Every time I visit the Ossipee Mountains and Castle in the Clouds, I find something else I love about this area. I usually go for one of the many hikes in this range a few times a summer, and every once in a while I treat myself to a lunch with the view afterward.  

With all of the Ossipee Mountains under the 3,000 ft mark, most of the mountain summits are doable for the average hiker. While I don’t have the hiking stamina to tackle the longer hikes in the range, I have explored much of these mountains. Almost all the peaks offer nice views of the lakes and mountains around, and if the peak doesn’t there are vistas along the way that do. For an easier hike, they offer the 1.8 mile Oak Ridge Interpretive trail that features plaques explaining the history, geology, and ecology of the area. 

Six of the ten mountains are located in the Castle in the Clouds conservation area, so for me I talk about the two in tandem. The trails that begin at the Castle in the Clouds parking area were, for the most part, old carriage roads, so they tend to be wide and flat with steady inclines.  While these are nice to hike, they do also make the distance a lot longer, so oftentimes I use the parking areas off rt 171 for a shorter, yet much rockier and steeper ascent to the peaks.  My favorite hikes are to Bald Knob and Big Ball mountain because they are moderate hikes with great views. 

This year I learned about the waterfalls on the grounds.  While the largest one (Falls of Song) is less than ¼ mile away from the parking area, all seven of the waterfalls are easily accessible on the 0.8 mile Brook trail – I usually make this into a loop of about 2.5 miles.  Each one features a little plaque that tells about the name of the waterfall and how it looked 100 years ago.  All of these waterfalls are courtesy of the natural springs that flow down the mountain; this spring was once bottled and sold as Castle Springs bottled water, but since 2003 it is just one of the sources for Crystal Geyser bottled water (look for Moultonborough on the label). 

Because I had never explored the falls before, I also had never taken the one way road up to the top. This road is not the easiest to navigate with its narrow lane and tight curves, but there are a few features that make it worth it.  There are two parking areas on the trip up. The first one is the access point for the Falls of Song as well as the Pebble. The Pebble is a misnomer as it is a massive glacier boulder that is situated so you can take those infamous “look how strong I am” pictures underneath.  The second parking area has an overlook pavilion with telescopes to give the first glimpse of the incredible views this area has to offer. 

At the top of the road is the parking area for the Castle in the Clouds estate. Here there is a gift shop, the Carriage House Restaurant, and access via a trolley to the Lucknow mansion.  

The Arts & Craft style mansion is the brainchild of Thomas Plant and his wife Olive Dewey.  Plant was the quintessential rags to riches story as he started at 14 years old as a factory worker and soon rose up the ranks to own his own factory by the age of 32.  Plant was someone who went above and beyond. He not only bought the land for the house, but the 6,300 acres surrounding it, which spanned all the way to Winnipesaukee. He built stables, a 100 foot curved greenhouse, tennis courts, a man-made lake, two gatehouses, and even a golf course on the grounds.  Built in the 1910s, Lucknow features innovations like plate warmers, needle showers, and an intercom system – all were rare for the time period.  The wallpaper, skylights, and hand painted stained glass windows are beautiful to look at, but nothing can compare to the view.

The manicured garden looks out over the mountains and Lake Winnipesaukee. I can imagine sitting out on the covered porch with a book and spending the day taking in the views and the breeze. 

While I’ve only done the house tour once, I have enjoyed the carriage house – more specifically its view – several times. Before the Pandemic, The Carriage House Restaurant was a full service restaurant, but it seems that they have switched their style to counter service only.  Still, there is a full bar and a menu of sandwiches and salads that can be enjoyed here.  Before going out to the patio for the main attraction, check out the inside of the carriage house – horse stalls converted into dining booths and a gallery of images and documents talking about the staff of the estate.  Outside the large patio offers plenty of tables to sit and take in the spectacular views 

Beyond the estate parking, there is another set of parking mainly for hikers. This area also features a small pond with a observation platform, ice cream/food shack, lots of lawn to run around in, and picnic tables. It is from this parking area that most of the trails can be accessed, including the popular Mount Roberts trail.

Because Mount Roberts trail is an old carriage road, the 2.5 mile one way trail to the summit is never that strenuous.  There are some nice vistas on the way up, and you might be fortunate – as we were one time – to be invited into the barn at the base of the trail to meet some of the animals.