Escape to Darkfrost Mountain Lodge, less than 2 hours from Boston
- Gather under the stars by the fire pit & garden
- Relax or grill on patio with woodland views
- Enjoy a pet-friendly working homestead
- Ski at nearby Ragged & Tenney Mountain
- Explore hiking, biking & snowshoeing nearby at Wellington, Cardigan Mountain State Parks, AMC Cardigan Lodge
Looking for options? Visit my Airbnb Host Profile to explore our 3 available cabins: Millmoon A-Frame, Black Dog Cabin, Darkfrost Lodge.
The space
**How can we help you?**
Have questions about our sauna, the amenities, lodging, or things to do in the area? Ask us, we are happy to help you!
**Winter in the New Hampshire Foothills: A Friendly Heads-Up**
We're thrilled to host you during the winter months. Here's what you need to know:
Heat: Our cabins feature eco-friendly mini-split heating systems, which provide gentle, efficient heat that feels different than traditional furnaces in apartments or houses. Bring your coziest layers, fuzzy socks, winter boots, and maybe that favorite blanket—it's all part of the authentic cabin experience. You'll be warm, just in a more rustic-chic kind of way.
Roads: Our unpaved country roads can get icy, snowy, and occasionally adventurous in winter. A four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicle with snow tires (or all-weather tires at minimum) is your ticket to stress-free arrival and departure.
**Register Your Pet**
Our cabins are pet-friendly and always will be. If you're bringing a pet, please add your pet to your reservation; this helps us notify our cleaners and keep cabins tidy for you and all our guests.
**Life in the Woods**
The lodge is on an unpaved country road on a densely forested hill. All-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended in winter and during mud season in late March - early April.
The lodge is conveniently located by the road for easy parking for two vehicles. Our location is not overtly remote. We live on the property (further back out of sight), and our very nice next-door neighbor's home is visible from behind the lodge, but you are surrounded by woods and can enjoy dark skies at night.
Our little mountain community is overall quiet. During the day, you may see the occasional delivery vehicle on the road or hear us milling lumber at our on-site wood mill further in the property. But the evenings are quiet here and very dark (we supply flashlights!), ideal for stargazing on clear nights.
The lodge is surrounded by a rich and healthy woodland ecosystem. Native wildlife around the property includes migrating birds, owls, deer, moose, red and grey squirrels, a diverse range of pollinator insects (and mosquitoes in the summer and for two weeks in April, black flies), the occasional porcupine, and, in rare instances, a shy black bear or bobcat in the distance.
During the spring and summer months, please keep doors closed to prevent uninvited insect friends from welcoming themselves inside. We do our best to keep tiny native critters out of the lodge, but they may occasionally get in.
**Unscented Cleaning Products**
Whenever possible, we use unscented cleaning products, detergents, and hand and dish soap. No weird plugin air fresheners or spray-on fake "air fresheners" here!
**Sleeping Arrangement**
The upstairs features three sleeping areas:
* Enclosed bedroom (the little cabin within the cabin) with a **King-Sized** bed with memory foam mattress
* A sleep nook with a firm memory foam queen platform bed behind a partial room divider next to the common area
* Full-sized sleeper sofa in the common area (set up upon request) with a memory foam mattress topper
* If you or another of your group requires complete sleeping privacy, we recommend using the "little cabin" bedroom
**Kitchen and Cooking**
All of the kitchen appliances are electric-only, including two induction burners, an electric griddle, a NEW 47.5 Qt French-door convection oven, a full-size refrigerator with water filter and ice maker, a dishwasher, a toaster, a microwave oven, a multi-cooker rice cooker, an electric kettle, and an air fryer.
*The kitchen does not have a standard-size gas oven or cooking range.* However, our guests have prepared a wide range of meals with our electric countertop appliances. Outside on the downstairs patio, a propane grill is ready for your grilling needs!
**Coffee and Tea**
You’ll be set for coffee with the Cuisinart Coffee 12 Cup Programmable Drip coffee maker and a stainless steel French press.
We provide ground coffee, decaf coffee, an assortment of teas, and raw sugar and stevia sweeteners.
**Sauna**
Enjoy our beautiful handmade sauna and cold plunge tub steps away behind the lodge. Ease those sore muscles after a day on the ski slopes, hiking, or if you need deep relaxation!
Guest access
Guests have for themselves the entire lodge including the sauna shed, backyard, and garden. You are invited to check out the small creek just beyond the backyard. Beyond the creek are our private residences.
Other things to note
Our lodge has a unique minimalist yet rustic vibe: we love unfinished wood that retains the original mill markings, shou sugi ban burned wood accents, polished concrete floors, soothing greys, and the occasional bit of fantasy or whimsical flair.
We built the lodge and sauna shed; we also made the dining room table, coffee tables, and many of the rugged wooden details you will find inside and outside the lodge.
We live on the property in two private residences, out of view of the lodge and accessible via a separate driveway. We are nearby if you need anything or have questions.
Our very nice next-door neighbor's home is partially visible from the backyard, but the trees provide privacy.
We maintain a small wood mill on the property, and we milled much of the wood used to build the lodge and facilities ourselves. In the summer and fall, you are welcome to pick the herbs and veggies in the backyard organic garden.
