Kirkwood Gardens and the Holderness Inn were a gem of a surprise on our recent visit to the Squam…read moreLakes Science Center. With free admission, the garden offers a beautifully landscaped and historic place to relax and enjoy the outdoors. It would be a great place to have a picnic. They host local artist exhibits throughout the summer, and offer wedding packages. Inside the Holderness Inn there is the Kirkwood Café and the Squam Lake Artisans Gift Shop. The cafe is small and cute with premade sandwich offerings as well as ice cream and cold drinks and coffee. The large Gift Shop has many high-end gifts from local artists. Also, clean, modern bathrooms are located by the barn. There's a small parking lot. If you are visiting the Science Center, the grounds are directly accessible through a gate along the trail, and makes a great little 'side tour.'

This place was just beautiful. You can visit it on its own or when you go through Squam Lake…read moreScience Center. Either way if you're info flowers you could stay here quite a while soaking up all there beauty. There is a little gift shop to buy snacks & drinks and outdoor seating for you to relax and take it all in!

My goodness, The Basin was incredible! What an absolutely beautiful place. The scenery is stunning,…read moreand the views throughout the hike are amazing. It's one of those places where you can't help but stop and take everything in. We actually had to take our shoes and socks off and step right into the water--and honestly, it was one of the highlights of the whole experience! The water was incredibly cool and crystal clear, and standing there surrounded by all that natural beauty was just amazing. Everything about this place was beautiful and peaceful. We absolutely loved it and are definitely going back! If you're anywhere in the area, The Basin is a must-see.

Great trail, especially since it was early May and the park wasn't fully open yet, so this felt…read morelike the best option. Very kid friendly and also had handicap accessible viewing areas. It wasn't mind-blowing, but it was a fun little adventure and really enjoyable for what it was.

Heave, ho and hoist! What a climb! Ascending Osceola (and East Osceola) via the Osceola Trail was…read morea moderate climb. Most peak-baggers choose to snatch up both Osceola's main peak (4,315 feet) as well as nearby East Osceola (4,156 feet); though you can approach from either the South or the East, I would recommend the Southern trail head off of Tripoli Rd as your base (roundtrip distance: 7.4 miles); 3$ to park at the base. The lower half of the trail was rocky (though I found this quaint on my way up, loose footing on the descent was rather frustrating) and several spots where the trail runs over large slabs of diagonal stone. About 3/4 of the way up to peak 1 there are fantastic views of Mt Tecumseh to the South (a serious temptation and a fabulous motivator to continue on up up UP!). The view from the top is phenomenal; the slab spreads out and reveals the valley far below - the morning of my hike the clouds played kaleidoscope with the sun, skittering shadows on the Earthen treescape *and I'm in love with hiking all over again* Traveling on to the East peak seemed like a cinch, only one mile away over rocky trodden trail. There is a very difficult craig called "the Chimney" as you descent to the col; about fifty-feet of tricky rocky tetris hard-footing. There IS a round-about/"cheaters" route which is considerably less difficult which I would recommend for descent, but I challenged myself on the return (I was VERY thankful to be in a caravan at that point!). East peak is a bit of a let down after the grande sweeping views of the previous summit (just a pile of rocks really, I walked past this "marker" before I had even realized what it identified). There are a couple of peekaboo viewpoints Northeast along this short trail which are quite nice, and made returning to the peak all that more enjoyable. It is easy to understand why this is one of the most popular hikes in the Whites. I passed all typed on my trek: singles, couples, friends, and families - it is a moderate hike with fantastic visual rewards!

Great view. Trailhead on Tripoli Road. Parking lot fee it…read more$5. You can go to both Mount Osceola and East Osceola. Total 8.2 miles, 2871 feet elevation gain. View is great from MOunt Osceola. This mountain valley is a place of clouds hanging, so the view is kind of dramatic. East peak was in the clouds and I couldn't see the view, but when I was there in winter there was a view (East peak itself doesn't have a view but there is a view point a bit beyond the summit).

Beautiful beach with lots of area for picnics. The view of the mountains off the lake is breath…read moretaking! Unfortunately, today the water was full of pollen so we didn't get in the water. The one downside that made us pack up and leave, was within 10 minutes of putting our blanket in the sand, we found 5 ticks! Obviously this is something out of the parks control, but definitely something to be aware of if u go, especially with small children like myself.

What can I say... At…read morefirst I was afraid, I was petrified, kept thinking I could never live with all that water underneath me and by my side... BUT THEN... I got on that boat, (no life jacket either!!), and then jumped into the water in the middle of the lake after being egged on by friends and lo and behold... I REALLY COULD STAND IN THE WATER!! Are you kidding me? I am in the middle of the lake and the water is only up to my chest, this is AMAZING, can I stay in here all day? I love water but am afraid of getting on boats, and much less JUMPING in the water...but this lake was amazing! Did I also mention that another it met my other large body of water criteria?? You could actually see down to the bottom of the lake where we were standing...um hmm...that's right...so clear, but of course it is! It's one of the 10 cleanest natural lakes in the WHOLE world! Imagine that, in tiny New Hampshire to boot! All this beauty surrounded by large trees, and cute lake houses. Even the islands in the lake looked like mini forests! P.S. Hate to harp on about how shallow some parts of the lake were, but I will because it was pretty amazing to see people standing in the water and playing catch in the middle of the lake, or a man pulling a nice sized boat with his fam on it with the water only up to his waist...it was practically like seeing Jesus walking on water or something!! I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't making this up!!. I've never seen anything like it!!

Wow! Super easy hike with great waterfall at the end! Pretty well marked with yellow trail markers…read moreon trees in most spots, not so well here and there but you'll find your way back to the trail Lol. It's a really nice hike, says 0.6 miles but I measured it on the way back. About 1.75 miles each way. Some uneven ground but not hilly, no steep or dangerous hills at all! Very dog and kid friendly. Only a few parking spaces but there is no restriction noted for on street parking.

the parking here is kinda iffy -- if coming from a certain direction it's a dirt road. the…read morewaterfall is all frozen in the winter and it's pretty busy too. would recommend more for warmer weather times.

A lovely park located right along Meredith Bay. It spans across Route 25 and Pleasant St. It's…read morelocated right around the corner from Hesky Park. Park benches along the water and beautiful views of the water. In this park you can find many of the sculptures that are part of the Meredith Sculpture Walk. Recommend checking this park out.

Nice walking trails rewarded by a great view at the top. Parking is confusing and not well…read moremaintained

I made the trip out to Cardigan State Park a few weekends ago after spending some time researching…read moregood mountain hikes and vetoing climbing Mount Monadnock for the umpteenth time. Mt. Cardigan and the area around it are beautiful. It's a short, steep climb to the top -- we'd read that it'd take a couple hours but we were up in less than one at a moderate pace. The way down was a bit slower, actually, as we were trying to be careful and not fall down. Beautiful views of the whole area and much less crowded than Monadnock. I'd highly recommend it as a day adventure to get out of the city. The trail map also said there was a cave ("Grotto Cave" on the map) near the summit, but my group of five spent a while searching for it while consulting the map with no success. So: - Great climb - Great views - Possible secret cave What's not to like? As a final note - and I know this'll destroy my outdoorsy credibility - but the roads coming up here are great. Twisty, windy roads that are great to push your car on. Thought I should mention it.

This trail to one of the southernmost above-tree line peaks in New England is a dream of a hike…read more For starters, it is a nice length, not too long, not too short. Using the AllTrails app, I logged 2.7 miles out and back. Then, there is the gradient. It seems to be almost a constant gradual gradient from top to bottom, providing for a manageable ascent that can be done by people with very differing physical conditioning. And lastly, the last 300 feet are completely above tree line, providing for some of the most majestic views in New England, from the New Hampshire White Mountains to the north to the entire Green Mountain Range to the west, all the way down to the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Along with spectacular views of the lake Winnepesaukee and Squam Lake to the east. Planning to hike the west ridge trail, one must consider the fact that Mount Cardigan State Park does not require reservations. As a result, this trail can be absolutely packed with people, most of whom comply with COVID-19 guidance, but there are a few Irresponsible individuals who feel that any modicum of concern for the fellow human beings by wearing a mask when social distancing isn't possible, is an obstacle to their happiness. Beware. Another item to consider is proper footwear. Once near the top, the surface is solid, slippery basalt rock. On a wet day, this could mean a disaster for an individual with the improper footwear. Cardigan Mountain is perhaps one of the best places in New Hampshire to admire the foliage season.