GetFit Hike #1: Castle in the Clouds Hike

It was partly cloudy, hazy and temperatures very warm for this time of year; at around 80. It started to cloud up a bit as we were heading back toward our vehicles near the end of our hike. Thunderstorms were forecasted for later in the day.

The hike itself started at the back gate entrance to Castle in the Clouds at the upper end of Ossipee Park Road. At Shannon Pond we noticed the 'no fishing' sign but you can feed the stocked giant rainbow trout.

From the pond we took the Oak Ridge trail, walking slightly upwards. This trail is a gravel carriage road and was marked with blue blazes. The highlight was the viewpoint that provided a broad vista over the Castle to Lake Winnipesaukee and beyond.

It was a bit confusing understanding the trail network after this in order to get to the Brook Walk. I think we somehow landed on the Shannon Brook Trail and took this spur path that led us to the Brook Walk Trail after crossing a footbridge. This trail was clearly marked with white blazes. We followed the brook on its east side hiking downstream. We took our time as we walked along the brook and saw the waterfalls and cascades, and we enjoyed the sound of the flowing water. We headed back up the way we came following it until we reached Shannon Pond where we started.

The next two GetFit Hikes will also be on this property so we'll get to explore other trails in future outings. Hiking the two trails took us about 1 3/4 hours. It was not a strenuous hike and the views were excellent!

If you are looking for a mellow hike that leads to a viewpoint that provides a broad vista over the Castle in the Clouds to Lake Winnipesaukee and beyond combined with spectacular waterfalls, then this may be just what you had in mind.

We will be taking short hikes on the Castle in the Clouds property. The Castle is a spectacular mountaintop estate that offers a 270-degree view of mountains and lakes. We will first take a 1.8 mile hike that includes the Oak Ridge Trail that leads to a viewpoint with views of the Belknap Range, Mt. Kearsarge, Mt, Cardigan, Red Hill, and many other small mountains. Then we'll take a 1 mile hike that includes the Brook Walk which flows through impressive gorges, into beautiful pools, and over rapids and spectacular waterfalls.  Total elevation gain is about 300 feet.

After the hike: We'll have a casual meal lakeside at "The Docks" outdoors along the shore of Lake Winnipesauke in Meredith. 

Event Coordinators: Mike Boisvert and Jon Normand