Some hotels have pools, spas and wine dinners. Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa Local favorite: Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitefield, New Hampshire, has all of those things, too. But it also lets you take a donkey for a walk.
Tucked into the White Mountains with panoramic views in nearly every direction, Mountain View Grand is one of New England’s classic grand resorts. The property spans more than 1,700 acres and includes an on-site farm filled with goats, chickens, llamas, alpacas, donkeys and one particularly social turkey.
And instead of simply visiting the animals at the barn, you can actually head out on the trails with them.
The resort’s guided donkey walks might be one of the most unexpected hotel activities I’ve found in New England, but they’re only the beginning of what you can do without ever leaving the property.
Go on a Donkey Trail Walk in the White Mountains
Let’s start with the donkeys.
Mountain View Grand offers guided donkey walks that take you from the resort’s farm onto trails around the property, combining two things I didn’t know needed to be combined until I experienced them: hiking through the White Mountains and hanging out with a donkey.
This isn’t a traditional horseback trail ride. You’re walking alongside the donkey, which makes the experience feel more like you’re heading out for a hike with an unusually adorable hiking partner.
And the setting is hard to beat.
The resort is surrounded by the White Mountains, so you’re getting farm fields, forested trails and mountain views as part of the experience.
If you’re someone who plans trips around experiences you can’t easily replicate somewhere else, this belongs on your list.
Meet the Animals at the Mountain View Grand Farm
Even if you don’t book a donkey trek, make time for the farm.
Mountain View Grand’s on-site farm is home to goats, chickens, llamas, alpacas, donkeys and other furry and feathered residents.
The farm isn’t just decorative landscaping around a luxury resort. It’s an interactive part of the guest experience and a connection to the property’s agricultural history.
One of the best ways to experience it is through the resort’s farm programming, where guests can learn more about the animals and daily farm life.
And there’s a good chance you’ll meet Paul.
Paul is the farm’s extremely friendly turkey who was raised around humans and has apparently appointed himself part of the resort’s welcome committee. He loves attention, knows his name and may decide to follow you around while you visit the other animals.
Yes, I have an entire story about Paul. He deserves it.
You Can Also Golf With a Llama Caddie
Apparently walking with a donkey wasn’t enough.
Mountain View Grand also offers one of the most memorable golf experiences I’ve encountered: the opportunity to bring a llama along as your caddie.
The resort has an 18-hole golf course surrounded by mountain views, but it’s safe to say most golf courses don’t give you the option of adding a llama to your foursome.
It’s exactly the kind of slightly unexpected experience that makes this resort memorable.
You could play 18 holes at plenty of New England resorts.
You’re probably going to remember the round where a llama came with you.
The History of Mountain View Grand
The farm experiences feel particularly fitting once you understand the history of Mountain View Grand.
The property’s story dates back to the 1860s, when what began as a farmhouse started welcoming travelers to this corner of northern New Hampshire.
Over time, that small hospitality operation evolved into one of New England’s grand resorts.
Today, Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa occupies more than 1,700 acres in Whitefield, surrounded by the White Mountains and within relatively easy reach of the Vermont border.
There’s a sense of history here that you don’t get from a newly constructed resort, but the property has also built an extensive lineup of experiences that make it feel like much more than a historic hotel.
So Much to Do Without Leaving the Resort
This is one of those properties where you could arrive, park your car and barely touch it again until checkout.
Beyond the donkey treks, farm experiences and llama golf, Mountain View Grand offers plenty of ways to build an entire weekend around the property.
You can play the 18-hole golf course, book a treatment at the Tower Spa, swim in the indoor or outdoor pools, explore walking and hiking trails or try axe throwing.
There are also quieter ways to spend your stay, including wine cellar dinners and s’mores, plus a dedicated movie theater and game room for the kind of evening when you don’t feel like doing much at all.
That’s one of the things I like most about a resort like this.
You don’t have to plan every hour.
If the weather is beautiful, head outside. If it rains, go to the spa, play games or watch a movie. If you wake up and decide you’d rather spend the morning hanging out with farm animals, that’s apparently a completely reasonable option here.
Visit Littleton While You’re Here
If you do decide to leave the resort for a few hours, nearby Littleton is one of my favorite small towns to explore in this part of New Hampshire.
Its walkable downtown is filled with independent shops, restaurants and breweries, with the Ammonoosuc River running through town.
You can cross the covered pedestrian bridge, browse Main Street, stop for a beer and visit Chutters, home to the Guinness World Record-holding 112-foot candy counter.
Littleton makes an easy addition to a Mountain View Grand weekend because you can spend part of the day exploring town and then return to the resort for dinner, the spa or another activity.
An Easy White Mountains Getaway From Vermont
For Vermonters, Mountain View Grand is also closer than its grand-resort getaway atmosphere might suggest.
Whitefield sits just beyond the Vermont-New Hampshire border, approximately 40 minutes from St. Johnsbury and about two hours from the Burlington area.
That makes this an especially interesting option when you want a getaway that feels substantially different from home without dedicating an entire day to getting there.
Cross the state line, head into the White Mountains and suddenly you’re checking into a historic resort where tomorrow’s agenda might include breakfast, a donkey hike and a llama-assisted round of golf.
That’s a pretty good weekend.
Is Mountain View Grand Worth Visiting?
Mountain View Grand stands out because the resort itself can be the destination.
The history and mountain setting are a major part of the appeal, but it’s the experiences that make a stay here particularly memorable.
You can go golfing, swimming or hiking. You can book a spa treatment or sit down for a wine dinner.
But you can also walk a donkey through the White Mountains, meet an exceptionally friendly turkey and invite a llama to join you on the golf course.
That’s not an itinerary you’re going to recreate at every New England hotel.
If you’re planning a White Mountains getaway and love properties where there’s as much to experience at the hotel as there is beyond it, save Mountain View Grand to your list.
And when you’re choosing your activities? Take the donkey for a walk.
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