After our time in the Finger Lakes area of New York, it was time to move on to our next adventure in New Hampshire!
Good friends of ours, Ron and Cindy Lou live in Gilford near Lake Winnipesaukee. We'd hoped to camp in Ellacoya State Park, but it was full. So, we settled on a nearby RV Park – Turtle Kraal in Alton, NH.
The RV Park was a bit “meh”. While it does have a pool, the rest of the park is pretty sparse with trees and any kind of landscaping very lacking. But, like a lot of locations, this was just a place to park our home and explore the area. This time with friends! Friends that RIDE! 😎
Ride Around Lake Winnipesaukee
Our first outing was a ride around Lake Winnipesaukee. Ron and Cindy Lou came to Alton to fetch us and we headed around the lake couter-clockwise.
We stopped for lunch at Garwoods in Wolfboro, which was the very first resort town in New Hampshire. Wolfboro is a very charming little town right on the lake and made for an excellent place to fuel up our bellies!
We continued touring all of the small towns around the lake, then stopped again in Meredeth to walk around the docks and get some ice cream. Everyone knows that bad-ass bikers love ice cream, right?
Hike up Lockes Hill
A few days later, we and Cindy Lou took a hike up Lockes Hill Trail. This trail is a 1.8 mile loop and we'd consider it to be moderate with a few sections of intermediate here and there. While there is not a lot of climbing on this trail (1057 ft), it is one of the highest peaks in the immediate area, which made for some amazing views. The view from the peak reminded us of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park (Maine)!
Mount Washington Auto Road!
Even though it was going to take a full day of riding (not something we usually do with Tara's Lyme Disease), we could not leave the area before riding the Mount Washington Auto Road! So many of you recommended this ride, we just had to make the trek.
Leaving from Gilford, we rode through the White Mountain National Forrest, which was an excellent ride by itself. We stopped for lunch at Woodstock Inn Brewery in Woodstock, NH. Every meal we ate in New Hampshire was excellent, including this one!
Arriving at the entry to the Auto Road, we pulled over and bundled up. Even though it was warm at the base (high 80s), the forecast for the summit was around 50!
This was an amazing ride! Not just for the scenery, but the road itself is quite interesting, having no guard rail at any point! It was also packed dirt for some sections of the road. So, if you're not comfortable with two wheels on that, take the tour or the Cog Train!
After self drive and tour, the Cog Train is another way to scale the mountain. See link below for details.
Independence Day!
Last but not least on our adventures in New Hampshire was spending the 4th of July with our friends on their boat, touring Lake Winnipesaukee! The lake was a bit crowded, making for some heavy chop on the water, but we had a blast nonetheless!
Thank you, Ron and Cindy Lou, for a very memorable visit!!!
Related Videos 🎥
- Harvest Hosts – Hummingbird Hills: youtu.be/9v3MCy2oX2w…
- Biplane Tour | Acadia National Park | Bar Harbor Maine Part 1: youtu.be/7ZlmWxUfU24…
- Bar Harbor Maine Part 2 | Family Visit!: youtu.be/HnhOtQ25_0M…
Links 🔗
- Ellacoya State Park: www.nhstateparks.org…
- Turtle Kraal RV Park: www.turtlekraalrvpark.com…
- Garwoods Restaurant (Wolfboro): garwoodsrestaurant.com…
- Lockes Hill Trail: www.alltrails.com…
- White Mountain National Forest: www.fs.us…
- Woodstock Inn Brewery: www.woodstockinnbrewery.com…
- Mount Washington Auto Road: mt-washington.com…
- MountWashington Cog Railway: www.thecog.com…
