Free Fun at Bretton Woods

We are always on the lookout for fun, outdoor activities and one that is FREE is even better!  During our week in the White Mountains we headed up to Bretton Woods ski area. During the summer, 6/23 - 9/23 Bretton Woods offers complimentary rides on their quad ski lift. More information can be found here.  

The lift brings you to their restaurant Lattitude 44, which serves lunch daily.  Normally I would bring a picnic lunch, but our traveling companion convinced me that eating at the restaurant was part of the experience.  The food was good ( hot dogs, grilled veggie sandwich, burgers, etc.) but pricey - well it is operated by the Mt. Washington Resort! There was no children's menu so my two shared an $8 hotdog!  Now, in defense of the hotdog, it had to be a one-pounder and was perfect for them to share and you couldn't beat the view you had with your meal.

After lunch my two loved exploring the summit while we soaked up the sunshine and the amazing views. I love watching my two enjoying the simple things - running, enjoying being outside, and entertaining themselves.

It was a gorgeous day to just enjoy the day and this special place.

I really think the time exploring at the summit - running free and finding natural treasures was even more enjoyed then the actual chair life ride up and down.  After a couple of hours up top we had sun-kissed happy children.

On our ride back down the mountain we noticed Kinderwoods Playground - a fabulous area for little ones- at the base near the lodge.  I was surprised my two still had more energy to explore!  They loved the gondola, child size zip line and large wooden play structure.  It was a fabulous summer day exploring a new area - and doing it for FREE!

Now we'll have to come back when the  snow is falling for a winter adventure too!

Franklin Falls Dam Hike

Now that the weather is cooler, we've started up our weekly hikes with friends.  Luckily, we live in an area that is full of great places to hike with little ones.  This week we explored the Franklin Falls Dam area.

 We parked by the ranger station, which is past the first parking lot and through the gate.  Across from the ranger station is a good sized playground with many picnic tables and bathrooms!

 Originally my thought was to hike the Piney Point Trail. However, after talking to the rangers I  decided to save this for another day.  We had a large group hiking with many new children ( many 2 -3 years old) and I didn't want to tackle more then we could handle.  The Piney Point Trail is just about 2 miles long and has a steep decline ( which you need to make back up at the end!!) before it levels off.

We decided to venture down the Coleman Road - a wide logging road to the start of the Whaleback Trail.  The Whaleback Trail was a fabulous trail for the little ones.  It meandered through the woods, was level and free of trail obstacles ( ie. rocks, roots, etc.).

It did have some large rock outcroppings that the little ones loved stopping at for a snack and then using it as a natural slide. 

 Once at the end we returned, via Coleman Road back to the playground area for lunch and some more play time!

The Park Rangers had also suggested Sniper Trail as a good suggestion for our little ones.  It has a bit more of an elevation ( read some uphills and downhills).  We really enjoyed this area and it proved to be a fun morning out for us, so we may have to give Sniper Trail a try next time.

Of course, before you leave the area, be sure to drive past the Ranger Station and over the dam. My two loved that.  There are even picnic tables on the other side of the dam.

A Walk Around Quincy Bog

We've had a week of very hot and humid days, but luckily today was a perfect day for an outdoor adventure. We headed north to Quincy Bog in Rumney, just about 10 minutes off of Tenney Mountain Highway in Plymouth.  What a fabulous find!  Part of the adventure, which my two loved, was crossing  NH Covered Bridge #44, Smith Covered Bridge  over the Baker River on our way there.

Information ( trail maps, nature programs, flora/fauna guides, directions) about the Bog can be found here. 

At the parking lot  was an information board chuck full of interesting facts about the bog.  Recent animal, flora and fauna sightings were listed as were maps, wildlife guides, etc.  Looking at the information board at the trail head has become quite popular with our little group!

Around our very first corner of the hike, brought flashbacks to a recent hike where Sassy Sis ended up in the marshlands.  Ahead of us, as far as the eye could see, were planks crossing over outlying parts of the Bog.

Luckily, Sassy Sis stayed on the planks, bridges, and walkways - which made up at least 50% of the hike.  She's learning and ALL of the helpful reminders from her hiking friends helped her as well, I'm sure.

The walk here was easy.  It was just over a mile and level ( aka flat) the whole way.  It made for a nice leisurely  walk which resulted in our little one really taking notice of the plants and animals living in this environment.

Sassy Sis made sure to keep us on the blue trail at all times.  The trail loops around the bog, beginning and ending at the simple/barebones nature center.

Tadpoles, bull frogs, water bugs, water lilies, and beaver chomped tree stumps were all noticed today!

We stopped many times to have a closer look at something interesting someone else found.

The kids liked seeing that we were walking around in a circle, around the outside of the bog.  

The ever popular snack swap stop!

 So proud of Sissy today as she paid attention and stayed on the path/bridges/walkway the whole walk!

Once back at the nature center - we went inside to see some simple displays of the animals and plants which call this habitat home. The numerous pairs of binoculars were VERY popular.  The little ones enjoyed watching a great blue heron in the middle of the bog.  They also enjoyed getting a closer look at the beaver lodge!

Overall, Quincy Bog was a fabulous walk out in nature with our little ones.  All of the different animals and plants kept their attention and peaked their curiosity.  The planks, boardwalks, and wooden bridges also made it an exciting area to explore.  We'll definitely be back! 

Hamlin Park Hike

Today we headed to Hamlin Park, off of Chemung Road, in Meredith for our hike.  It was  the perfect place to get out in the woods for a bit.  All  of our little ones weren't on their "A" game today.  After a week of late nights due to fireworks, family and friends visiting, and the craizness of summer days, they were all a bit tired. Luckily, Hamlin Park, is mostly a stroll through the woods, which was just what we needed today.

We did the blue loop trail.  It was a mostly level 1.2 mile walk through the woods. Information, including a color coded map with explanations on each trail, can be found here.  There were also printed maps available at the trialhead.

The trail had lots of great bridges - of which the Sassy Sis fell off of NONE! In fact, she stayed on the path and was in the same condition at the end of the hike as she was at the beginning.  Some of my friends say I should take a prehike photo of Sis and then another picture at the end of the hike.  Usually, she is disshelved, bowless, and covered in mud/muck at the end of the hike.  Today, she just ended bowless.  Ahh, maybe my little girl is finally growing up some and learning to stay on the path!!

There were lots of great climbing rocks for the Owl and his buddy P - or Super Girl and Super Boy - as they were referring to each other today!  

The trail was well maintained. There were some muddy areas, but most of them had sturdy wooden bridges over them. They were well marked as well.  In fact Sassy Sis was able to help us keep on the blue trail - our trail of choice today.

There were lots of other trails, to many different ecosystems.  We will definitely need to go back again to explore more of the area. It truly is the perfect place for little ones to explore!

Rainbow Falls Hike

This week we headed north a bit to Plymouth for our walk.  The Wise Owl is getting a bit spoiled with hikes that end at the summit of a mountain - he loves the views.  As much as he loves being out in the woods, sometimes a meander through the forest doesn't present the same WOW factor to him.  So, I figured a hike with a waterfall should pass muster, and boy did it!

Rainbow Falls is located on Cummings Hill Road - which is off of RT 3 between Plymouth and Ashland. It is easy to find, but parking is minimal.  The hike is part of the Walter Newton Natural Area. It is a loop trail that is just a bit over a mile long.

We started our trail to the left of the bridge, near the wooden sign.  We had a night and morning full of rain so the trail was wet and muddy.  It was also very buggy, however that didn't stop 9 preschoolers from having a great time.  Through out the walk there are many footbridges - some made of wooden planks others of small trees- to keep you above the mushy ground. It was a great exercise in gross motor skills!

I was just happy that Sassy Sis stayed on the footbridges during this hike!

There were lots of rocks, for my favorite rock jumper to explore.  She left NO rock undiscovered!

About halfway through the trail we came to the Rainbow Falls.  The little ones were excited to finally spot it as they could hear it for a while before it was in site.

We viewed the falls from the bottom.  There are some nice benches there and had the bugs not been SO bad we would have stopped for a little snack while enjoying the falls.  However, we found if we stayed put for more then 30 seconds in any one place we were a target for the bugs!

So, a few quick pictures and we were off.  After you cross the bridge by the water fall you can turn left and take a spur of the trail to the top of the waterfalls however, with my luck Sassy Sis would be using the falls as a natural water slide - so we opted to continue on the loop back to the parking area.

During this part of the hike there was an incline, but it quickly leveled out. There were many more bridges to cross on the way back.

However, the last leg of the trail opened up wide so we could run, run, run!

Overall, this was a great hike.  The Glove Hollow Brook is always nearby and the falls are a fabulous surprise! The footbridges were a hit with my two as well.  The bugs, well they were a bit over the top today, but if they do calm down it would be a great place for little ones to really be able to explore their environment. My 27 month old walked all but the last section of the hike.

Trail maps and information can be found here.

Chamberlin Reynold Forest Walk

We've had two scorching days of heat so we needed a break from the sun and the Chamberlin Reynolds Forest was a perfect choice for a hot summer day!! These are easy walking trails in the forest plus, as you approach the shore of Squam Lake there is a great breeze coming across the lake.


 The trails are located on College Road - which is off of Rt 25B.  As you are driving down College Road the dirt driveway is located on the right hand side - you want to park in the West Parking Lot. There are signs that mark to the beach and campsites however, they are sporadic.  I would print off a map before you head out.  Even though all the trails do essentially make a loop, it is nice to know where you are heading! You can find a map here. 

We started off on the West Fire Trail to the East Swamp Trail to the Swamp Walk.  The walk was easy with a gradual slope with only a few rocks and roots. The board walk is brand new and goes across a swamp with lots of great insects and fauna to look at.  There are, however, no rails on the boardwalk and my 2 year old did go overboard into the muddy, murky water - luckily she wasn't hurt - just muddy!

We then continued along the beach trail to a small beach right on Squam Lake.  The beach did need to be raked - there were lots of dead leaves and pine needles. Another mom whom went with us said the beach is usually sandy and raked.  The views, however, are fabulous!

 Sassy Sis was happy to get to the beach to rinse off the swamp muck at the beach!

Once out into the water it was nice and sandy.  The little ones could go out quite a way before it became too deep.  It was a perfect stop to cool off on a really hot day!

There were even some big rocks along the beach where you could sit and have some lunch. 

On the way home we followed the beach trail to the West Side Fire Road. There were signs posted along the way for the parking lot. Again the trail was wide  and with a gradual incline on the way back to the car. My 26 month old managed all but the last 5 minutes of the walk on her own!

We spent just about 3 hours there which included the hike, swimming, and stopping for  lunch.  You know it was a great morning when both little ones were fast asleep before we hit the main road! 

Belknap Mountain and Fire Tower

This morning we decided to hike Belknap Mountain to the fire tower.  The trail is located in Gilford, on Carriage Road off of Belknap Mountain Road. Trail map and information can be found here.   For this hike you drive part way up the mountain to a parking lot.  From there  we climbed 740 feet up to the summit of 2400 feet.   Just left of a garage, at the trailhead, is an amazing vista my two loved!

Pre-hike excitement, they were ready to hit the trail.

After reading reviews of the hike we decide to do a loop.  We would take the blue trail up to the tower and then the red trail back down to the car.  The blue trail was a bit longer, both just under a mile, but was supposed to be not as steep or rough.

Let's just say doing this hike after a week of rain and a night of torrential downpours was probably not the best idea I've ever had.  The trail is rutted and rocky with loads of tree roots.  There were very few places where it was level easy walking.  The large rocks that covered the trail, some with loads of moss growing on them, were slippery...very slippery.  There were several little "brooks" running across the trail.  These were perfect for washing our dirty hands, from falling!

Even though it was rocky, some places with steep rock stairs Sassy Sis was determined to keep walking.  She may be pretty in pink, but man is she tough!

She lasted about 3/4 of the way up the blue trail, but ended up in our trusty Ergo partly because she was getting tired and partly because at the rate she was walking we wouldn't make it the summit until the 4th of July.

The Owl on the other hand completed the whole hike on his own.  He ended up with some scrapes, scratches, wet shorts, and a cut on his finger that required a band-aid, but he did it and boy was he proud!

Almost to the top of the tower there was a great vista view. 

And then there was the tower.....

Once we reached the summit, the fire tower was looming over head.  The Owl was excited to reach the fire tower, but sad that it wasn't manned today. We did climb up the tower to the observation deck.  It was VERY windy up there and I'm not a huge fan of heights.  The Owl wasn't overly impressed either, especially when the wind roared in in huge gusts.

After spending some time exploring the summit and having a little break we headed down the red trail.  Although the red trial was a bit shorter going down it was much steeper and really slippery.  We made our way down slowly.

We all slipped and fell, even my DH, who luckily was able to quickly recover since he had Sassy Sis on his back.  I am VERY glad we didn't opt for the red trail up, as it would have been too much of a challenge for my little two.

Overall, it was the most difficult hike we did to date with the Owl and Sassy Sis, but we completed it with everyone in one piece and still smiling.  It took us 2.5 hours from car to car.  Next time we'll have to try it after a dry spell and when we know that the fire tower will be open.

Happy Trails