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TransNH Expedition (THNX)

Check out the incredible scenic views along the Kancamagus, take photos of some waterfalls, drive up the Mt. Washington Auto Road, scope out a couple of old time covered bridges, enjoy local foods, take a chance at seeing some moose, and spend some time in the woods! We will start at the Canadian border in Pittsburg NH and wind our way down through the state, before ending at the NH seacoast. We will cover nearly 500 miles of New Hampshire’s best and most scenic roads and trails. From the expansive networks of dirt and logging roads up north to the scenic White Mountain National Forest roads to the tight trails and historic small towns of Southern NH, we will see it all.

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Guided Adventure

Vehicle Requirements

The Trans-NH Expedition is designed around a Jeep JK/JL Rubicon in stock form, and is accessible to a wide variety of vehicles.  Parts of the route may be a challenge for a completely stock vehicle, but our guides can assist you with going around some areas if needed. Contact us before signing up if you have any questions about your capabilities.  Keep in mind that the scenery is the same no matter what you drive!

 

Disclaimer – THIS IS A NON-REFUNDABLE TRIP. PLEASE MAKE PROPER ARRANGEMENTS BEFORE PLANNING. 

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Cost: $500/vehicle + driver. Additional Passengers are $65 each. The cost includes your 3 day guided trip, campground accommodations for 2 nights (shared sites), Mt. Washington Auto Road tickets for your entire party, an exclusive event t-shirt (upgraded for 2024!), an event sticker, and all the GPX and waypoint tracks for the trip.

*Food, fuel, and alternative accommodations are your responsibility.

 

Upcoming Dates: 

June 21-23, 2024 - Registration Open Now!

September 20-22, 2024

 

Check here for dates and availability.
 

 

Start Location: Canada/New Hampshire border – Pittsburg, NH.
Start Time: 8:00am Friday
Finish Location: Seacoast, Hampton NH.
Finish Time: 4:00pm Sunday

 

Trail Difficulty

Trail Ratings of 2-3 and possibly an occasional 4. 95% will be 2 and 3 level. Anything with a 4 can be bypassed or we can winch you through. Don’t be scared off by it. This is a STOCK FRIENDLY trip, regardless of the trail ratings listed above. More information on trail ratings can be found on our forum.

 

General Overview
Day 1:The first day we will head off pavement, down remote logging roads as we make our way towards Mt. Washington. We will make a few stops along the way, see some rushing waterfalls, with our destination being the Mt. Washington Auto Road.

 

Day 2:The second day will start with some incredibly scenic roads, including the Kancamagus highway. The first half of the day will be almost entirely paved roads while the second half will start to venture back onto the dirt where we’ll turn onto NH Class 6 roads (aka trails). This is where we will air down and put things into 4WD. The trails are all stock friendly as rated above, but will be difficult in a few places.

 

Day 3:The last day will be substantial off-road travel. Some trails will also be narrow. There will be an essentially zero chance of body damage aside from light pin-striping from encroaching tree branches if you pay attention and follow your spotter’s instruction. After completing our off-road adventure, we will make our way out to the NH seacoast to see views of the beaches and Atlantic ocean before departing home.

 

This route is very flexible; nothing is set in stone and we may change things depending on the group’s desires, weather, and time. We have a lot of ground to cover and a lot of things to see in a short period of time.

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There is limited hiking to get to one of the waterfalls. It is a .6 mile easy hike/walk on relatively flat ground and a well maintained path.

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Accommodations

We will be camping at campgrounds Friday and Saturday night where there will be a campfire and facilities available. We reserve a group block of sites so expect up to 2 vehicles per site. There are motels in the area if you would prefer to have more amenities, but you are responsible for the costs of alternative accommodations.

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Do you want to try out a Roof Top Tent for the weekend? Have you been considering a tent but want to try one out first? Checkout Rooftop Adventure Company! You'll get setup with the perfect RTT for your vehicle, get help installing it, and learn how to use it. Then off you go!

 

 


Required Equipment
A GMRS or FRS RADIO IS REQUIRED! This is how we communicate throughout our travels. GMRS radios operate on a higher wattage for better range and require a simple FCC license, where FRS radios operate at lower wattage and do not have the same transmission range but do not require a license. More information on radio options will be found in your information packet.

 

What's Included In The Cost?

Maps: All participants will receive this trip as a packaged “Adventure Route”. This provides information, directions and GPX tracks of the route for use in compatible GPS devices or apps. This Adventure Route packet will enable you to run this route again at any time you please. Just find a partner, hop in your trucks, and go!
Accommodations: Campground accommodations are provided Friday and Saturday night. Bathroom and shower facilities will be available.

 

Mt. Washington Auto Road fees are included in the entry fee.


All other costs are covered by the participants.

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Some expected costs:
Fuel – This trip can cover up to 500 miles of roads. Why such a big range of total mileage? It depends on many factors and it is always best to plan for the worst. Our biggest enemy is time. We have a lot of ground to cover and not much time. Overall speed on the trails and difficulty over obstacles is another big factor. There are other factors like food/bathroom breaks, time for photos, and hiking time that can all contribute. This trip is pretty open ended, flexible, and is more about the journey than the finish line. Whether we travel 250 miles or 550 miles, we will have a lot of fun doing it and we will make our destination!

 

Food – You are responsible for all of your own food. Plan to cook breakfast and dinner at camp each day and prepare to have snacks and drinks in the vehicle with you to hold you over until meal times. Depending on time and the decision of the group, we may stop for lunch at a sit-down restaurant on Saturday, or we will continue our journey and eat on the trail. With this said, it is always best to have something that can be eaten as a make-shift lunch in case we get held up on a trail or our schedule is off and we can’t make it to lunch at exactly high noon. Sunday we will be eating lunch in the vehicles/on the trails. We will likely be finishing up the trip by mid-afternoon. It is probable that some people will head right home to get ready for work on Monday while others may choose to go have an end-of-trip dinner at a local restaurant.

 

Thursday night lodging or alternative lodging – Thursday you are on your own to find local lodging if you prefer. This is recommended if you are traveling a good distance to the arrival location. Some people might stay at the Lake Francis State Park Campground in Pittsburgh, NH, but there are other discreet camping options nearby, plus some cabin sites.

 

If you wish to stay in a motel/hotel/B&B on Friday or Saturday night instead of the provided campground, that is certainly an option, but it will be your own responsibility.

 

Supplies:
There will be fuel stops along the way as well as provisioning stops each day for anyone that needs to pick up food or ice for coolers. These stops are also good times for bathroom breaks.

 

Be prepared for weather! It may rain, it may snow, it may be hot and sunny. This is New England! Nights can be a little chilly and Mt. Washington has the potential to be pretty cold at the top. Bring appropriate clothing for all weather conditions we may encounter. Hot days, cool nights, rain, sunshine…be prepared!

 

General Rules:

Alcohol - There will be NO alcohol consumption until we are all parked for the night!

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This is a family-friendly trip. Please behave accordingly. Please keep in mind that our campsites are shared, so if you're bringing along small children who need quiet to sleep, you may want to consider alternative arrangements. Feel free to ask us for recommendations. 

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Dogs - Well behaved dogs are welcome. Please bring proof of rabies vaccination and anything you need to keep your dog comfortable. You MUST clean up after your dog. You are responsible for your dog's behavior. Please do not bring along your pup if they are not friendly with other dogs and humans of all ages.

 

Our guides are authorized to ask you to leave the trip if you or your dog causes a disturbance or behave in an unsafe manner.


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Minimum Equipment And Breakdowns On The Trip:
ExploringNH is generally very strict on having the minimum equipment to be able to go on a run. For this trip, our typical minimum equipment list will NOT be enforced. This does not mean to throw out your spare tire and fire extinguisher. It does mean that if you do not have the minimum equipment, you are still welcome.

 

The reason for this is that this trip is an Overland Adventure Route, designed to be friendly to stock vehicles. It is up to you to make the decision about what you decide to carry. If you choose not to bring a spare and you end up with a flat, that was your decision and it impacts how your trip goes! In cases like this, we will do our best to get you to safety and out to a main road. Be aware of the risks involved in this. Once out to the main road with help on the way, we will leave you and continue with the trip. We have a bunch of people that all took time out of their lives to have fun and explore for the weekend. We can not hold up the whole group for you. It is not fair to everyone else. The same goes with breakage. If you break an axle, we will do what we can to get you to safety but then you are on your own. If you are able to get repaired, contact the group and meet up with us later that day or at camp that night. With that said, if it is possible to get you repaired on the trail with a minimal time cost, we will do our best to get you back up and running. We want you to complete the trip and we REALLY don’t want to leave anyone behind, but we will do what we have to in order to keep everyone moving.

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Self-Guided Adventure -
Updated October 2023!

What's Included:


You will receive a link via email. This link will enable you to download a “zip” file with the GPX tracks of the route, a GPX file of waypoints like fuel, food, scenic stops, and an Information Packet that has all the information you should need.

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After looking over the Information Packet and the waypoints, PLEASE EMAIL US if you have any questions or if something isn’t clear!

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*October 2023 Update: The information packet has been updated to include new lodging recommendations, map information, and other updates. We have made minor edits to Day 2 & 3 for improved timing and to clarify trails that have changed over time. 

 

For more tips and information on the self-guided route, click here

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