Around New England

56. Our Favorite Hiking Gear

Join us as we discuss all of our favorite hiking gear and where we shop as well as where you guys have recommended.  We discuss all clothing choices from shoes, socks, pants, tops, and outerwear.  This isn't the same as our blog about the 10 essentials, but a list of our own essentials that we try not to hike without. We talk a lot about our favorite items of clothing and where we got them from.   
A few of our most frequented stores....
LL Bean
Kittery Trading Post
Zappos
Lululemon
Hidden Outlet
Since this podcast isnt about a specific location, we wanted to give you several food recommendations around New England....
Maine Beer Company 
Wicked Fresh Craft Burgers
Street 360
BRGR Bar
Caffe Kilim
La Mulita Coffee
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55. Middlesex Fells Reservation Medford, MA

This week we head towards Boston for our new Puppy's first hike at the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Medford, MA.  Known as "The Fells", this park is surprisingly large at over 2,000 acres! There is access from other surrounding towns, but we went to the Medford parking lot.  
There are so many trails, it truly is a choose-your-own-adventure type of hike.  We did the skyline trail which had white blazes on it.  We hiked to Wright's Tower where we saw an amazing point of view where you see all of Boston for Logan to Fenway and beyond.  It's an easy hike, not much elevation gain, and it was a great introduction for the puppy "Pemi".
After our hike, we checked out an adorable new coffee shop nearby called Locolito Cafe!  This place is amazing!  Mike had an amazing hot drip coffee and a Chocolate Nutella Croissant.  G had the Spinach & Feta Croissant and a latte.  We both can't wait to go back.  
As we were leaving, G noticed that we happened to park in front of the Medford location of the legendary Modern Pastry.  Mike had cash on him, so we had plenty of desserts!  If you have never been to the one in the North End of Boston, this is much easier to get to but it is cash only like the location in the North End.
We are excited to share this little adventure with you!
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54. Gillette Castle East Haddam, CT

Join us this week as we head to Gillette Castle in East Haddam, CT.  This beautiful castle was built in the early 1900's for William Gillette, best known for being the first person to be Sherlock Holmes in theater.  His home is amazing and is free to walk around.  Tours are available from daily during the summer, and weekends throughout the fall.  There is even a cool holiday showing.  We went when they were closed for decorating for the holidays.
The hike around the grounds was a lot of fun.  Gillette was passionate about trains and even had his own electric train that went all around the property.  A train, some stations, and some amazing stone bridges are still on the walking trails to check out.  We did a little over 2 miles, but you can choose-your-own-adventure here and make it longer or shorter if you wish.
This one is dog friendly (on a leash).  You can even fish by the boat launch on the Connecticut River!  The state of Connecticut owns this park and it is open from 8am to sunset everyday.  There are even nice bathrooms available year round.  There is about 350 feet of elevation gain if you walk down to the river and back.
After the hike, we checked out our first ever cat-cafe.  We went to Two Wrasslin' Cats Accord.  The atmosphere was adorable with cat decorations everywhere!  We unfortunately did not have time to visit with the actual cats, but we really enjoyed the iced maple latte, iced mocha latte, and raspberry coffee cake.  All of it was amazing.  CHeck them out!  
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53. Bald Pate Mountain Bridgton, Maine

This week we head to Bridgton, Maine to check out Pate Mountain Reserve.  Be sure to listen to hear how to pronounce it!  ;) This area is maintained by Loon Echo Land Trust (LELT)and they do an incredible job!  It's a great hike to get a variety of trail experiences. 
Bald Pate reminded us a lot of Mount Agamenticus in York, Maine.  Listen to our podcast about it here.   
The Bridgton Maine area is a very cool.  It's home to a ski mountain, Pleasant Mountain, which we can't wait to check out soon!  It's also not far from Naples, Maine where our friends go camping every summer at Loon Haven Family Campground.  Perhaps we'll join them this summer!!  
Of course we had some dinner in town after the hike, and it did not disappoint.  We had some amazing burgers and beers at The Standard Gastro Pub.  Don't skip on this place.  It was an amazing way to cap off a fun day hiking!
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52. Mount Hale NH

Join us as we hike out 8th New Hampshire 4,000 footer, Mount Hale.  Located off 302 near Bretton Woods, Zealand Road is a seasonal road that accesses several great hiking trails including this hike. 
The road is closed in the winter, so check conditions prior to arriving.  The road closure would practically double the mileage on this one!  When we did this one, it was November.  The road was still open but there was plenty of snow on the trails.  The road actually closed about 10 days after we hiked this one.  We checked the conditions prior using several sources like All Trails, The Higher Summits Forecast, and New England Trail Conditions. 
The best bathroom options are the AMC Highland Center.  There are bathrooms at the entrance near 302 and at the trailhead of Middle & North Sugarloaf, but they are closed in the winter.  
After the hike we decided to check out North Conway.  We loaded up on dessert (for the couch that night) at Cafe Italia.  This place is LEGIT!  Check them out for awesome atmosphere, amazing Italian treats, and good Italian coffee.
Now that dessert was secured, we moved on to the main course.  We went to Wicked Fresh Craft Burgers, and this place is another gem!  The hand cut fries are awesome and their smash burgers are great!  Definitely check them out!
We also have a hard time going through Conway without stopping for a beer or a pizza at Tuckerman Brewery.  This has been a favorite of ours for a long time, and they even occasionally have a non-alcoholic beer of their own!  
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51. Season 2 Opener - All Things Indy Pass!

Thanks for joining us in our Season 2 opening episode where we talk all about our 2026 hiking goals and of course, Mike wants to talk skiing. 
This year Mike is taking G skiing on the Indy Pass.  This is the first in many seasons that G has tried skiing again.  Listen to her adventures while taking her first of her three lessons, including if she made it out unscathed or not. We both have the Indy Pass and she has 3 lessons to use this season via the Learn to Turn pass.  This program is fantastic for beginners like her. If you haven't joined, or click here if you would like to join the waitlist.
Similar to when I skied at Bolton Valley when we went to Vermont in Season 1, we will get out to ski as many resorts as possible this year.  
After G's awesome lesson at Tenney Mountain, we went to the Last Chair Brewery in Plymouth, NH for some great Apre's ski! 
When we went to Lost Valley a few days later, we stopped at The Pub at Baxter Brewing in Lewiston, Maine.
 
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50. Mount Lincoln & Lafayette Loop

For our Season 1 finally, We hiked a hike that has been on our bucket list for a long time.  We hiked the Lincoln - Lafayette Loop in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  This hike was outstanding! 
 
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Lincoln with hopes to hike on one of the 2 morning we were there.  We paid close attention to the Higher Summits Forecast from the Mount Washington Observatory. 
 
Once we decided Saturday was our hiking day, we decided to go to the Common Man in Lincoln for a healthy but hearty pre-hike meal the night before.
 
This hike is very popular, especially in the fall when we did it.  We arrived at the trailhead at 5:30am to get an early start and we are glad we did!  There is a Hiker Shuttle from Cannon which we thought was really cool! 
 
Besides miles of exposed ridgeline, this hike also has an awesome spot to take a break!  The Greenleaf Hut is on the descent from Lafayette.  The AMC does an amazing job keeping these places up! 
This loop is the trail that has the most rescues in New Hampshire.  Many ill prepared hikers end up needing rescued.  This is a good reminder to renew your Hike Safe Card every January!
 
As we have done with every 4,000 footer we have done yet, we have enjoyed some of the best burgers in NH at BRGR Bar.  Takeout on the couch was a perfect way to start our recovery. 
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Thank You so much for sticking with us for Season 1.  Stay tuned for announcements on Season 2 of Around New England!!  Keep exploring one trail at a time!
 
Mike & G

49. Fore River Sanctuary, Mackworth Island, Fort Williams & Crescent Beach State Parks Portland, Maine

This week we venture off to some cool family friendly spots in the Portland, Maine area.  We head to Mackworth Island State Park for some quiet views of Casco Bay.  
Next we headed to Fort Williams Park to see the famous Portland Head Light lighthouse and walk the cliff walk.
We finally had to check out Crescent Beach State Park where you can rent paddle boards! 
another spot we recommend is Fore River Sanctuary.  This is a beautiful hiking area that leads to Jewel Falls, Portland's largest waterfall.
When we explored most of these spots, we did it off season to beat the crowd.  G mentions The Hidden Outlet on the Route 1 Bypass in Portsmouth, NH as a great place to grab some good deals on outdoor clothing.
There are SO many great places for coffee and food in Portland.  Here is a list of places we mention:
Taco Escobarr
Portland Pie Company
Otto Pizza
Rose Foods (introduced to us by La Mulita Coffee.  The best in the Seacoast of NH!!)
Flatbread Company
Black Cow Burger & Fries
Bard Coffee
Salt Yard Cafe & Bar
 
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48. Block Island, Rhode Island

Join us as we explore Block Island which is a small but beautiful island just 13 miles off the coast of Rhode Island.  It is accessible by The Block Island Ferry.  Book your trip early, as this place gets very busy in the summer!  
When you arrive, you will see some of the bluffs that are visible from the mainland.  As you enter the Old Harbor to dock, Ballard's Resort which is a really cool place to grab a drink, a meal, or even to stay overnight.  The time we stayed overnight, we stayed at an adorable B&B, The Sea Breeze Inn.  This place was amazing!  We discuss all the benefits of staying here in this episode.
Just a few other beautiful landmarks to see are Southeast Lighthouse, which is on top of the Moheghan Bluffs.  This is another must-see spot!  Abram's Animal Farm has unique animals that you can see for free.  
Bring your bike.  This island has tons of cool spots to explore.  We checked out a beach on the west side of the island.  We had lunch there and could see NY, CT, & RI!  We even saw people horse back riding from Rustic Rides Horseback Riding.  It's magical.   
The town beach is a great family friendly place.  The Fred Benson Town Beach has a pavilion with concessions and showers!
Our favorite meal on island was at The Surf, located in the Block Island Beach House hotel.  The food was awesome, and the location and view are great!
We often wait until we get back on the mainland to eat.  One of our favorite places is right by the ferry.  We always enjoy Champlin's Seafood  There are so many good options in Narragansett, RI that are good seafood.  There is George's of Galilee, Iggy's, and Aunt Carrie's.   Which is your favorite?
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47. Flume Gorge and Artist Bluffs Franconia Notch, NH

*They recently changed the path to a one way for the busy holiday weekend. Please feel free to follow Cannon Mt Instagram where they post updates. 
We hiked the famous Flume Gorge and Artist Bluffs on an incredible fall day.  The foliage was popping, and the people were out at some of New England's most popular spots.  Some of these people could benefit from reading our blog on trail etiquette!  Both of these activities are also on our NH Weekend Blog.
When we were done at the Flume Gorge, we went to the parking lot of Cannon Mountain to hike Artist Bluff.  On this day we could see all of the notch, the trails on Cannon and the Tramway was even running when we were there.  
After our adventure, we stopped in Lincoln at the Moose On the Run Cafe for some iced coffee drinks.  We were excited to see they sold Mad River Coffee House coffee.  
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