Glamping Weekend Day 1
Bartlett, NH
For our 21st Anniversary we decided to head to Bartlett NH in the White Mountains for the weekend-mostly because I heard about the opening of Alpine Garden Glamping’s boutique cabin/camper village and thought it would be something unique for us to try.
The day we left, the weather forecast looked perfect so we stopped to hike West Rattlesnake Mountain Trail (via Old Bridle Path), a trail I pinned on my map years ago. It was located near Holderness, NH and took us a little out of our way to Bartlett NH, but it was so worth it!
The hike was 2 miles round trip with a steady uphill climb the first half. The trail itself was super well maintained and ends with an expansive view of Squam Lake and mountain ranges behind it. TIP: The first lookout was beautiful but be sure to continue to the second lookout with unobstructed views and nice flat boulders to relax on and have a snack while enjoying the spectacular scenery.
Wanting to take advantage of the beautiful weather, we decided to make our way to Diana’s Baths since it was close to where we were glamping for the weekend. It was still early in the summer season so we hoped it would not be as crowded as it is in July and August. To get there we continued on scenic Rt 113 and passed peaceful meadows, cow pastures and horses with stunning mountains as a backdrop.
As we drove through the small town of Chocorua we stumbled upon the New Hampshire Country Store. I love a good country general store and this one is such a gem! It is a rustic 3 floor variety store filled with everything from crafts, toys, furniture, local syrups and jams, and an amazing bakery with fresh cinnamon rolls, apple fritters, cookies and lemon bars. After paying for some sweets, a bag of my favorite maple candies and a jar of jalapeno maple sriracha sauce at the antique cash register, we were on our way to Diana’s Baths.
Diana’s Baths is a short easy 1.3 mile round trip hike- but our family has never been due to crowds in the summer and I’m so glad we decided to stop. You could spend hours there climbing up the falls and swimming in the natural “pools”! TIP: I recommend changing into water shoes or going barefoot once you start climbing the falls-something I learned the hard way after falling in the water trying to cross over rocks. Fortunately the walk back is short so I did not have to be in my squishy wet sneakers for long.
Ready to rest, we headed to our glamping spot at Alpine Garden Glamping. The property is not only a glamping village with cabins and pods but also home to Alpine Garden Winery where they make their own wines and ciders. We rarely pass up a tasting so we stopped to sample their hand crafted sparkling cider and enjoyed sitting outside at one of their cute bistro tables.
Next up…our incredibly rustic chic Crawford Notch cabin! I will let the pictures of our quaint and super cozy cabin do most of the talking. Everything from the retro appliances, antique clawfoot tub, robes and beautiful front porch with a hand crafted wooden table made this place so special- we looked at each other and knew we found the perfect place to spend our anniversary weekend. My favorite feature might have been the Victrola and the collection of records! There is something about the vintage crackling sound of The Beatles’ Love Song vinyl record with its occasional skip that makes you just decompress and relax.
We opted to grill dinner that night and sat by the etched “bear scene” fire pit while we listened to the Celtics playoff game and planned our hikes for the next day.
