearly 30 years the town has hosted the annual Sugar Hill Lupine Festival and Market however, like so many other events, it has been regrettably cancelled in recent years due to the ongoing pandemic. https://www.lupinefestival.com
Nonetheless, the festival cancellation didn’t stop the annual return of the blue, purple, and pink lupines!
In early June, it’s the lupines that take center stage in Sugar Hill. For nearly 30 years the town has hosted the annual Sugar Hill Lupine Festival and Market however, like so many other events, it has been regrettably cancelled in recent years due to the ongoing pandemic. https://www.lupinefestival.com
Nonetheless, the festival cancellation didn’t stop the annual return of the blue, purple, and pink lupines!
Upon arriving in the village, it was not hard at all to spot the lupines which seemed to be popping up just about everywhere…along the road, between houses, etc. However, the most stunning displays were in many of Sugar Hill’s open fields with the White Mountains themselves serving as a spectacular backdrop. Here’s a photograph of a field of lupines we came across swaying back and forth as if they had been choreographed with a wide range of mountains including Mount Lafayette and Cannon Mountain, separated by Franconia Notch, in the near distance (Mount Washington was also in view but, as is often the case, was experiencing clouds covering the summit). Painters with their palettes were a common sight as they captured the stunning lupine/mountain images on canvas.
In addition to multiple open fields of lupines, we noticed the flowers thriving in other parts of the village as well including behind the famous Harman’s Cheese and Country Store and on the grounds of St. Matthew’s Chapel, a quintessential New England white-steepled church on a hill. While there was essentially no traffic or crowds for us to compete with in viewing the lupines, we did take note of visitors from both near and far – including international tourists - that chose to take in these special sights as evidenced by car license plates from Texas, Mississippi, Virginia and all six New England states. We also learned that some visitors actually time their visits to the lupine fields to coincide with sunrise or sunset where the sunlight can dramatically alter the appearance, and beauty, of the lupines depending upon the time of day. You might want to consider a brief trip to enjoy the natural beauty for yourselves.
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