A Cider Season road trip through the Granite State
There are plenty of ways to experience fall in New Hampshire. You can hike through the mountains. You can chase the foliage. You can visit a farm. You can pick apples. You can eat cider donuts until someone tells you to stop.
Or…
You can follow the cider. Welcome to the New Hampshire Cider Trail.
From the White Mountains to the Seacoast, from farm orchards to downtown tasting rooms, New Hampshire has developed a surprisingly diverse cider scene. Some cideries are tucked into working farms. Others are part of larger craft beverage destinations. Some specialize in traditional dry cider. Others embrace fruit, spices and experimentation. And that’s what makes a cider road trip so much fun.
There isn’t one New Hampshire cider experience. There are many. So grab a map, find a designated driver, and start exploring.
What exactly is the New Hampshire Cider Trail?
There isn’t an official state-designated “Cider Trail”—at least not yet. We’re creating our own. Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure through New Hampshire cider country. You don’t have to visit every stop. You don’t even have to visit cideries exclusively. The best Cider Season adventure might look something like this:
Apple orchard → cider donuts → scenic drive → cidery → lunch → another cidery → foliage → home with a few cans or bottles.
That’s the beauty of cider. It naturally connects the things New Hampshire does best. Farms. Apples. Mountains. Food. Craft beverages. And beautiful roads.
Stop #1: The White Mountains
Rhythm Cider — Lincoln
Let’s start where the mountains meet the cider. Rhythm Cider is produced at Seven Birches Winery inside RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain in Lincoln.
It’s an unusual cider destination because you can make cider part of a much bigger experience. Come for a cider flight. Explore the production process. Try different styles. Then grab a meal at Rhythm Tap & Grille, where Rhythm Cider is available alongside food designed for a full afternoon or evening out. And you’re surrounded by the White Mountains. That’s a pretty good way to start a cider trail.
Don’t just stop for a drink. Make it an experience.
Crucial 10 Craft Cider — Thornton
Just a short drive south of Lincoln brings you to Crucial 10 Craft Cider in Thornton. Located at Shamrock Grove, Crucial 10 operates a taproom and outdoor cider garden where visitors can enjoy flights, full pours and bottles to go. The cidery also hosts live music during the warmer months. (visitnh.gov) The current lineup includes styles ranging from the semi-dry Northstar to New England Hazy Cider and the crisp Bonez Dry.
In other words, if you’re beginning to explore cider, this is exactly the kind of place where a flight makes sense. Try several. Figure out what you like. Then order a full pour.
Hatches Orchard — Center Conway
Want to add an actual apple orchard to your White Mountains cider adventure? Head north toward the Mount Washington Valley and Hatches Orchard in Center Conway. This family-run orchard offers pick-your-own apples, a farm setting, a picnic-friendly atmosphere and a one-mile public trail alongside the orchard. Its 2026 apple season typically begins around Labor Day and continues through the fall. (hatchesorchardnh.com)
This is an important part of the Cider Trail philosophy:
Don’t just drink the cider. Find the apples.
Stop #2: The Lakes Region
Hermit Woods Winery — Meredith
Head south toward Lake Winnipesaukee and you’ll find another interesting stop: Hermit Woods Winery & Sweet Mercy’s Kitchen in downtown Meredith. Hermit Woods isn’t exclusively a cidery. That’s part of what makes it interesting. The winery produces wine, mead and cider, and its cider program includes everything from European-style dry cider to cranberry apple, crabapple, blueberry and mulled cider.
During 2026, Hermit Woods is also holding a cider tasting weekend on the first weekend of each month. (hermitwoods.com) It’s a good reminder that New Hampshire’s cider story doesn’t exist in isolation. Wine makers are making cider. Farmers are making cider. Brewers are making cider. And consumers get to benefit from all that experimentation.
Stop #3: The Dartmouth–Lake Sunapee Region
Gould Hill Farm & Contoocook Cider — Contoocook
This may be one of the best tree-to-glass stops on the entire trail. At Gould Hill Farm, the apples and cider are literally part of the same farm story. The property is home to Contoocook Cider Company, a micro-cidery producing cider from apples grown at Gould Hill and other locally sourced fruit. The farm itself grows dozens of apple varieties, and the setting offers classic New Hampshire hilltop views. (visitnh.gov)
This is the kind of place where you can:
pick apples → eat a cider donut → taste hard cider → look across the orchard → realize you just spent a very good afternoon.
Farnum Hill Ciders — Lebanon
If you really want to understand what serious traditional cider can be, put Farnum Hill on your list. Farnum Hill Ciders are made at Poverty Lane Orchards in Lebanon, where the focus is on cider apples—including bittersweet and bittersharp varieties that are very different from the apples you might normally buy at a supermarket. This is cider for the curious. It can be dry. It can be tannic. It can be earthy. It can be complex. And it can completely change what you thought cider was supposed to taste like.
New Hampshire Tourism specifically highlights Farnum Hill as a destination for visitors looking for complex, dry cider made from unusual cider apples. (visitnh.gov)
Learn about Farnum Hill Ciders
Stop #4: Central New Hampshire
Butternut Farm Cider House — Farmington
If you’re looking for the quintessential orchard + cider combination, head to Farmington. At Butternut Farm, the Cider House sits right on the family farm and serves cider made from apples grown on the property. Add apple picking. Add cider donuts. Add a fall afternoon. You get the idea.
This is exactly the kind of experience that makes Cider Season bigger than the beverage itself. New Hampshire Tourism included Butternut Farm among its featured cider destinations for fall 2026. (visitnh.gov)
Stop #5: The Seacoast
North Country Hard Cider — Rollinsford
Eventually, the Cider Trail reaches southern New Hampshire. And this is where things get particularly interesting. North Country Hard Cider in Rollinsford has built a reputation for a broad and creative cider lineup. Its tasting room offers flights and rotating selections, giving cider fans an opportunity to explore different styles in one visit. You’ll find dry and off-dry ciders, fruit and spice combinations, barrel-aged releases and experimental offerings.
In other words:
Come curious. You might leave with a new favorite style.
Visit North Country Hard Cider
Don’t forget the orchards
A great cider road trip shouldn’t be limited to cideries. Some of the best stops are the places where the cider story begins.
Applecrest Farm Orchards — Hampton Falls
With more than 40 apple varieties, Applecrest is one of New Hampshire’s classic fall farm destinations. The farm combines apples, produce, baked goods and fresh cider with a larger agritourism experience. (applecrest.com)
Carter Hill Orchard — Concord
Pick your own apples, visit the country store, grab some cider donuts and enjoy the farm. Carter Hill’s 2026 PYO apple season begins Labor Day weekend. (carterhillapples.com)
Appleview Orchard — Pittsfield
Appleview sits atop Jenness Hill and offers pick-your-own apples, a farm shop, baked goods and its famously popular apple fritters. Its 2026 PYO season is already underway. (applevieworchard.com)
Tellman Hill Farm — Whitefield
For those exploring the North Country, Tellman Hill is a particularly interesting stop. The small family-owned farm is rebuilding a historic dairy farm as an apple orchard, with 2026 apple picking beginning September 4. (tellmanhillfarm.com)
Windy Ridge Orchard – North Haverhill
Where Rhythm Cider & Seven Birches Winery made its debut back in 2010, this is the home to the quintessential New England Apple Orchard. With farm animals, Christmas trees, fresh-pressed apple juice and yes, the best cider donuts on planet earth. You should not miss this annual treat. (windyridgeorchard.com)
Make your own Cider Trail
Here’s the best part: You don’t need to follow our route. Build your own.
The Mountain Loop
Lincoln → Thornton → Conway
Try Rhythm Cider, Crucial 10 and Hatches Orchard. Add a scenic drive through the White Mountains. Perfect for a fall weekend.
The Orchard Loop
Concord → Contoocook → Lebanon
Start at Carter Hill or Apple Hill. Visit Gould Hill and Contoocook Cider. Continue west to Farnum Hill. You’ve now connected apples, cider and some serious New England agricultural history.
The Lakes Region Loop
Meredith → Center Ossipee → Farmington
Start with cider at Hermit Woods. Explore the Lakes Region. Head toward Butternut Farm. Add an orchard stop. Make it a day.
The Seacoast Cider Run
Hampton Falls → Dover/Rollinsford
Start at Applecrest. Explore the Seacoast. Finish at North Country Hard Cider. Dinner afterward. Nobody said a cider trail had to be complicated.
The best time to do the Cider Trail?
Cider Season.
That’s why we’ve chosen Labor Day through Thanksgiving.
Early September gives you the first apples and the first hint of fall. Late September brings peak harvest and, in many parts of New Hampshire, spectacular foliage. October is prime cider weather. November brings colder evenings, late-season apples and Thanksgiving. The trail changes as the season changes.
That’s part of the adventure.
A few rules for your cider road trip
1. Don’t try to do everything in one day.
Cider Season is not a race.
2. Order flights.
Especially if you’re new to cider. A flight is one of the best ways to discover what you like.
3. Bring a designated driver.
Or stay overnight. New Hampshire has plenty of wonderful places to turn a cider outing into a weekend getaway.
4. Ask questions.
What apples are in this cider? Is it dry? Was it barrel-aged? Is it a single variety? Where did the apples come from? Cidermakers love talking about this stuff.
5. Buy something to take home.
A great cider memory shouldn’t end when you leave the tasting room.
The Cider Trail is bigger than cider
That’s really the point. The New Hampshire Cider Trail isn’t just about finding places that make hard cider. It’s about following a thread through the state.
Apple trees. Farmers. Orchards. Harvest. Cidermakers. Food. Mountains. Lakes. Small towns. Fall foliage. And eventually… A glass of cider.
That’s what makes New Hampshire such a wonderful place to experience Cider Season.
So this fall, don’t just ask:
“Where can I get a cider?”
Ask:
“Where should we go next?”
That’s when the adventure begins.
🍎 Start Your Cider Trail
New Hampshire Tourism maintains a statewide directory of cideries and organizes destinations by region. It’s a great place to discover stops you may not have heard of yet. (visitnh.gov)
And if your Cider Trail brings you to the White Mountains, come see us at Rhythm Cider in Lincoln.
We’re pretty sure you’ll find something worth discovering.