Planning
When we decided to take a week up to North Conway, NH to visit the White Mountains, I immediately wondered about flying in the area. I knew national park’s were a no go, but I checked anyway. As it turns out, the White Mountains are actually governed by the National Forest Service, and are a different category all by itself. The rules around the White Mountain National Forest are pretty clearly posted here. They are actually pretty permissive, and just rule out high traffic people areas like trailheads and overly popular sites. New Hampshire state parks, meanwhile, like many states does not allow flying (though they don’t really clearly articulate that anywhere it became clear).
As it turned out, I ended up flying in city owned land mostly. I would love to get a chance to visit again and hike some of the more alpine trails to fly but they are tough with kids, and the wooded areas are so densely brush they aren’t very flyable. Despite that, I did manage to get 4 decent flights in over the course of the week!
Flight 1 – Our Cabins Backyard
The cabin we rented was itself pretty isolated, and backed right up on 100’s of acres of forest. And so, like any overly giddy child of a man, the first thing I did when we arrived was take off for my first flight right in the backyard.
I actually managed to get a few good photos doing this (and checked out the cabin from all angles). Ultimately, it was a short flight becaause I couldn’t take the drone very far without going out of line of sight.
Flight 2 – First Bridge Park in North Conway
The next day, we got out and about and did some hiking, and on the way back we noticed this little North Conway park called First Bridge Park. We peeked in, and it was perfect for a flight: very sparsely populated, city park with no restrictions and nestled right up against a boat launch (that’s probably busy in summer but was deserted in late May). So, we ran back to the cabin and grabbed the drone for a flight!
The spot was actually perfect for flying. I was able to go to the end of the park, and there was a very large area over the Saco river and adjoining field where there wasn’t a person nearby. I got to fly two full batteries and got some great river shots.
I also got a great shot of what I later discovered was Cathedral Ledge. Since state parks do not allow flying, this is about as close as one can get with a drone (though we did drive up and peek without a drone, which I highly recommend).
Flight 3 – Green Hill Preserve / Pudding Pond Loop
After my second flight, we spent a few days hiking nearby, and seeing some of the sights on foot. With an empty afternoon though, I snuck out on my own with the drone to the Green Hills Preserve Pudding Pond Loop hike.
The hike itself was actually surprisingly tough, swampy and BUGGY! I was glad I did it by myself without the family, because the mosquitoes feasted on me and the path wasn’t well marked. Another path went more up the mountain but was much longer and not in my time frame unfortunately.
All griping aside though, I did manage to get two short flights in during this hike, which Mrs. Penaug tells me are some of my best (though she may be telling me that because I looked like I got hit by a car when I returned to the cabin 2 hours later).
The first set of photos I got were right off of a little bridge in a swampy area. I managed to get some interesting swamp photos, but also a nice mountain shot by elevating from where I was.
After these, I hiked most of the trail until I actually found what I presume is the actual Pudding Hill Pond. That’s where I got a bit more adventure then I expected (drone wise). I was looking for a good spot to take off from, but the brush was pretty thick and that was proving tough. I ultimately found a little cut out through a tunnel of trees. Thinking highly of myself, I took off and guided it right out over the water through the tree line.
That first bit actually went well – but once over water, the drone immediately started blowing down the pond. Fighting back panic I did the emergency procedures I learned in my UAV coach lesson. It took me a moment, but I managed to get it out of control and eventually figured out I needed more elevation. I was actually very confused at first because I had strong GPS signal and the wind was non-existent, but apparently there was some sort of wind tunnel at play. I did manage to get a decent photo out of the whole fiasco before a very harrowing landing experience bringing it back in through the trees.
Last Flight – Mt Washington Valley R/C Club
I managed to get one final flight in before leaving, thanks to the Conway Scenic Railroad of all things. We took a trip on it with the kids and they pointed out the location of the Mt Washington Valley R/C Club right off the tracks. Luckily, they welcome all guests with AMA Membership, so we took an adventure for a flight out there.
The field is kind of amazing, coming from a more urban one. I was able to do some fun flying (despite the bugs, again the bugs!) over a big distance. The sheer size of the field reminded me I really need to figure out my strobe light situation, but it was fun getting to fly 1000+ feet away from me. The field also had a variety of terrains beneath it to play with the photography, so I got a few more cool pictures.
Conclusion
All in all, it was a great week, both of hiking and getting to fly a bit. This was my first trip taking the drone, and it was fun getting to some different locations and experiencing them through flight. Figuring out where you can fly does remain a bit exhausting, but it was well worth it in the White Mountains.
You can see all my White Mountain 2021 photos in this gallery!
