Steep. ?Private. Rocky. Good exercise. Great views of Lake Winnipesaukee. More to come . . .read more

Also known as Bald Peak (and lending it's name to the nearby Bald Peak Colony Club) this little…read moremountain is a decent size to get in a half-day hike, depending on your ability, a picnic lunch, and some incredible views. It's a popular trek. There are also several hiking paths nearby which are maintained by the Castle Preservation Society, as well as Castle in the Clouds itself, and hiking trails at Mt. Shaw (I believe) nearby. I recommend sticking to the path along the eastern side (right-hand side as you approach the base) of the mountain. There are several very interesting places to explore just off the path, however they can get steep. The path travels up around the back of the rocky area. As you approach the outcropping, you will have an impressive view of Lake Winnipesaukee. When I was last there, there was a picnic table and camp fire as well. There are horse trails from the summit that travel west to Castle in the Clouds, but it's a long haul to get over there! (These trails are free and open to the public, but the Castle charges admission.) I believe I read that there are some geocaching spots up there as well. Parking is along the road right at the Tuftonboro/Moultonboro border by the town sign honoring local Olympians Hannah Hardaway and Wolfgang Moser.

Me and my boyfriend loved this hike, until we didn't. The hike up and the view at the summit was…read moreamazing. It was a challenging hike but worth it in the end. However, when we climbed back down, we decided to take a different marked trail that was less steeper than the way we came. The trail took us to a private property that was someone's backyard. We ended up having to walk 2 miles back to our car on a main highway, in the heat. I hope the organization of this hike is fixed for future use and most importantly for safety.

This is a moderate hike. Currently, you have to park on the…read morestreet. The parking lot is under construction. There is a box set up for a $5 donation. There are portable bathrooms before the trails, but they were disgusting. There are 3 trails. We did the blue trail up and the Red trail down. Wear good shoes, we did wear neakers and were ok. The trails are marked well. The views at the top are beautiful.

Winter lunch at the Castle was so fun! Tables located in historic converted stable at the carriage…read morehouse. Set menu including starter and entree with n/a drink and gratuity at a reasonable cost. Food was excellent as was the service. Highly recommend- note reservations are required

This was a disappointing stop. I drove specifically out of my way to visit too…read more There is hiking on the grounds and I little ice cream/sandwich stand. The ice cream was good and they offered pup cups. I got a grilled cheese and it was simple and didn't have much flavor for $14+. You can go into the carriage house for restrooms and more food options. To see or get anywhere near the castle you have to purchase a $23 ticket and take a trolley to the castle. I had my dog with me and they do not allow pets. The do allow service animals. I wasn't even allowed to go take a picture or peak at the castle. LAME! There is a gift shop that is okay. I was going to get an ornament but didn't want to pay an exorbant amount for a place I never really got to see. Definitely didn't want to support them that way. Maybe it would have been different without my dog, but as a traveler from out of state I didn't have many options and was only passing through the state.

Beautiful, simple hike. Moderate with a few rocks and some steep parts. The rock chairs are one of…read moremy favorite spots. Takes me about an hour total. But I'm a very slow hiker. Definitely bring bug spray!

the view of the lake is so beautiful and the hike isn't too difficult or long either. there's so…read moremany different kinds of mushrooms right along the trail. some of the paths off of the lake view trail were unkept tho

The trail is very well maintained The views are great…read moreMultiple trails to choose from Bugs were not bad at all

In mid-March, I hiked three mountains in the area, including Piper Mountain, Belknap Mountain, and…read moreGunstock Mountain. Only needed microspikes not snowshoes, because already many people made path and snow was not too soft. No view from Piper mountain, but it is nice from Belknap and Gunstock.

Very popular and well-travelled, the Bridge-Falls Path is a nice easy little trail, about half a…read moremile long. Starting downtown at the Wolfeboro Train Depot, it follows the path of the now defunct Wolfeboro Scenic Railway. The tracks are gone, but the scenic views remain. There's plenty of parking at the historic depot, and a short ride on your bike or a leisurely stroll will take you along Wolfeboro's Back Bay and past some informative signage telling the history of the area. After passing through the wooded shade and some interesting rock outcroppings, you will see the remains of Berry Mill, built in 1840, and still making excelsior when I was a kid in the early 80s. Here you can often find people fishing along the river, and others walking their dogs, taking photos, or just simply enjoying the sun. Crossing the bridge at Wolfeboro Falls, near the run-down water wheel, the Bridge-Falls Path comes to an end. But if you still have some adventure left in you, you can venture across the street and continue the 12 mile path onto the Cotton Valley Trail, also known as the Wolfeboro-Sanbornville Recreational Trail or the Honorable Russell Chase Memorial Path. The rails are still in place from here on, and still used once a year for hobbyists to try their own rail vehicles. But that's another review! The Bridge-Falls Path is lit for nighttime use, but I'm not really sure I'd go it alone in the dark. Unfortunate signs of graffiti are sparse (and oddly kooky- OctoCat, half-octopus half-cat! These vandals are likely young kids with an off-kilter sense of humor.) Overall, the Bridge-Falls Path is a great start to the Cotton Valley Trail.

Incredible!! The gift shop is amazing, so much stuff at surprisingly great prices and it all…read moresupports the center. There was literally everything, shirts, stickers, postcards, hats, nightlights, ceramic tiles, mugs, ornaments, and more. The two women working were so nice and we had such a great conversation, and one even gave us recommendations for more things to do nearby. There's also a small museum that's really informative and a 20 minute video available, but we were just passing through so didn't watch it. There are two trails, we did the 1.7 mile one to the human-made loon nest and it was such a beautiful hike with songbirds, mossy rocks, and gorgeous foliage everywhere. We even saw an osprey, no loons probably because of the weather and it wasn't quite nesting season. Totally worth the stop, I loved it and will definitely be following them on social media and joining their email list.

Great hike on yellow trail in the off season. The trails were good mostly flat with some very…read morerooted spots. Nice benches and small bridges along the way. Loon lookout and some great glacial boulders. Open dawn to dusk for free even during the closed season. About 2 and a 1/2 hours around the loop for us.

I am going to get hate for this but it is what it is. Worst trail I have been on. Unleashed dogs…read moregetting in front of bikes. The trail is not wide enough for recumbent biker to go off the trail to get around. Unfriendly walkers refuse to step aside. I left after a half an hour.

My wife and I loved this trail as a walking trail. The…read moretricky part is that transitions between walking trails and rail lines My wife had a bad fall transitioning from the rail to the walkway on a bike End Up with a broken and a sprained wrist. You seriously have to be careful if you're on a bike and transitioning between the rail part of the trail and the regular path. It's beautiful and I would go there again

I do not recommend any "Moose Tours" with Lucie. We drove 3 hours to meet her and she was an hour…read morelate to the meeting point(no cell service to contact her), completely unprepared for us as she "pulled the wrong file" "what did I tell you we were doing" We basically drove up and down route 26 for 6 hours looking for moose on the side of the highway. She stopped to asked the locals where to find moose and spoke endlessly about the types of trees in NH. No moose were spotted at all even after a desperate mosquito infested walk through the woods (yes, we had bug spray but it didn't make a difference). We were told "plan B" was to drive up and down the same highway at midnight to see if the moose were out. This was a surprise for my husbands birthday, It was a surprise for both of us! This was a complete waste of time and money.

What a great experience we had and most of all a beautiful day with a great guide! I booked a one…read moreday trip kayaking for Lisa and I and it couldn't have went any better. Lucy met us in the morning and we went straight to the river. It was such a gorgeous and enjoyable ride and she was so pleasant and relaxed the whole way through. She gave us some simple tips on kayaking and also some nice information on some of the wildlife and history of the area. When we reached Lake Ossipee the wind was very strong which made the lake very choppy and her lead was so assuring in the challenge that lay ahead of us - she was awesome and we made it to the other side of the lake without any issues whatsoever. I would highly recommend Lucy if you want to experience a great day outdoors in the White Mountains

I feel the need to preface all of my nature reviews with this: being 90% forested and having around…read more3500 miles of coastline, Maine (and NH) has a tremendous amount of spaces, walkways, paths, and trails of all kinds and of all levels. There's something for everyone. What I'm reviewing is how a spot compares to similar outdoor spots in my personal opinion. Being in nature - and remembering to carry in, carry out - is always five stars! :) Parking? Yes. Loop trail? No. Well marked signs? No. Element of surprise? Yes. I didn't realize until recently that Steep Falls was more than just the name of a town (or bridge) in Maine. I mean, I knew it was named after the falls it surrounds, but I guess I didn't realize you could access those falls for a nature walk! We first came during late autumn. There's a small parking lot, but you want to walk across Main St/Route 11 (before the bridge) to the other side because there's nothing actually adjacent to the parking lot itself. There are pretty obvious trails from here, but nothing is marked. Just follow the water itself (except for one spot, which you'll have to veer away from the water, into the woods, over a much smaller bridge [meant for snowmobiles? ATVs?] over Tucker Brook [I think?] then back down to the water). The fun fact about this spot is that, while it's nearly 75 feet across apparently it's only a six food drop, but still manages to be one of the top volume waterfalls in the entire state (with the water flowing steadily and strongly all year round). From what I've heard from locals, this is a spot to party at during the summer (even when we came we saw remnants of fire pits on the beach before the falls). Just sitting on the rocks so close to the falls was pretty stunning; it's loud, it's splashy, and it feels entirely remote as this part of Saco River is surrounded by tall evergreens!