By: Cassidy Pierce- Owner of Pierce Legacy Photography- Buffalo, NY

Mountain roads, cozy cabins, hidden gems, and a wedding weekend that completely stole my heart.

This summer, I packed up my car in Buffalo, loaded up my dogs, and headed toward New Hampshire and Vermont (with my gorgeous 2nd shooter, @shaegibsonphotography on instagram) to photograph a wedding. What started as a work trip quickly became one of my favorite adventures yet! Between mountain roads, cozy cabins, hidden swimming holes, and some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever driven through, I couldn’t help but think, everyone deserves a weekend like this. A time to slow down, pause and be with the people you love!

If you’ve been dreaming about escaping to the mountains, or wondering if New Hampshire and Vermont are worth adding to your travel list-here’s why this road trip completely won me over.

From Buffalo to the Mountains

Living in Western New York, it’s easy to forget just how much beauty is within a day’s drive. The drive from Buffalo to New Hampshire is long enough to feel like an adventure but close enough to make it a realistic weekend getaway. Total travel time is around 8 hours with stops:)! As the miles passed, the scenery slowly shifted from familiar roads to rolling mountains, winding highways, and charming little towns that seemed untouched by time. It reminded me that sometimes the journey is just as memorable as the destination.

One of the highlights of the trip was where we stayed.

Instead of booking a hotel, we found a beautiful pet-friendly cabin tucked into the mountains. Every morning we woke up to peaceful views, fresh mountain air, and complete quiet, except for two excited dogs ready to explore. Bringing my dogs along made the trip even more special. It turned what could have been a quick work weekend into a true getaway. If you’re planning a trip to this area, I can’t recommend finding a cabin enough. There’s something about drinking your morning coffee while overlooking the mountains that just slows life down. The rental company we used will be tagged in the links below!

The Little Moments Ended Up Being My Favorite

While I was excited to photograph the wedding, some of my favorite memories came from everything in between.

• Finding small local coffee shops.

• Stopping at roadside overlooks.

• Driving roads with mountains around every bend well singing music with my best friend.

• Exploring towns we’d never been to before.

• Finding places that weren’t on any itinerary

A Photographer’s Perspective

It’s impossible for me to visit places like this without imagining all the incredible stories that could be told there.

Mountain overlooks at sunrise.

Quiet lakes tucked into the trees.

Cozy cabins.

Open fields.

Scenic backroads.

Historic small towns.

Everywhere I looked, I found another location that would make an incredible backdrop for an engagement session, intimate wedding, or simply documenting a weekend away together.

The best part? None of it felt staged. The beauty already existed, you just had to be there to experience it.

A Few Things I’d Recommend

If you’re thinking about planning your own trip to New Hampshire and Vermont, here are a few things I’d do again in a heartbeat:

• Stay in a cabin instead of a hotel if you can.
• Give yourself extra time so you’re not rushing from place to place.
• Take the scenic roads whenever possible.
• Stop at overlooks, even if it’s only for five minutes.
• Explore small towns instead of sticking only to popular tourist spots.
• If you have dogs, look for pet-friendly cabins and hiking areas—they’ll love it just as much as you do.
• Leave room in your schedule for unexpected adventures. Some of the best memories come from places you never planned to visit!

Whether it’s a long weekend, an anniversary trip, an engagement, or just an excuse to unplug together, New Hampshire and Vermont have a way of making you slow down. It’s the kind of place where you spend less time looking at your phone and more time taking in the view. Where the drive is just as exciting as the destination. Where conversations last a little longer over coffee, hikes lead to unforgettable views, and the mountains somehow make everything else feel quieter. It’s hard to leave without already thinking about when you’ll come back.

Until Next Time

This trip reminded me why I love combining travel with photography. Every new place has its own personality, and every couple experiences it a little differently. If New Hampshire or Vermont has been on your bucket list, I hope this gives you one more reason to make the trip. And if you’re dreaming about turning that trip into an engagement session, an intimate wedding, or simply documenting an adventure together, I’d love to help tell that story.

Cass’s Favorites From This Trip

Coffee, matcha & breakfast at WildFlour Cafe in Lisbon, NH

🏡 Favorite Place to Stay
A cozy cabin tucked into the White Mountains with mountain views, quiet mornings, and plenty of places to explore nearby. Staying in a cabin out here made the whole trip feel like part of the adventure.
→ Cabin rental

☕ Favorite Coffee Shop
WildFlour Café in Lisbon, NH was right near where we stayed and such a cute little find. Good coffee, breakfast, baked goods, and exactly the kind of small-town spot I love finding on trips like this.
→ WildFlour Café

🥾 Favorite Hike
Mount Willard is one of those hikes where the view at the top feels way bigger than the hike it takes to get there. You end up overlooking Crawford Notch with mountains surrounding you — definitely worth adding to a White Mountains trip.
→ Mount Willard Trail Information

💦 Favorite Swimming Hole
Diana’s Baths is made up of waterfalls, rocks, cascades, and little natural pools tucked into the woods near North Conway. It’s an easy adventure stop and would be especially fun during a summer trip.
→ Diana’s Baths

💍 Dream Intimate Wedding Venue
Stowe Meadows in Vermont is basically made for the kind of intimate wedding I love photographing — private, surrounded by nature, with huge views of Mt. Mansfield. They specifically host intimate weddings and elopements, which makes this one an easy favorite.
→ Stowe Meadows

📸 Favorite Photo Spot
The Kancamagus Highway runs straight through the White Mountains and is full of mountain overlooks, rivers, forest, and places to pull off and explore. I could honestly plan an entire adventure session just along this road.
→ Kancamagus Scenic Byway

🍽️ Worth the Stop
Crumb Bum Bakery in Littleton is the kind of place I’d absolutely stop at before a day of exploring — small-batch baked goods made with local and seasonal ingredients, plus Littleton itself is such a cute town to wander around.
→ Crumb Bum Bakery

I already know this won’t be my last trip to Vermont and New Hampshire. Between the mountains, little towns, random stops along the way, and everything in between, there’s just so much here I still want to see.

And selfishly, I would LOVE an excuse to come back with my camera.

If you’re planning a wedding, elopement, or just want photos somewhere a little more adventurous, Vermont and New Hampshire are veryyyyy high on my list. 🤝🏼📸