The Kearsarge/Lake Sunapee area is post-card beautiful, and residents and visitors enjoy the active…read morelifestyle and the plethora of things to do. One of the many four-season things available is hiking. And a gem in the hiking category is the Davis Hill and Clark Lookout Trail. The first thing is that almost anyone can negotiate the trail. It is only 0.7 miles long out and back in its totality. But still, visitors should plan an hour. That's because the Clark Lookout Trail provides a spectacular, I mean, write home to mom kind of beautiful, view of Lake Sunapee and Mount Sunapee. A camera or a good quality smartphone is a must, as the views here are amazing. The Clark Lookout property cuts through a neighborhood of million-dollar homes and was made available to the residents through the generosity of Sydney L. Crook and Mary D. Haddad, who donated land and funding to the town of New London for conservation and recreation use. The trail is managed by the New London Conservation Commission. Much of the land and its conservation easements are held by the area's prime land conservation organization, the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust. For a family traveling on the Interstate that wishes to have a nice break, this spot is optimum. It is also a must for anyone visiting for the first time, as you will fall in love with the area on the spot. The trail is also amazingly dog friendly (on a leash) and poopy bag dispensers are available indifferent places. The Clark Lookout Trail starts on Rt 103-A, across from the Park and Ride lot near Exit 12 on Rte. 89. From that point, the trail climbs only 100 feet. From the Conservation Commission's description, "heading up the trail, the first point of interest is the trail kiosk, which has information about the history of the trail and includes a bulletin board where notices and information are posted. Near it is the libary box, where hikkers can borrow or lend books when they visit. Turn left at the kiosk to continue up the trail. Further on is the four corner road intersection (turn right) which is the last turn before proceeding to the lookout summit". Once on top, a majestic view of Lake Sunapee, Lake Sunapee and the surrounding area greets the visitor. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Clark Lookout is one of these places where you can see the beauty of nature and feel optimistic again.

The views at the top of this short walk are amazing. It's a relaxing walk from the trailhead and…read moreonly .8 miles round trip. Great photo opportunities and it's a good place to walk your dog. There is small chestnut tree restoration farm along the way as well as a stone wall that lines the trail. Well worth a visit to see the beautiful vista at the end of this short and easy trail.

The Lyon Brook Trail it's one of the most popular hiking trails in the town of New London, New…read moreHampshire. It can either be a point to point at 2.5 miles, or a 5 mile round trip. There is parking at both of the trail heads on Trussell Ridge Road (about 100 yards from Exit 11 on I-89) and at Parkside Road nearby the center of New London. The trail is generally flat, following the contours of Lyon Brook as it meanders from Parkside and County Roads through its Trussell Ridge Road trailhead and then the Brook continues to become the headwaters for Keezar Lake. There is only one part of the trail on Pleasant Road as the trail segments are separated by about 200 feet. The trail is maintained by the New London Conservation Commission and goes through both public and private land, including the New London Outing Club property. It's a great trail for leashed dogs. However, unleashed animals run the risk of a wildlife encounter as the trail traverses wilderness that are home to bears and coyotes. As well, the trail has junctions with the Knights Hill Wildlife Preserve, where pet animals are absolutely forbidden.

Wow ! What a hidden gem ! We were visiting Ludlow VT and saw this fall . Kids wanted to enjoy…read morewater and this was a perfect choice for us . The water was colddddddddddd though. Ufff . Very cold . The first dip was tough ! Later once you get use of it , it felt a bit better . Pathway was a bit crazy , in some places .it is about a 2 mile walk but we just went not too far : .. the lower and middle falls is also accessible from car parking lots outside . Parking is outside and sometimes you have to park 5-8 mins away from the falls . Not much of restrooms around . Lots of dogs in the water :) It was an amazing tint though ! Loved it . 5 stars !

Solid spot to see small waterfalls. Very peaceful and not a lot of rushing water…read more Parking is available on the shoulder at the lower and middle falls, located further up the road, and also at the upper falls at the end of the road. No restrooms available here

Beautiful hike up in the White Mountains of NH that leads you to the summit of a fire tower with…read morebeautiful vistas of the range up at the top. The hike will take someone a few hours, give or take the same few hours based on your hiking experience, pace preference, desire to stop, snack, take in the sights and explore. Get ready for a nice time out in nature when you start the trail. Parking is scarce, you'll likely just park on the side of the road (it's free though) and hope you don't get sideswiped as you start the hike. There's some definite elevation, but it's not super steep or overwhelming like some of the more challenging peaks in NH (Mt Washington for instance!). In the winter, be sure to have snow shoes and spikes. This hike is unique in the firetower at the top which you can access! Everyone I met on the trail was super COVID conscious and put masks on as I passed, which was so appreciated as well. If you're staying in the beautiful town of North Conway, this hike is only a few minutes away - so be sure to check it out! At the top, you'll see views of the tallest peak of the northeast (Mt Washington) on a clear day! I wish this trail was more of a loop, but the out and back was nice too!

Four bucks pays for the ride up then a great hike awaits you. Took the easier of the two trails…read more(stay to the right.) Make it to the top for a view that makes everyday life seem ridiculous. Bugs weren't terrible so you could probably get away with some lemon/lavender oil. Enjoy!

The Morgan Pond Trail is an easy, 6.6 mile out-and-back hike in New London and Springfield. It's…read morean excellent trail for dog walking, cross country skiing and trail running. No bushwhacking needed; It follows old access roads and cart roads from Twin Lake Villa Road, same initial point as the Kidder Brook Trail or you may commence at the road itself. It rises almost 621 feet before ending at the beautiful and picturesque Morgan Pond, one of the sources of water for the New London/Springfield Water District. The trail crosses several other trails and old cart roads as it climbs, with beautiful scenic vistas along the hike. It connects with the Kidder Brook Trail, the Sunapee, Ragged and Kearsarge Greenway, and the Kidder Trail itself. The only modern intrusion along the trail, aside from the road itself, is crossing a wide path for power lines. Besides that, the hike abounds with nature and wildlife. The trail itself is lightly traveled, but the trail is kept clear by the passing of water maintenance and power line equipment. Bring bug repellent. A beautiful way to spend an afternoon...

This is a cool spot to cool down when it's hot. I would Recommend going to this place.read more

Hurricane Irene really took a toll on 20 foot hole. Most of the stream (and much of VT for that…read morematter) was devistated from huge flash flooding and the swimming hole was filled in with mud, silt,and rocks. Some of the locals have been trying to restore the swimming hole by scooping out the mud with buckets. I will update more this summer on this progress.

This is easily my favorite hike on the east coast. I am certainly biased though - I attended…read moreColby-Sawyer College which is about 15 minutes away from the trail head. Each fall semester we would have a random holiday coined "Mountain Day" where at 10:00 AM the entire school climbs and enjoys the barbecue area at the trail head. I have nothing but fond summer, fall, and microspike infused winter hiking memories here. If you have the means to summit Mt.Kearsarge for the sunset or sunrise, do yourself a favor and get up there. It is simply breathtaking. Without having to travel the additional 2 hours to the White Mountains.. it can't be beat. Note: There are various trails up Kearsarge ranging in difficulty. The one on the Warner side allows you to drive a lot of the way up. On the opposite side of the mountain there is a trail about 1-1.1 miles long (more difficult and steep) and one that is about 1.5 miles long (more gradual and forgiving)

Winslow State Park is one of the trail heads to Mt. Kearsarge. I took the Winslow Trail to the…read moresummit. It is a short 1.1 mi hike, it starts off very rootsy so watch your step so you wouldn't trip on the way up. Then it gets pretty steep near the middle of the hike and rocky. The day that I went was very sunny and dry, so if it was rainy I would think it would be very slippery from the rocks. Once at the top, the view is simply amazing. It is a 360 degree view of rolling hills covered in trees. When I went the leaves just started to change colors so there were speckles of orange and reds in a sea of rolling green tree tops. An added bonus on my hike was that I was able to enter the fire watch tower since that day was classified as a "level 3" fire hazard for the area (whatever that means...) The tower sits another 50 feet above the tippity top and offered shelter from the wind. I definitely recommend this hike since it is relatively short and offers an amazing view!

Rating 4.7 Came to…read morevisit for a short walk to the thundering brook falls. It's located in killington VT. Once we arrive we parked on the aide of street as designated parking is very small. The area is connected to other hiking trails as well but the fall trail is just 0.5 mile. The trail itself is maintained well and has solid wooden path and some gravel along the last part of the trail. We changed into hiking shoes but was probably not necessary. There are lots of flowers along the way and as we get close to the fall we go into area with lots of shade, trees and moss/rocks. The fall itself is very pretty and the water runs down to the river at the bottom. It took us about 20min roundtrip. It's a nice and easy walk that are kids and dog friendly and provide pretty view. A must stop for all visitors coming to Vermont.

Easy walk to the falls with kids and adults on a walkway surrounded by wildflowers. Tougher but…read moremanageable hike to the top if you want to go for it! We saw a couple who took lunch and sat on a rock right next to the falls - fabulous idea for next time!

This destination was absolutely flawless - fantastic staff…read more- delicious food!! Room views are spectacular. New Hampshire life in these mountains are exquisite. Its AMAZING!!

Located in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire is the Castle in the Clouds. Built in the early 1900s…read moreby a wealthy gentleman who made his fortune in shoes, its two story home that is filled with the latest home gadgets of that era. The grounds are beautiful, you can see the lakes and the mountains from the cafe and it's not nearly as gauche or imposing as the mansions of Newport.

This place is exactly what my boyfriend and I were looking for! We were kind of looking around last…read moreminute and came across this state park. We have a small dog, so the pet friendly part was a big plus! I desperately wanted to go camping this past weekend because we didn't get a chance to go as much this summer as intended. It was about a 2 hour drive from home so it was a nice little road trip. I would have to recommend getting everything you need food and camp site wise before you reach the grounds. We had to leave a couple times for firewood ($3 bundles of dry wood that burns great, about a 20 minute drive from camp though, but half the price.) We stayed at site #18 at the end of the horse shoe. Although there are other campsites close by in that loop, I still felt like we had adequate privacy and for majority of the time were not disturbed by noise from other campers. This park seems to be a good one night stop for other campers heading farther up north. There are a lot of families, but there are also a lot of couples, and groups of twenty something's out to have a good time. Basically, whatever reason you are looking to go camping, this place will accommodate you well. I could see where the bathrooms were at the top of the hill from our campsite, so night time trips to and from were easy and I felt safe. The bathrooms are also very well kept for just a toilet and a urinal. There are plenty of hiking trails, and some people even spotted a Moose as well as some young Bears. The women that work the registration office were very helpful and pleasant, and let us know where we could find anything we needed. We actually stayed while there was a blood moon and we didn't even know it! It was crazy beautiful and so close it felt like we could reach out and touch it. Overall, great find and we already are talking about next year :)

We love this small, scenic campground! Very quiet beautiful water. Great trails for hiking. Will be…read moreback this year.