Playing in the Polar Ice Caves of NH

New Hampton, NH
Ames Brook RV Park



When we arrived in New Hampshire we were hoping for a very nice campground and we were more than surprised and happy!  It looks small and simple from the road but the campground goes deep into the woods and has a couple of streams that runs through it.  There are a few permanent/seasonal spots but all are kept up very nicely and most of the spots have lots of privacy.  Some are in the open and many are in the woods.  Nicely landscaped, clean and very pretty!  Wow!

     Our FHU site, #77.  $40 a night with our GoodSam discount.

Even though the front of the site was wide we did have a little bit of trouble backing in and getting out due to the landscaping and trees on both sides of our site as well as the sites across from us. 

Curt & Glenda, Illinois Campers, That's How They Roll!

And they took a picture of us too.

Rig Porn, as they call it!

 

 

A big draw for me was getting to explore the Polar Ice Caves.  We had been in the area before when the kids were very little but ran out of time and couldn't do the caves.  I have to say, after going through them, the kids would've loved it!  It's a perfect place for young kids (and older ones).

For $18.50 you can roam around the caves, trails, animal exhibits and climbing.

The caves are on the other side of the covered bridge.

There are stairs and ladders all over.  You pretty much follow a twisted maze of walkways to get around.  If you cannot climb a lot of stairs or have issues with small spaces you may want to skip some or all of the caves.  There are walk-arounds for most of them.

 

The boulders are formed of granite which is mostly made of Mica, Feldspar and Quartz.

It's very lush and most everything is covered with moss and ferns.

Some steps/ladders are very steep.

This one you really had to scrunch down for as you can see Glenda above.

  

Who is that coming out the other side?

Curt's next.

You could really feel the cold air as you got near the caves.  Very hot and humid outside but a nice 55 degrees inside.

This boulder gets around!

 

A narrow spot between boulders to navigate.

 

 

You can see the "X"s better below.

This (below) is what Glenda is holding up!

All the caves had cute names.

  

It was a lot of fun and there was only one section that we all skipped.  It was called the Orange Crush and the Lemon Squeeze.  You really could not do this if you were claustrophobic at all or a bit larger of a person.  It was very narrow and you had to contort yourself somewhat.  I gave it a good try but I couldn't do it.  I get a little claustrophobic and it was just a bit much for me.  Maybe if someone was in front to talk us through.  Since you couldn't see around the boulders, I didn't want to get stuck 1/2 way through!

 The girls taking a rest.

 And the boys.  They were good sports!

 

Afterward we stopped at the nearby The Last Chair Brewery for some drinks and snacks.

The food was delicious and the drinks were pretty good too.  They had just started a round of a Jeopardy-type game.  We decided to play and gave ourselves the name of Fast & Loose, That's How We Roll.  It's a combination of names that Curt gave us all (long story).  We had a lot of fun playing and did very well!  We were usually 3rd or 4th out of a large group.

 

 And for those that think Glenda can't drive a big truck, HERE SHE IS!  And she did just great!!

Next Up, The Highest Point in New Hampshire!!