Featuring open ledgy ridges, waterfalls, and vistas of Lake Winnipesaukee and the White Mountains, the Ossipee Mountains are sparsely populated and provide a great wilderness experience for hikers. The majority of the property in the Ossipee Range is owned and managed by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust, which offers excellent maps of the area and runs programs year-round. The trailhead itself is on the property of Castle in the Clouds, a historic estate now part of the Castle in the Clouds Conservation Area. Mount Roberts is perhaps the most attractive of the mountains in this range, as it offers moderate grades and excellent views for much of the trip up the ridge. While many New England hikes require hours of slogging through dense forest to reach an open summit, Mount Roberts’s exposed ridges give you wide-open skies and vistas from about halfway up to the summit.

From the trailhead parking, walk up the road through the gate onto the Castle in the Clouds property. Follow the road for a couple hundred yards until you see Shannon Pond ahead. This pond is a great place to catch frogs or feed the immense brook trout raised here.

Turn left at the intersection and head up the hill toward the horse stables. No trip to Mount Roberts is complete without a stop here to see the horses on your way up or down. Trail rides are also available; find more information at ridingintheclouds.com.

Continuing past the stables, follow the signs for Mount Roberts Trail, which leaves to the right. The trail winds up Roberts Ridge through the woods and soon rewards you with numerous open ledges with commanding views of Lake Winnipesaukee and the Belknap Range to the south. As you climb higher, the trail continues through sections of open ridge and thick fir forests reminiscent of Narnia or Middle-earth. Let your imagination run wild as you walk through these quiet and magical hollows. Continue on through the woods to the open summit with views of the Sandwich and Presidential ranges to north.

After a picnic or snack at the top, head back down the way you came for a 4.8-mile round-trip.

The excellent Brook Walk Trail leads to a series of five waterfalls, including the idyllic Fall of Song. While there are no mountain views, this shorter hike (1.6 miles, round-trip) will delight all ages as it descends along the banks of a babbling brook and cascading falls.

NH 25 in Moultonborough offers a fine collection of restaurants and delis. A special treat is the Old Country Store, the oldest store in America, which has operated since 1781. More than just a tourist stop, it offers oldfashioned candies, cheddar cheese, iron goods, and picnic fixings.