Castle in the Clouds

The view is amazing! The history is interesting. The advancements for the time were a surprise.

Thought I could at least see it... nope! Pretty grounds and hiking.

Took a day trip here today and was only mildly impressed. They shouldn’t call this place a “castle”. It doesn’t really resemble a castle and is much smaller than we were led to believe. The scenery was pretty, but could be seen other places for less of a price. We drove down the road to the “entrance” and was told to turn back around to go down a different street. This was fine, but it was like that 10 months ago. One trip was enough to see the scenery and castle but I would consider going back for the hiking trails.

This is a large park with much to do. The view behind the castle is worth the trip by itself. On the park grounds there is the falls of song trail that takes you past 7 waterfalls. We brought our dog and he loved climbing on all the rocks. There are maintained bathrooms, a cafe, castle tours, trolley tours, and lots of green space.

This place is truly astoundingly beautiful! My husband, service dog, and I stopped by on a whim while passing through on our way to the State Park, and it was well worth it! To come in you follow a somewhat windy, hilly road that admittedly could get a little steep and narrow, but was at most points wide enough for our class C RV. There’s ample parking in several spaces out lots after you pass through the gatehouse that marks the entrance into the property, so unless you were coming at an unusually busy time, I wouldn’t worry too much about parking, at least not during COVID times. The parking lots and paths are relatively accessible, though there’s certainly a lot of walking, so be prepared and bring some water and a good pair of shoes! There’s a small outdoor cafe set up near the parking area which seemed properly socially distanced- we had already eaten, so we we went straight to the view. The view from behind the lodge was breathtaking, a look down at the mountains and lakes and rivers from near the peak of the mountain the castle is located on. It would’ve been worth the drive up there simply for the view alone!! But then there’s the trails! My husband and I opted to simply enjoy the trails and to try to come back for a tour another time, considering the pandemic and all, and just coming up for the Falls of Song trail alone was well worth it. Friendly and helpful staff helped us find our way to the trail’s entrance, which wasn’t as clearly marked as it could’ve been, though the trail itself was east to navigate. In addition to being cheerful and personable, the staff was entirely service-dog friendly, which is always a huge plus in my book. We spent a couple of hours exploring and enjoying the beautiful series of seven waterfalls and cascades under a beautiful, lovely green forest, and even still didn’t see everything there was to see. It was fantastic! We’re so lucky that we happened by this place, and we’ll definitely be coming back when we can to explore more!