In the rolling hills of western New Hampshire in the small township of Pike, a unique and inviting new lodging property has opened on the slopes of Iron Mountain. The Innstead Mountain Getaway is exactly what its name implies. In our three day, two night stay we experienced the hospitality expected from a charming New England Inn coupled with a space artfully designed to help your family unplug and unwind.
Reservation Process:
Currently there are three options available to book on the property. Upper and Lower Guest House, both of which can accommodate up to four guests, and the larger “Pike Station” which can sleep six. For our visit we stayed in the contemporary designed accessible (no stairs) Lower Guest House. A few days before our arrival we received helpful emails from Bill and Siobhan, the hosts and general managers, with information on the self check-in process, nearby attractions, property maps highlighting the extensive trail network on site, and more.
Our Experience:
When we arrived in the later afternoon (check-in time is anytime after 3pm) we saw Bill and his children ice skating on the pond just a couple hundred feet from our car. Bill greeted us and we learned he had just confirmed the depth of the ice and cleared off the snow from the areas thick enough to skate on. They kids were having a blast and I made a note we would be bringing ice skates next time we visit.
My son, age 12, and my daughter, age 8, ran to the door of our rental excited as always to see where we would be staying for a few days. Upon entering my daughter made the observation that there was no TV! We let her know that was by design, because the interior and exterior area of The Innstead are created to help families reconnect away from the digital distractions of our time. With that in mind there is still ample WiFi on the property so if you need to stay connected to work you can. Our unit had plenty to keep our family involved during our indoor time including chess, Scrabble, Mancala, Uno, and our own North Conway version of Monopoly we brought from home!
Before settling in for the evening we walked over to “The Doghouse”. This common building is a place to hangout with other guests, grab a complimentary snack or seltzer, and get some coffee and light baked goods and fresh fruit in the mornings. A short patio path from here leads to a fire pit where nightly Smore’s are made available (weather permitting).
Back in our room we settled in for an early evening with plans to go skiing at the Dartmouth Skiway the next morning. The Lower Guesthouse has a queen size bed in a small bedroom separated by the main living area by curtain. The sofa had a pullout queen sized bed that the kids took command of. We all slept great thanks to the quality mattresses and linens provided. We also appreciated the climate control of the Mini Split air conditioners.
Through a partnership with the Dartmouth Skiway we were able to purchase discounted lift tickets directly from The Innstead for only $30 per person (vs. $60 weekend window rates). It’s only about a 35 minute scenic drive to the Dartmouth Skiway and we enjoyed the scenic rolling farmland and the impressive Peaked Mountain that dramatically came into view around a corner.
I’ll save our experience at the Dartmouth Skiway for another post but will just mention that we had an excellent time there due to the quality snow making, grooming, terrain, and small mountain vibe. Other ski mountains within easy day tripping distance of The Innstead include:
27 miles to Tenney Mountain
27 miles to Loon Mountain Resort
28 miles to Cannon Mountain
We returned to the property around 3:30pm and after checking local sunset time I decided to get ambitious and try to skin up Iron Mountain to check out one of the newest glade zones to be added to the Granite Backcountry Alliance. The rest of the family settled down for a little siesta while I put skins to skis and started up the well marked Joan Wolter trail from essentially the door of our lodging. This was an 1,100 foot climb over 1.6 miles long. Since I was hoping to beat sunset I kept a 20 minute/mile pace up the average 10% grade and I reached the summit in just under 50 minutes. Along the way I noted how much work has been done by The Pike Glades to artfully glade some steeper zones on the hillside along with some beautiful looking open fields that would be perfect for the beginner backcountry enthusiast to enjoy the sport.
Just below the geographic summit I took 10 minutes on the porch of a small rustic cabin charmingly called, “The Shire” on my CalTopo map to savor the views east of the frosted Mount Moosilauke, one of the most popular NH 4000 Footers, this one standing tall at 4,802 in elevation, the highest point between the Connecticut River Valley and the I93 corridor to the east. To the west I caught the last glimpses of sun and being unfamiliar with the vantage tried to see if I could spot Camel’s Hump in Vermont but couldn’t locate it given the visibility and possibly not having enough altitude.
Since light would wane quickly, I was solo, and the snow conditions were pretty thin for true glade skiing, I made the conservative choice to descend via the John Wolter Trail whose trailhead is the public access point for this Granite Backcountry Alliance zone off our NH Route 25, East Haverhill, and is basically the uphill skin route from that parking lot. This would also let me almost completely circumnavigate the whole area and make for a fun loop trip. During the descent I briefly stopped at “The Warrior’s Cabin”, which had a moving tribute to those who have fought for our freedoms. The former Marine in me let out a little “ooh-ra” before I continued my descent choosing lower “O’Brien Way” and “Yahoo/Yahoo Cutoff” to cut back over to The Innstead and avoid any road walking. With just a couple sections of flatter terrain and some herring-bone I was carving the last couple of turns right down to our cozy lodging an hour and a half after departing.
Bill greeted me in the parking lot to inquire on the conditions I found and the route I took. An AMC led tour group was coming the next day and he had plans to connect with them out on the trails. After a quick shower (excellent bathroom with quality organic soaps, shampoos, and towels) the family, mostly recovered from 4 hours of lift service and one slightly tired from one hot backcountry lap, jumped in the family van and headed to Bradford, VT, just 20 minutes away for a fantastic dinner at the Italian eatery, Colatina Exit. Call ahead for this place, the food and service makes it a hot spot. We were very happy with our meals and will definitely return if we are in the area again. Side tip, the GPS route to Bradford, VT from The Innstead is pretty much equidistant if you head south on Route 10 to the Piermont Bridge crossing, or travel north on Route 10 to the Newbury Crossing Road bridge. Because of that we recommend if visiting Bradbury to make it a loop trip so you can cross both state-line bridges and see more of the countryside!
Sidenote: Quietude
Coming from the bustling tourist area of Mount Washington Valley it was nice to be in an area with an old NH/VT feel. There is no Uber or Door Dash available here. Plan accordingly. Confirmation emails list the closest grocery stores based on what direction you are coming from. The Innstead room kitchens are fully equipped with brand new quality appliances. You could certainly save some money and just cook on site during your visit. We chose to spend some money in the surrounding towns and didn’t regret a single meal we had.
As we returned to The Innstead with full bellies and tired legs we caught sight of the lit up “Doghouse” up on the hillside just before turning up the long driveway. Even though we had only been guests for two days it felt like we were coming home in a way. While we had stayed out past the traditional Smore’s time the embers were still burning and even though we got our kiddos quickly into their PJ’s the Smore’s supplies were still out in the Doghouse and after chatting with Bill a bit about the inspiring growth and vision he and his wife have for the property I turned in for the evening and surprised both kiddos with a late night Smore treat… then made them brush their teeth again.
On the final morning we made one more stop at the beautiful Doghouse for some great coffee and home baked goods (Gramma Higgins coffee cake, handed down to Bill from his maternal grandmother!) before leaving for home. Siobhan and Bill joined us for some conversation regarding the current and future plans for their impressive property while my kiddos got to work making bead bracelets and necklaces with their own young daughters.
If you are looking for a place to unwind and unplug, to enjoy the natural world and its variety of weather conditions and lighting, somewhere with excellent hiking trails but not a lot of traffic, a vibe and energy that help you leave your phone in “Do Not Disturb” mode even though there is WiFi available, you should look at booking a stay at The Innstead Mountain Getaway.
Discount for Northeast Alpine Start Followers!
From now until the end of May my readers can get 15% off their stay at The Innstead with promo code “AlpineStart15“! There is a 2-night minimum stay but otherwise no restrictions!
Disclaimer: The author and his family were compensated a two night stay at this lodging in exchange for sharing their experience. No other compensation was made and all opinions stated are that of the author.
