In New England we tend to chase a number of different flowers as they bloom starting in April with daffodils and continue the trend into September with the later sunflower filled fields. In between during the month of June is possibly one of the most sought after of them all and the epicenter for these stunning lupine blooms is in Sugar Hill, NH. This tiny town encompassing only 17.2 sq miles is the newest in the state having been incorporated in 1962 and as of the last census has a population of 647 people. It overlooks the White Mountain National Forest with views of the Presidential, Franconia, Kinsman & Dalton ranges.
Predominately purple with pinks and whites mixed in, the lupine flowers can be found scattered throughout Sugar Hill and surrounding towns in northern New Hampshire. But there are several areas that have the most concentrated numbers of these beautiful blooms and make for must stops on a June visit here.
One of the first stops for most visitors is usually the lupine filled field on Sugar Hill Rd. (Rte 117) that is less than half a mile southwest from the famous Polly’s Pancake Parlor and on the same road. For those looking for an approximate GPS coordinate it would be (44.218785, -71.781480). A classic stone wall lines the edge of this field next to the road besides an open entrance area to walk in and you can park on the side of the road there. You are immediately met with a panoramic view of lupine blooms that surround you on both sides. There is a nice mix of pink lupine mixed in here and tons of yellow buttercup flowers to make for a great blending of colors for you to mess around with different compositions here.
Lupine & Buttercup filled field on Sugar Hill Rd. (Rte 117)
Pink & Purple Lupine
Purple Lupine
These locations can be done in any order, so map them out and then see which routing works best for your particular visit. Probably the most recognizable location for them here is in the field next to the St. Matthew’s Chapel, which is only 0.3 mile from the first field I mentioned above. While standing in the field the main focus is looking back towards the chapel, but if you simply turn around you will be met with stunning mountain views as well. *This field can be filled with ticks so make sure to check yourself well after visiting.
Sunset at St. Matthew’s Chapel
Milky Way over St. Matthew’s Chapel
Just up the road a bit is in my option the best view in all of Sugar Hill and the field in the foreground also happens to be loaded with colorful lupine. When you turn left onto Sunset Hill Rd. the first view will be of the iconic red Sugar Hill Sampler building that is always a photo worthy subject of its own accord. Just about 500 ft down the road and on the opposite side is where to park for this epic grandiose view. My favorite time to visit this post is a little bit before sunset so the golden end of day light is coming over you shoulder and bathing everything in a warm glow. I also hung out here on one visit until well after dark in order to capture the Milky Way rising up above the Kinsmans and a bit of Cannon Mountain to the left.
Mountain views from Sunset Hill Rd
Milky Way from Sunset Hill Rd.
Sugar Hill Sampler building on Sunset Hill Rd.
Continuing up Sunset Hill Rd. from there you will get to one of the only few hotel options in town, the Sunset Hill House, where I stayed on my visit back in June of 2022. Later in the blog there will be a little bit on the hotel and photos from my stay. Across the road from the inn there is a great little field of lupine surrounded by a split rail fence and featuring a very cool tree out in the middle of it.
Sunset across from the Sunset Hill House
Sunset across from the Sunset Hill House
Lupine field across form the Sunset Hill House
About a 10 minute drive west from the Sunset Hill House there are a number of lupine patches on both sides of Pearl Lake Rd. and around Pearl lake itself, which is located in the neighboring town of Lisbon.
Photographing lupine along the edge of Pearl Lake
Fisherman on Pearl Lake
Lupine along Pearl Lake Rd.
Lupine along Pearl Lake Rd.
At some point during a visit to Sugar Hill you will most likely make a stop at the famous Polly’s Pancake Parlor for breakfast or lunch since besides being great food, it’s kind of the only game in town for those meals. Down further in the blog there’s a feature on Polly’s and other food options in the general area. Although I’ve seen the blooms differ in all of my visit here, there are lupine in the field across the street from Polly’s. Typically there’s a pretty good wait list time to get a table, so you can grab your camera and head across the street to see what kind of flower filled views you can get.
Field across from Polly’s
Field across from Polly’s
Field across from Polly’s
Don’t forget that you are up in the White Mountains during a beautiful time of year so there are plenty of side quests if you have the time before or after enjoying the lupine of Sugar Hill.
Cruise the Kancamagus Highway
Hike to one of many waterfalls
Crawford Notch State Park & many other worthy stops around Rte 302
Echo Lake in Franconia
Historic landmarks such as the Mount Washington Resort
The Kancamagus Highway
Crystal Cascades
Glen Ellis Falls
Route 302
Crawford Notch Station
Echo Lake
Mount Washington Resort
Where To Eat
Besides the limited restaurant hours at both inns you’ll find listed below in the “Where To Stay” section there is only one real dining option in town. And it has become quite the iconic stop for breakfast during any visit here!
Polly’s Pancake Parlor For 84 years Polly’s has been serving delicious home cooked meals, with pancakes of course being their specialty. You can order up to 3 diff batters with 1 add in for each in a half stack or full stack. Choose from plain, buckwheat, gingerbread, whole wheat, cornmeal, oatmeal buttermilk & the GF cornmeal rice batter option. Add in options include blueberries, walnuts, coconut & chocolate chips. They also have a full menu including waffles, French toast, eggs, omelets, sandwiches, quiche, soups, coffees and even a whole menu of adult beverages.
Polly’s Pancake Parlor
Menu at Polly’s Pancake Parlor
Iced coffee at Polly’s Pancake Parlor
Stack of pancakes at Polly’s Pancake Parlor
Rek-lis Brewing Co. is a small brewery & restaurant located less than 10 miles from Sugar Hill that serves a full menu for lunch, dinner & Sunday brunch in the town of Bethlehem. Specializing in IPAs, ales & lagers, the brewery has 16 different craft beers on top here to enjoy. Great outdoor seating as well to enjoy during the warmer weather.
Rek-lis Brewing Co.
Rek-lis Chicken & Waffles brunch
Mimosa during brunch
Rek-lis Brewing Co.
Cider at Rek-lis Brewing Co.
Bar inside Red-lis Brewing Co.
Boneless chicken tenders
Littleton Freehouse Taproom & Eatery is another great restaurant & bar located only 10 miles from Sugar Hill serving lunch & dinner 6 days a week (closed Mondays) in the town of Littleton. No matter where I end up staying while in this part of the White Mountains, I end up here for at least one meal during every trip. Between the outside patio seating and a great menu, this is one of my favorite restaurants to hit up while in the area.
Littleton Freehouse Taproom & Eatery
Littleton Freehouse Taproom & Eatery
Cider at the Littleton Freehouse Taproom & Eatery
Cider at the Littleton Freehouse Taproom & Eatery
Maple Buffalo Chicken Wings
The Freehouse Panini
Montreal Brisket Sandwich
Maple Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
The Maia Papaya is a great coffee shop in Bethlehem, just 10 miles away from Sugar Hill, that offers breakfast & lunch with a number of vegan items on their menu. I find it to be a great spot to start the day to grab a coffee & breakfast sandwich from. Check out their full menu on their website below.
The Maia Papaya
Egg & cheese at The Maia Papaya
Mocha latte at The Maia Papaya
Franconia Coffee House is the closest coffee shop to Sugar Hill and also offers a breakfast & lunch menu. Iced mochas are my go to on the road and they make a tasty one here!
Iced mocha from the Franconia Coffee House
Where To Stay
There are only two hotels that are located in the tiny town of Sugar Hill and I had the pleasure of staying at one of them (The Sunset Hill House) during my visit in June of 2022.
The Sunset Hill House The current Sunset Hill House was originally constructed in 1880 as the annex to the larger Grand Hotel of the same name that had accommodations for up to 350 guests! The revival of the inn as it stands today is a smaller more intimate stay with 28 guest rooms to choose from. The inn also features a restaurant with full menu that is open certain nights of the week, so make sure to check first before booking.
(* Photos below were from my stay there in June 2022)
Sugar Hill Inn The other inn in town that I have yet to stay at was originally a farmhouse built back in 1789 and then first operated as an inn after a large addition was added in 1924. The inn was taken over by new ownership in 2021 and looks to be a wonderful stay that I hope to check out myself sometime. It features a restaurant, spa, and of course amazing views!
* Photo from Sugar Hill Inn Facebook page