Mount Shaw via Turtleback Mountain Trail

This route starts and ends at the Shannon Pond parking area off Ossipee Park Road, within the Castle in the Clouds Conservation Area, and is the Lakes Region Conservation Trust's own official route to Mount Shaw's summit. From the trailhead, cross the dam at Shannon Pond and follow the Turtleback Mountain Trail/Corridor 15 Trail into the woods past a trail kiosk, climbing gradually along old carriage roads. At around 1.5 miles, cross a small creek and continue on to a series of steepening switchbacks. At around 3.1 miles, an optional 0.5-mile spur on the Turtleback Summit Trail leads to Turtleback Mountain's open, ledgy summit, with sweeping views across the interior Ossipee Range; most hikers tag this side trip before continuing. Back on the main trail, continue on, crossing another small creek at 4.5 miles, to reach a junction at around 5.7 miles. From here, turn left onto Black Snout trail for the final push to the summit. Mount Shaw Trail will join in from the right at around 6.6 miles; continue on, passing the spur to Black Snout's summit on the right at 6.8 miles. From this point, it's a final 0.7 to summit of Mount Shaw. The full round trip covers approximately 9.6 miles with roughly 1,770 feet of elevation gain, plus about an extra mile and modest additional gain if the Turtleback spur is included. Retrace the same trail sequence back to Shannon Pond.