Spectacular Weather for Fourth of July Weekend Draws Visitors to Mt. Washington Valley

NORTH CONWAY, NH – The long Fourth of July weekend was spectacular in the Mt. Washington Valley, both in terms of weather and number of visitors descending on the greater North Conway area for the holiday period. After last year’s soggy summer season pulled down visitation numbers, 2024’s Independence Day weekend for most businesses showed significant increases. The Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce polled its members on business activity for the period.  

Michelle Cruz, Executive Director for the Mt. Washington Valley Chamber, explained, “With the holiday falling on a Thursday this year, many travelers took the opportunity to make for an extra long holiday weekend. Our member businesses were excited to welcome so many guests this last week. After last summer’s rain and this winter’s weather challenges, it was great to see the holiday usher in the hot and sunny weather our summer visitors enjoy. Most of our members reported that they were very busy and saw an uptick in sales compared to last year.”

The Chamber’s Vice President Paul Durfee, who is also marketing manager for the Berry Companies, added that the Eastern Slope Inn and Attitash Mountain Village have seen a changing booking window with guests waiting to make their reservations, “The booking period has shrunk this summer considerably. Our resorts had been pacing significantly behind for the summer in May and June, but June crept back to last summer's figure, and July's figures are improving by the day.” Alex Foti, owner of Bretton Woods Vacations, added that they were up 25% for the period compared to last year, something he attributed to last year’s weather-related downturn in sales.

Several hotels, from chains to small inns, reported being sold out for the long weekend including the Hampton Inn, the Scenic Inn and the Glen House. Others, including the Cathedral Ledge Resort and Starlight Lodge, reported sales being off considerably. Some members expressed concern with an oversupply in Air BNBs impacting room revenue for certain properties.

Area restaurants shared that they were extremely busy for the period, including Vito Marcello’s, Black Cap Grille, Red Parka Pub, and The Notch Grille at the Glen House.

Area attractions also had a rosy weekend. The Cog Railway said sales were up 10%. Becca Deschenes, Marketing Director for Cranmore Mountain, said, “We had a very strong 4th of July weekend (Thursday-Sunday), for both revenue and attendance and were up in both areas compared to the same period last year.” Pete Gagne of Saco River Canoe Rental stated, “The entire week was incredible. The weather was perfect hot and humid. Last year was a bust so it didn't take much to improve.”

Visitor demographics reflected mostly families and couples hailing from nearby New England states, especially Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island. There was some group business reported, as well as international visitors from as far away as the Netherlands and Spain.

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