HOT SPOTS
See our list of the top romantic spots in the Northeast.

One summer day in 1989, Jeff Hardy walked with his girlfriend, Darcy Allen, up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail from Pinkham Notch into the Alpine Garden. Darcy had yet to see the extraordinary flowers that bloom on the Northeast's biggest stretch of arctic tundra. They had the place to themselves, and soon the couple was surrounded by ground-hugging pink alpine azaleas, mats of pale green and white bunchberry, delicate and rare white diapensia growing in the protection of boulders, and bursts of magenta, the bell-shaped flowers of the hardy Lapland rosebay. They lingered in this alpine paradise, then walked on to Nelson Crag, where they ate lunch looking over the Mount Washington valley. With Huntington Ravine as a backdrop, and under a perfect blue sky, Jeff knelt before Darcy and proposed. "Luckily," Jeff says, "instead of pushing me off, she said yes."

Couples often look for romantic locations for occasions like special dates, marriage proposals, and weddings. And for people who love the outdoors, those transcendent places—grand, intimate, wild, surpassingly beautiful—are often found in nature.

Craig Repasz wanted a proper stage for his proposal to Jane Brokaw, one with personal significance, symbolism—and scenery that he hoped would take Jane's breath away.

He chose Mount Carrigain, a 4,700-foot tall peak in the heart of the White Mountains between Franconia and Crawford notches. As Craig put it, "Every mountain worth seeing can be seen from the summit." The peak, he thought, would symbolize the challenges they could surmount together. Plus, the two hikers had seen Carrigain from Zealand Hut on an early date. The mountain would mark how far the couple had come together.

On a warm autumn day, Craig and Jane hiked to the exposed ridge that leads to Carrigain's summit fire tower. "I had water, trail snacks, a diamond ring, and the perfect proposal line," Craig says. He imagined the look of joy and amazement on Jane’s face. But there were people on the tower, so Craig had to improvise:

"I handed Jane a water bottle and started my rehearsed script. I reached into my backpack for the ring, turned, and asked her, 'I was wondering if you would like to share something with me...' I finished the question with the opened box in my hand—...'the rest of my life?'"

"Of course I would, I would marry you in a second," Jane responded without hesitation. "But I thought you were offering me the trail mix."

It wasn't quite how he'd imagined it, but the unexpected lightness of the moment felt exactly right. "We slipped into our engagement," Craig says, "the way a veteran hiker slips into a pair of broken in, well-loved hiking boots, with comfort and a smile."

Later, near the summit, a gray jay ate trail mix out of Jane's palm. Watching, Craig saw her face light up and her mouth open in amazement. "There, right there," Craig says, "was the expression I had envisioned she would have when I proposed to her."

Many people looking for a romantic outdoor spot have just the one in mind—maybe a place they've already shared with a loved one. But if you're seeking the perfect spot for your big moment—a Valentine's date, a marriage proposal, the big day itself—there's actually an expert of sorts who might help you find it: Kim Steward is a justice of the peace who has officiated more than 250 weddings in and around the White Mountains, most of them out of doors. For more than 20 years, Steward worked for AMC at Pinkham Notch. The location gave her easy access to great outdoor settings, even on her lunch break. She'd tell couples, "Meet you at Glen Ellis Falls at 12:05."

She became a justice of the peace after attending a wedding at Zealand Falls Hut. She watched a stranger perform her friends' ceremony, and thought, "I wish I could have done this." Encouraged by AMC colleagues, she got her JP license soon after, and has become known as "Kim the JP" around northern New England. She's conducted wedding ceremonies in all manner of outdoor settings, sunrise to sunset, from high huts to grand hotels. She's joined couples dressed in hiking shorts and couples who've just stepped off their bicycles or out of their skis or canoe.

"I catch people at their best," Steward says. "They're happy, getting married how and where they want. They're not stressed about the color of the napkins."

These romantic places aren't necessarily just for one special moment. In twenty years of marriage, Darcy and Jeff Hardy have returned to the Alpine Garden many times. According to Darcy, every time they go, it feels like they’re returning to a part of heaven.

Places of the Heart
Looking for a romantic outdoor spot? Here are suggestions from "Kim the JP" Steward, plus favorites from AMC guidebook authors Jerry and Marcy Monkman and Susan Charkes.

High Peaks: Mount Washington, tallest of the Presidentials, is majestic but also notorious for its extreme and rapidly changing weather. Steward suggests Mount Willard, on the western side of Crawford Notch, instead. Susan Charkes notes that trekking to the top of Mount Katadhin in north-central Maine "may leave the parties too spent to think of romance." She recommends nearby Doubletop Mountain, which offers 360-degree views of Maine's North Woods and famous Katahdin itself.

Long Views: On Mount Washington, Lions Head and the Cow Pasture, says Steward, offer spectacular panoramas with fewer crowds and less wind than the summit.

On the Water: The intimacy of a lakeshore or the sweep and motion of the ocean offer as many moods as love itself. Some special picks: Lost Pond, near Pinkham Notch in New Hampshire, offers lovely views over water. Closer to North Conway, water pools in the sculpted rock of Diana's Baths. Waves crash against the New Jersey peninsula at Cape May.

Sunrise, Sunset: "Watch sunrise from the secluded headlands" of Maine's Monhegan Island, suggests Jerry Monkman, "and sunset from the porch of the island inn." Or kayak from Seal Cove to Pretty Marsh Harbor (on Maine's Mount Desert Island), timing the paddle to arrive at sunset.

Waterfalls: Steward recommends the White Mountains' Glen Ellis Falls, Jackson Falls, and Crystal Cascade, all reached by short and easy walks. The Falls Trail in Pennsylvania's Ricketts Glen State Park has a lovers' bounty of waterfalls—22, including 94-foot Ganoga Falls—over 7 miles. In May, the mountain laurel, Pennsylvania's state flower, bursts into bloom, Charkes notes, turning the trails themselves into "pink-canopied tunnels of love."

Wherever you choose, Kim the JP says make it personal. She has noticed over the years that something magical occurs when couples share a place of special beauty or personal significance. "I can see it in their faces," she says.