Old Bridle Path to West Rattlesnake Mountain

June 24, 2011 – This was our second time on the Old Bridle Path trail leading up to the scenic ledges that overlook Squam Lake.  Scenic is sort of an understatement, ever since our first hike I’ve noticed that nearly every tourism brochure features stunning photos from this location.

Unfortunately the weather was not so great this time, although the scattered showers were mild and the mid-70 temperatures were comfortable.

The property is owned and managed by the University of New Hampshire’s Office of Woodlands and Natural Areas.  There’s a great PDF brochure with a trail map, and background information about the area on the NH Division of Forests and Lands website.

If you have kids, this is a great trail as long as you’re careful about slippery rocks and the steep ledges at the top.  Our two boys (2 and 5) made it all the way to the top on their own.  The trail itself is almost 5ft wide all the way, and VERY well maintained.  Lots of crushed stone to help with potential mud, and steps to deal with the steep areas.

I did cary the 2 year old back down in his backpack carrier, but that was expected.  We also discovered what appeared to be a bad bug bite on the younger boy’s face.  He had a reaction to whatever it was, with red spots, and red skin areas all over his body.  We called our doctor and stopped by a local pharmacy to pickup some over-the-counter medication to be safe.  The redness and spots seem to go subside over the next 10 hours.

Hopefully the weather breaks and we can go for some longer hikes.  I’ll add some photos to this post as soon as I get connected to a better internet connection.