When to Plan Your New Hampshire Lupine Trip

With the exception of foliage season, the end of spring when the lupines in New Hampshire are in bloom may be one of the most popular times of year. Typically peak season for lupines in New Hampshire will be between the first and second week of June. They have a short blooming season so be sure to plan your trip accordingly!

Where to Go

On your lupine trip you’ll be heading to the lupine capital of New Hampshire, Sugar Hill! To help guide your drive here’s a map I found recently on the official lupine festival page! The festival has been cancelled the last few years due to COVID and this year due to a lack of volunteers in the area. Hopefully in the coming years it will get back up and running again, but until then it’s very doable to do a self guided tour! Sugar Hill is pretty small so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding lupines by just driving through, but just in case, here are some of my favorite spots:

A map of Sugar Hill New Hampshire showing where to find lupines
Map of Sugar Hill Lupines

Lupine Field Stop One

In your GPS set the destination to Polly’s Pancakes and start your drive. The first field will be just slightly past this location. If you get there early stop for a pancake breakfast, they are delicious! A couple minutes down the road from Polly’s you will see a large lupine field on your right with a wide entrance path in the center. In the years that I’ve visited, I’ve found this field to have the most color variation of all the fields in Sugar Hill. There will be space to pull off on the side of the road so you can get out and walk among the flowers. This field has well groomed paths so make sure to follow them and not trample the lupines!

A field of purple pink and white lupines in Sugar Hill New Hampshire

Lupine Field Stop Two

Our next stop will include some beautiful views of the mountains in the area, and is my favorite stop for taking portraits because of that beautiful backdrop! Continue along the road in the same direction until you reach the Sugar Hill Sampler barn. At this road take a left. On your left side you’ll see another large field filled with purple lupines and views of Franconia Ridge.

A picture of a red barn in Sugar Hill New Hampshire. There is white lettering across the front that reads Sugar Hill Sampler. It is surrounded by green bushes
If you’re coming from Polly’s Pancakes, take a left when you reach the Sugar Hill Sampler barn
A girl is standing on a path in a field of purple lupines. She is wearing a gray t shirt and blue jeans and her brown hair is pulled back. There is a mountain behind her.

Lupine Field Stop Three

Finally, continue down this same road for just about 30 seconds until you reach the Sunset Hill House. On the right side of the road there will be a little patch of lupines with a small parking lot. This field is a little different since it’s not one you can walk around in but I love it for photos because it’s typically the densest lupine patch of all the fields in Sugar Hill.

Have a wonderful trip and as always, please remember to leave no trace when visiting the lupines. This means not picking the flowers and sticking to the groomed paths provided in the fields. Enjoy!