Life in the Upper Valley

The Upper Connecticut River Valley area of central New Hampshire and Vermont includes the towns of Hanover and Lebanon, New Hampshire. Known as the Upper Valley, this region attracts people from around the world for its scenic beauty and cultural events.

Guide to visiting the Upper Valley

With virtual interviews, we understand that applicants who are interested in training at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center may choose to visit the area to get a peek at what life in the Upper Valley is like. This Guide to Visiting the Upper Valley provides an overview of the top attractions within the area for applicants who visit and have just a couple short days to see whether it feels like home.

Activities in the Upper Valley

Lebanon, New Hampshire was rated Best Small Town in America. There are many outdoor activities available in the Upper Valley for all seasons. Activities include:

  • Hiking: In the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the Green Mountains of Vermont, segments of the Appalachian Trail, and the Long Trail (Vermont)
  • Ice skating and ice hockey
  • Kayaking, sculling, rowing, canoeing, paddleboarding on Connecticut River or lakes
  • Maple sugaring
  • Road biking, gravel biking, fat tire biking, mountain biking
  • Rock climbing, ice climbing
  • Running
  • Sailing and water skiing
  • Alpine, cross country, and backcountry skiing
  • Swimming outdoors and indoor facilities during the winter
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3 images of people snowshoeing, hiking, mountainbiking
Whether snowshoeing, hiking or mountainbiking, the Upper Valley has many outdoor activities.

The cultural opportunities in the Upper Valley are similar to towns of 300,000 or more, likely due to the influences of Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

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Front entrance and visitors at the Hood Museum, Hanover, NH
Front entrance and visitors at the Hood Museum, Hanover, NH
  • Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College has numerous theatre events, concerts, films, including 5 to 6 films previewed for the Telluride film festival before public viewing.
  • Opera North and the Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon, New Hampshire, provide high-quality theatre and opera productions, in addition to live concerts.
  • Northern Stage in White River Junction, Vermont, is the preeminent year-round theater company in the region, offering professional productions of world premieres, classics, and musicals.
  • Museums: the Hood Museum (photo shown on right, courtesy of Dartmouth) at Dartmouth; Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vermont
  • Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences
  • The Upper Valley Trails Alliance (UVTA) strives to form and support partnerships with any town, organization or person in the Upper Valley willing to work on the improvement and sustainable development of public trails.

View area photos by visiting the links below:

City distances

  • Boston: 2 to 2.5 hours by Dartmouth Coach
  • NYC: 4 hours by Dartmouth Coach
  • Montreal: 3 hours by car