cathedral ledge

Excellent ice climbing options ranging from easy to hard are all close at hand to North Conway. Most recently, I enjoyed the winter experience there and despite the very heavy snow of the year was able to get on excellent ice. Some routes are a bit snowed under but the longer ones are great still.

If you are in the area and not up for a hike, just drive to the top of Cathedral Ledge for great view. You can watch the rock climbers scale up over the top of the ledge. Nice place for a picnic. Come to watch the sunset or sunrise for fewer crowds.

If you don't like heights don't visit; you can get right to the edge (there is a chain link fence) and look straight down. There is a short hike to the ledge and the terrain can be a little rough. The view looks east across the valley which is gorgeous. This is a free stop.

This is a place where you can gaze out and see just how beautiful the whole Conway area really is. You can see for miles and miles and look out over the town.

The view is fantastic - it's quite a long walk from the gate to the top in winter so you need to be reasonably fit, but it's worth it.

We've seen climbers on this massive rock face on a previous visit. It looks beautiful in the winter as it does during other seasons of the year.

Worth the short hike for the views-- parking lot isn't too far from here. For a more challenging hike to the top, there are climbers scaling the side of the cliff. We opted to drive...

I highly recommend a stop at Cathedral. The view of the White Mountains and the surrounding area is quite amazing.

From the top of the ledge it is like you are on top of the world, My husband took our young (10 years old) rock climbing to the top. Very impressive at such a young age to accomplish that.

What a view of the Mount Washington Valley! It is an easy drive up there if you don't want to hike. Do not forget the camera!

Drove up to the top and were awed by the great views, especially with the autumn colours. Found it slightly difficult to negotiate some of the area as not as fleet footed as I used to be.

We drove our car to the top, about 5 min. The view was spectacular especially in the morning when the sun is just coming out. You could see the town, Echo Lake, and far-away mountains. Very peaceful. There were no assigned parking but I guess you could park anywhere on the side once you're on the top. Went back in the evening too.

Hike or drive to the top of Cathedral Ledge to get a great view down to the Saco River and the surrounding North Conway area.

We had a hard time finding this place -- our GPS led us astray.But it was worth the effort. The views are really incredible.

When you go here make sure you drive to the road's end as there are places to stop on the way which can confuse you. It is a short but difficult walk ( for those with mobility problems ) to the outlook and what an outlook it is. With good views of parts of the ledge itself and great panoramic views of the surrounding countryside, this is definitely worth the effort.