Castle in the Clouds - hiking trails & waterfalls

[roadtripper]

I just visited this very nice piece of property last week, but I must say there is very little information about their 45 miles of trails available. Nobody on the property seemed to have any information as to which trails were most interesting, and the sole trail map offered in the gift shop wasn't of much help either, in my opinion.

There's 6 noteable waterfalls rumored to be on this property, one of which (Fall of Song), is gorgeous and rather well-known. The others are called "Whittier Falls", "Roaring Falls", "Emerald Pool Falls", "Bridal Veil Falls" and "Twin Falls". Does anybody have any idea where to find these waterfalls, or a book that discusses, in detail, the trails of this park? I've read that all of these waterfalls are on Shannon Brook, but I'm curious if they are upstream or downstream of Fall of Song, and just how far so.

Also, anybody have any favorite hikes/trails in this park in case I return?

Thanks!

 

[rocket21]

In my opinion, the Mt. Roberts Trail is a must for any Lakes Region hiker.

 

[Trainwreck]

We were there this past w/e. I used a trail map that I downloaded from here.
(Trailbandit). Stick with the trails on public land. We followed Shannon Brook on the Brook trail and passed the waterfalls you named. These are not huge waterfalls like the Fall of Song. The Brook trail is a loop, about .5 mile and very pretty.
Agree with the Mt Roberts trail suggested above.
Shannon Pond is loaded with HUGE trout that make a big fuss when fed.
All in all, a very nice place to visit. There is trailhead parking at the Pond.
We will be back.

 

[Amicus]

The Brook Trail is the newest to be reopened by the LRCT on their property, as I recall, which is why you didn't find it on their map. I assume they will add it to the next edition.

Search Trip Reports just on this website and you'll find quite a few accounts over the past few years of hikes on the Mt. Roberts Trail and some other nice ones. carole here has been the trail-maintainer for that Trail, although I don't know if she still does that.

 

[Silverfox]

In my opinion, the Mt. Roberts Trail is a must for any Lakes Region hiker.

Agreed.. the views along the way from several open ledges..stretching from the lakes up close to the Whites, notably the Sandwich Range to the north..the gorgeous dwarf oak section..excellent trail with a fine footbed.. A great hike any time of the year.

 

[roadtripper]

Trainwreck - the Brook Trail loop began and ended just before the Fall of Song, correct? Any idea if there are any waterfalls on Shannon Brook between the highway and the junciton with the Brook Trail?

 

[1HappyHiker]

Roadtripper, you might possibly be interested in a Trip Report that I posted awhile ago (click HERE for link).
This report describes several short hikes, one of which is a Castle-in-the-Clouds hike. Included in this report is a photo of Bridal Veil Falls on the Castle-in-the-Clouds property.

 

[Trainwreck]

Trainwreck - the Brook Trail loop began and ended just before the Fall of Song, correct? Any idea if there are any waterfalls on Shannon Brook between the highway and the junciton with the Brook Trail?

Roadtipper: The Brook Trail continues up to the left of the entrance of the boardwalk to the falls. It winds up and around beautiful woods, past the waterfalls and ultimately crosses the brook on a bridge. Then it loops to the right, on a service road,thru a meadow where there is a beautiful view of the castle. Once back in the woods, it swings downhill slightly and ends at the bridge just before the boardwalk to the falls. (we did it in that order, reverse it if you start the trail by crossing the brook 1st)

I hiked it from the Castle access road as my daughter wanted to tour the castle, so we did not do the part of the trail you asked about, but I think that it follows a service road some distance from the brook.