Presidential Prospects

In honor of President's Day, the caption for this image could also read "Looking Presidential." Of course I am talking about the landscape not the librarian.

The Mount Washington Valley is blessed with numerous views of the White Mountain's Presidential Range. 

Let's do a quick virtual armchair "presidential traverse" around the valley and up to the summit. 

The one above from North Conway's Sunset Hill features Mounts Washington and Adams and is an enlargement of a print by James Smillie based on a painting by John Frederick Kensett seen below.

For more details about this vista and it's history see our previous blog here. 

While you can't see the Presidential Range from Tamworth, there is an interesting and "apt" memorial there honoring President Grover Cleveland. See our previous blog here. 

Coming into Conway Village from the south the first view of Mount Washington can be seen after crossing the railroad tracks.

This viewpoint was noted by none other than Henry David Thoreau. See our previous blog here. 

A few miles north another favorite view is from the Saco Valley overlook as you head into North Conway near "bowling alley" hill.

You can read more about this roadside pullover here and here.

At the very north end of Conway you can see this prospect from the Intervale scenic vista captured here in a painting by Benjamin Champney. 

Winslow Homer created this fascinating combination of a portrait with a landscape, featuring the felsenmeer or "sea of rock" on the summit of Mount Washington. 

Homer's employed an interesting homophone in the title of this painting. You can read about it here. 

Winter views from the summit of Mount Washington were explored in our previous blog here.

We end our short trip with a scene of the summit's Tip Top House here where hotel guests are welcoming us with waves and flags.

The painting above and many others of the Presidentials can be on the White Mountain Art website here.