Friday is the self-guided Franconia Notch drive at FreakOut. Cannon mountain has three great attractions. I’ve already shared a little history about the Old Man of the Mountain. Today It’s the Tramway and the Ski Museum.
Cannon Mountain is home to the first aerial tramway in North America and New Hampshire’s only aerial tramway. The tram glides its way to the 4,080’ summit in less than 10 minutes. At the summit you’ll find walking paths and a 360-degree observation deck, with views of, NH, ME, VT, NY and Canada. Inside the Summit Lodge, you’ll also find a café and restrooms.
In the summer months the Aerial Tram runs daily, 9AM-5PM. Current pricing for the Aerial Tramway below.
Summer Pricing: (subject to change, save $3 per ticket when you purchase before midnight the day before your visit)
Walk-up / same day / in-person ticket prices:
Ages 13+ round-trip ride: $28
Children ages 6-12 round-trip ride: $23
Children ages 5 & under: Free w/ adult (A ticket must still be reserved for your 5 & under children, toddlers & infants.)
It’s highly recommended to purchase Aerial Tramway tickets ahead of time because they often sell out.
I mentioned last week we were headed to Cannon Mountain. We were fortunate Saturday morning to have clear skies with little wind. The view in the parking lot alone, was beautiful with the surrounding mountains. Once we boarded the Aerial Tram and it began its ascent to the top, the view kept growing and opening and we could see further and further. We loved it! There won’t be snow in June but I had to share a couple of snow photos. It had snowed the night before and I’m guessing windy too because everything was covered in a blanket of snow. I didn’t attempt the binocular machine. If I could have scraped the snow off and it accepted my coin, I was sure my face would have stuck to it.
There is, a restaurant in the Tram Summit Lodge, Café 4080’. On this day they had cinnamon buns which you could smell cooking as soon as you exited the Aerial Tram. Yes! We split one, it was yummy but the views were the best. We sat looking out one of the large lodge windows watching the skiers below, as we ate. The restaurant is cafeteria style. They had some hot foods and pre made sandwiches in the refrigerator section. The cafe will be open in June but there was no set menu. You order and pickup your food in the center of the building. Off to either side are seating areas with large windows to enjoy the view. I was surprised to see a full bar in one corner as well. Cannon isn’t the easiest mountain to ski, (Highest vertical drop of any ski mountain in the East) stopping in for a cocktail and then hitting the slopes… Good thing everyone wears helmets. The Cafe 4080’ is mainly about the views. I would have lunch there, the cinnamon roll was fresh, the staff was friendly and everything was neat and clean. I’ll add that when we were there it was packed with skiers. But if you’re looking for a gourmet meal you may want to try somewhere else. There’s a smaller café in the Tramway Base Lodge as well. It wasn’t open when we were there but I was told, it would be in June. (No seating, just pick up and go.) I saw ice cream freezers! You’ll also find Ticketing, restrooms and a gift shop in the Tramway Base Lodge.
Just steps from the Tramway Base Lodge, is the New England Ski Museum. To the left of the museum entrance is an example of one of the first Aerial Trams. I’m happy they upgraded!
The museum is free and well worth the trip in. It’s a small space packed with history! The first exhibit to catch your eye will be local skier, Bode Miller’s 5 Olympic medals, World Cup Trophies and other memorabilia.
There’s always a friendly docent on hand to answer any questions and a small gift shop with unique skiing themed gifts on the way out.
I’m also excited to share; Luis and I made our first vacuum formed RC car body of an X1/9!
