Save this secret hiking trail for your next trip to the White Mountains!

For those who may not know, Anthony and I got married in Bretton Woods, NH with Mount Washington as our backdrop. We've sung the praises of our wedding venue before, when we called out a certain other hotel for its boastfulness and money-grabbing tactics. Nevertheless, we had a beautiful autumn wedding back in 2015, where we let the natural landscape serve as our backdrop. We didn't even have an alter!

We've returned to the Mount Washington Resort Hotel a few times since the wedding, one time bringing along Tanner to show him where his humans tied the knot...

...and another time on our 5-year anniversary, when things looked a little less picturesque.

The hotel has served as our reference point; whenever we visit, we notice how much we've changed as we progress through the various chapters of our life. One chapter we hadn't yet celebrated there was our life as full-time RVers. After traveling far and wide across the country, we were back in New England for several months, and we already had a campground in mind, where we couldn't wait to stay.

Nestled in the woods where the Ammonoosuc River meets the Zealand River is Sugarloaf Campground, a US Forest Service primitive campground containing two loops with few facilities. We have expressed our love for national forest campgrounds many times before because they are typically our chances to unplug. Here, unplugging was not just a choice, but rather a necessity. We had no cell service and our Starlink couldn't find the sky through the patches of trees above. This is why we only stayed for the weekend, arriving on our anniversary, Friday October 4, and leaving that Sunday. We can't deny that the unplugging ups the peaceful factor even more. Like many of our national forest sites in the past, this one was large and private. We had hiking trail access directly from our campsite, and the surrounding foliage was stunning.

As soon as we got settled at the campground, we headed up the street to visit our beautiful venue in all its vibrant autumn glory. There is so much to do in Bretton Woods. It's a ski area in the winter, but it offers recreation all year round. Scenic gondola rides, zipline canopy tours, golf, and horse-drawn carriage rides are just a few of the activities you will find here. At the hotel itself, you can explore the lobby and wrap-around veranda or eat at one of the many restaurants. Appetizers and small bites on the back terrace will give you extraordinary views of the Presidential Range.

We took some pictures and reminisced, wondering how it had already been 9 years...but on the other hand, how it had only been 9 years. Safe to say, we are completely different people than those two cuties who walked down the aisle, but two things have remained steadfast: Our love for each other and our love for the White Mountains.

During our weekend in the Whites, we had two hikes on our must-do list, if weather permitted. Friday night brought lots of rain, so we had to squeeze in our hikes at times the ground wouldn't be too wet and slippery. We held off until evening on Saturday for our first hike, but this turned out perfect because we've learned over the years that a dusk hike on this trail in autumn is by far the best time to go.

If you head east on US 302 from Sugarloaf Campground, on your way towards the Mount Washington Hotel, you will pass a road with a giant sign pointing to the Cog Railway. This is the famous train that climbs up Mount Washington. It holds a lot of accolades, being the world's first cog railway, steepest cog railway in the US, and second steepest in the world. FYI, it's also a Harvest Host location. A highly recommended adventure in its own right. Base Station Road eventually leads up to the Cog and to the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trailhead, if you want to try your hand at summitting the mountain on foot. We, however, like to take a far easier trail that's accessible further down the road.

The lower part of Base Station Road has several pull-offs. One is labeled on Google Maps as Upper Falls Ammonoosuc River, and if there is room, this is the pull-off you want. Google Maps on mobile often brings us to the wrong place, a branch to a dirt road that's gated off, so be sure to plug in this specific location.

Once there, you will see the river through some trees. There is also a footbridge. In the nice weather, this area can get crowded with people climbing the boulders around the river, but hardly anyone ventures further beyond the footbridge. The cascades flowing under the bridge make for some great views, so be sure to soak in the scenery for a bit before moving on.

On the off-times such as this autumn evening, we like to come here to engage our senses. The sights are obvious, but the sounds of the water rushing down the river, coupled with the aroma of pine, are an unbeatable combination.

Naturally, we stopped here in 2020 during our anniversary day trip. We needed a remedy after a really tough year.

It was that visit in 2020 that made us discover the prime time to venture into the back woods on the other side of the river. The glow of the sun lights up the trees, and their colorful leaves pop among the glistening green pine branches.

To get to this trail, walk across the footbridge and you will come to an intersection. Turn right and follow the river along its east bank. From there, you will have options to turn off the trail, including a path that leads to Middle Falls, but it was closed due to erosion when we went this year. We didn't care because our favorite part of this trail was straight ahead.

The trail is part of a network in Bretton Woods, mainly for mountain biking in the warm months and XC skiing in the winter. The history itself is worth the jaunt, because this trail used to be part of the Boston and Maine Railroad in the 1800s. This was an extensive network of passenger trains that eventually hit hardship with the popularization of the private automobile and service cuts during WWI. While the main lines remained operational for several years, fighting to stay afloat through the Great Depression, the railroad saw its major decline in the 1950s, when funding needed to be allocated towards transportation closer to Boston, and as a result, the interstate lines discontinued. Despite a period of regrowth in the 1970s after filing for bankruptcy, the Boston and Maine was sold off to other companies and effectively decommissioned. Parts of the railway can still be found around New England, with some having become recreational trails such as this one. Aptly named B&M, it's accessible from the Nordic Center at the Mount Washington Resort. We, however, catch it from the other side.

Continue straight down this trail for about 1.25 miles and you will come to a clearing, which upon closer look, you will realize is the golf course at the Mount Washington Resort. By this point, the sun will have set behind the mountains, and the lights of the hotel will be glowing in the distance. During peak times, you will need to tread lightly here because technically the golf course is for resort guests and customers only, but on the night of our hike, it was just us and a gaggle of geese.

From here, turn around and retrace your steps. We needed to use our phone flashlights for the last bit, especially to make sure we turned off the trail at the right point. Look for the sign that says "Upper Falls." I took a few night shots from on and around the bridge before we headed out.

There are very few places in this area where you can take an easy hike and still enjoy gorgeous scenery and the sights and smells of the alpines. It's more of a nature walk than a hike, and that's exactly what we love about it. It's our place to soak in the nature around us, to be mindful, and to recharge.

The next morning, we challenged ourselves to a more difficult hike before we were due to check out of our campsite. Our big reason for wanting to camp at Sugarloaf was because it would put us just a stone's throw away from the trailhead to one of our favorite hikes in the Whites, North and Middle Sugarloaf. This is one of our picks for the "best bang for your buck." The hike isn't easy, though, so you will need to earn the views, but trust us, they are worth it.

The Sugarloaf trail offers you the option to summit both the North and Middle peaks, or just one or the other. Many people hike to Middle because of the two, it has the more expansive views. However, we don't like to skip North because it has stunning views of Mount Washington, and the summit is usually less crowded!

We first did this hike in June of 2019, but we knew foliage season would bring a whole new dimension. The trail starts flat alongside the Zealand River but soon becomes a hefty climb.

The climb doesn't last too long, and after exactly a mile, you will come to the junction where you can decide to take a right towards North Sugarloaf, or a left towards Middle. We love the hike to North because it follows a wooded alpine ridge and ends with big climbs up roots and boulders. Then, a beautiful view awaits us at the top to reward us for our climb. Hello, Mount Washington!

My favorite part is getting to see Middle Sugarloaf from North Sugarloaf.

After getting our fix on the first summit, we headed back down and across the ridge to meet up with the Middle Sugarloaf trail. Once more, the climb is pretty extensive, especially because at this point our legs start to feel a little fatigued. There are some more boulder climbs, and at the end, one final steep climb, aided by a little stairway.

Not only did we have the fall colors at the top, but our westward view had some low clouds, creating an undercast effect. On such a beautiful Sunday morning so close to peak foliage, we had to share the summit with others, but there is plenty of space, and you get spectacular views wherever you go.

Our original plan was to hike the Sugarloafs on Saturday after the rain, but we're glad we waited until Sunday morning. We got an early start before most of the crowds, and the ground was a little muddy but definitely manageable. Including wandering around the summit, our hike was just about 3.5 miles and took us just over 2 hours. We timed it perfectly, with ample time to get back to camp, pack up, and head to our next destination.

This anniversary weekend was extra special. Revisiting our wedding venue all these years later really illustrates how much we've grown as a couple. We've had so many adventures and new experiences, but coming back to Bretton Woods feels like we're returning to one of our homes. Here we find a lot of comfort, memories, and happiness. We always say that traveling helps us find "comfort zones" all across the country. This place has been a comfort zone since before we started traveling, but it remains one to this day. We are grateful that we finally had the chance to bring our home-on-wheels to a place that's so dear to our hearts.