Week on Lake Winnipesaukee

Best Things Nearby:

• Lake Winnipesaukee and many other lakes
• White Mountains to the north
  
  Best Things About the Resort:
  It was quite quiet, and we got a great lake view from our balcony, which was great for a fanatic picture-taker like myself. The personnel were very nice and helpful.
  
  Resort Experience:
  

  We went on this vacation a week before the start of the season. We always travel that way since we do not enjoy crowds. Therefore, the resort, and the whole area, was pretty empty.

  As far as the resort goes, you can quickly tell why it is not a crown resort. It is a residential community lacking many of the standard features, like a washer, a dryer, and luxury. Our three-bedroom unit was really a standard three-bedroom apartment. The balcony is set into a wood-paneled wall, which was a nice touch. Unfortunately, the rest of the walls were white and boring.

  Quickly, we realized the unit has been through a lot. Some things are poorly designed (like a thermostat switch behind a mirror in the master bedroom and a kitchen-ceiling lamp cord going through behind a painting). Other minor things are worn out, like window treatments. It also took us a while to figure out how to warm up the place. Really, there were no major problems though, and we enjoyed our stay.

  The personnel was great. Our check-in was smooth, all our questions were answered, and nobody was trying to make us go through a timeshare presentation, as is the case many times.

  Before going, I read a review here at RCI Community that stated the resort does not have a lake view. I did not expect one then. Well, we got it! The resort is on a slope. If you get one of the highest-row buildings and a third-floor unit, you will have a beautiful lake view to wake up to.
  
  

• Unit Type: 3 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Fair
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Excellent
• Service: Excellent

The first impression was quite bad. Right after getting out of the car, we were surrounded by tons of mosquitos. We still went ahead, though, since we read somewhere that the view from the top was worth it. While walking, it was not so bad, but any stopping meant lots of mosquitoes all around us. Strangely enough, we did not find too many bites. The locals also said that usually there are a lot of black flies in the area but that this year was good, thanks to a cool spring.

I think this is a moderate hike since it is quite steep. But you can comfortably get to the top of this 1.7-mile trail in about an hour.

There's a publicly accessible fire tower at the top that you can get a great view of Lake Winnipesaukee and Lake Squam. There's also a picnic table available.

Compared to our other hike around the lake to Mount Major, I am not sure which one I would recommend more, since both were worth it. Mount Major was virtually mosquito-free compared to Red Hill.

This is mostly an easy hike, steep at a few spots, with a solid rock under your feet. This 1.5-mile hike to the top is well worth the effort. The views from the top are great. Compared to our other hike to Red Hill, this one would probably win due to the lack of mosquitoes. There were really almost none here.

Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves are just a few miles from North Woodstock in New Hampshire on Route 112.

Glaciers are to blame for the creation of this gorge. As they moved away, they blocked water drainage and the water found a different way - through the Lost River Valley.

The gorge trail is a beautiful walk that is about three-fourth’s of a mile long. You will step down to its bottom using a series of steps. Right away you will notice that the park is very well maintained, with all wooden walkways, stairs, and platforms in perfect order, and everything is clean. That can possibly explain the quite steep price of $11 per head. Since I already mentioned it, I will finish the thought - I liked the park very much, it was very well maintained, but I think $5 per head would be more appropriate.

Since we carried a 5-month-old, we did not get into many caves along the way. I can imagine that those can be very exciting for kids that are old enough to enjoy them and young enough not to worry about getting dirty, since some of them are for crawling.

At the entrance/exit, there is a gift shop, cafeteria, and vending machines. The staff was very pleasant.

For additional park information, you can visit their website.

Kancamagus Highway is definitely at least a full day trip. Anything less will not give you enough time to enjoy many of the sights. We made it a 1-day trip from Weirs Beach and really got only a taste of the highway, missing many of attractively named trails and sites.

Kancamagus Highway is an official scenic byway. As it climbs over the slope of Mt. Kancamagus, it reaches an elevation of almost 3,000 feet. Its full route, Conway to Lincoln, was completed in 1959.

The visitor center is located on the highway's east side, so you may want to drive it from Conway to Lincoln rather than the opposite. We had a detailed map of the highway with the overlooks and trailheads from our resort, but I am sure the visitor center would provide one, too.

For some parking areas, you will need to purchase the White Mountain Pass, currently priced at $3 for 1 day. Longer-term passes are available. Check the USDA Forrest Service Site for more details.

We had time only for a few stops.

(1) The covered bridge at the highway's beginning was number one. The sign reads Covered Bridge Campground. That is where you need to turn. We like covered bridges, so this was an automatic stop.

(2) Lower Falls was our number-two stop, shortly after the covered bridge. You will clearly see it from the road on your right. These are nice, small, easily accessible falls.

(3) Rocky Gorge Scenic Area was our number-three stop. It's a rocky riverbed with marked areas of permitted swimming. It was too cold to enjoy that, but I can see how great it must be in mid-summer. Only in the pool under the waterfall swimming is prohibited. There's also a nice wooden bridge over the gorge. Again, this is only a very short distance from the parking area and extremely easily accessible.

(4) Sabbaday Falls was our fourth and final stop along the highway, and it was well worth it. With this one, you actually have to walk a little bit to get there, but I think you won't be sorry you did it. There's a nice cascading waterfall where the bottom portion is at 90 degrees to the upper portion, making it special. If you like taking pictures of waterfalls, this is a great site. There are wooden walkways and stairs around the falls.

As an added bonus - there was a black bear at the final descend to Lincoln eating dinner just by the roadside. Again, my camera was firing. Being in New Hampshire, what else could we ask for? Yeah, I know, a moose! We got that one the very next day, but that is a whole different story.