Great spots for hiking – as picked by Hippo readers
We asked, you voted, and now it’s time to hit the trails.
Among the more than 100 other “Bests” in this year’s Readers’ Poll, we asked you to name the best hiking spot in southern New Hampshire. The answers we received were diverse and included everywhere from moderately challenging mountain hikes to flatter, nature walk-type experiences.
What follows are key details from the top 10 highest voted hiking spots, in order, as shared by city and town planners, state and town park personnel, trail guidebook authors and local hiking aficionados. Trail terrain, interesting features and points of interest are all included. We even threw in the closest local ice cream shop to each, for afterward when you make that next trip outdoors.
For those trails listed within New Hampshire’s state parks system, reservations are highly recommended, especially during peak season, as visitors will be turned away if the parks are full.
Looking for your next new favorite hiking spot? Read on for some ideas as voted by readers.
1. Mount Monadnock
169 Poole Road, Jaffrey, 532-8862, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/monadnock-state-park
Scaling 3,165 feet at its summit, Mount Monadnock is one of the most frequently hiked mountains in the Northeast. The mountain, located within Mount Monadnock State Park in the towns of Jaffrey and Dublin, was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1987.
Kimball Rexford of Goffstown, a freelance web developer and avid hiker who runs TrailsNH.com, said he finds Mount Monadnock to almost always be “neck and neck” with Mount Washington in terms of the most frequently searched trails. Mount Monadnock State Park is also a popular camping destination, especially during peak season.
About the trails: The park’s main headquarters are accessed at the end of Poole Road in Jaffrey, which is also where the two most commonly hiked trails to the summit start — the White Dot trail and the White Cross trail. Rexford said he recommends ascending the mountain using the White Dot trail and descending using the White Cross trail. The loop is about 4 miles long round-trip, or roughly three to four hours of steady hiking.
“It’s kind of classic New England hiking,” Rexford said. “I think going up the White Dot is a little easier, because it’s a little bit steeper in some spots. So when you get to those little steep sections, it’s easier to use your hands, whereas going downhill you’ve got to sit on your butt.”
Closest ice cream: Station 16 Ice Cream (31 Peterborough St., Jaffrey, find them on Facebook) is about 4 miles away from Mount Monadnock State Park’s headquarters and is scheduled to open for the season on April 14, offering multiple flavors of hard ice cream and soft serve.
Points of interest: Mount Monadnock is known for its barren, isolated summit, which features stunning panoramic views on clear days.
“You can see the skyline of Boston, and on really, really clear days, mainly in the wintertime, you can see Mount Washington from the summit,” said Tara Blaney, South Regional Supervisor for New Hampshire State Parks.
Off another popular access point called the Old Toll Road is the site of the Halfway House, where Blaney said a hotel once stood dating back to the 1800s.
“There’s no longer a building up there, but there is a sign of some kind … and people carve their initials in rocks, but at that location and all over the summit,” she said.
2. Mount Major
875 Mt. Major Hwy. (Route 11), Alton Bay, forestsociety.org/mtmajor
Mount Major reaches an elevation of 1,786 feet. It’s located on the far eastern edge of the Belknap Range and is known for its panoramic views of Lake Winnipesaukee.
“It’s a destination that seems to get a lot of new users every year,” said Matt Scaccia, recreation and community relations manager for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, which has conserved several parcels of land on the mountain. “While Mount Major is a consistent favorite among more experienced hikers, it is also a common gateway for people looking to try their hand at exploring the outdoors. For some hikers we hear it is the first time they have climbed a mountain.”
About the trails: There are several trails that lead to the summit, and the main access point is the signed parking lot on Route 11 in Alton.
Trailheads include the Main trail and the Boulder Loop trail, with round-trip hike options ranging between 3 and 3.4 miles, depending on which routes you choose.
“Personally, I typically take the Main trail, then follow the Brook trail, which is a somewhat gentler approach, but it’s slightly longer,” Scaccia said. “The Main trail is pretty steep in some sections near the summit, especially if you’re hiking down from the top.”
Closest ice cream: Drive for just 4 miles south down Route 11 and you’ll come across Stillwells Ice Cream of Alton Bay (18 Mt. Major Hwy., 875-0200, stillwellsicecream.com), open seasonally and serving multiple flavors of Richardson’s Ice Cream, of Middleton, Mass.
Points of interest: Mount Major’s primary attraction is its view of the southern end of Lake Winnipesaukee from the summit. But another interesting feature is the remains of a stone hut known as “Phippen’s Hut,” named after the late former owner, George Phippen.
“It was originally a resting shelter, and there’s a stone outline of where it was,” Scaccia said. “Evidently, the roof blew off in the 1920s, but visitors still enjoy exploring its remains when they are at the summit. In terms of man-made features, that’s the main one hikers associate with the mountain.”
3. Mine Falls Park
Whipple Street, Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov
Located in the heart of Nashua, this 325-acre park is bordered on the north by the Nashua River and on the south by the city’s Mill Pond and canal system. It’s filled with forests, wetlands and open fields, and includes a total of seven access points, one of which also features a boat launch.
“Where Nashua is a city, it’s like a hidden gem where you can leave the city and go into the woods,” said Pam Anderson, a member of the volunteer-run Mine Falls Park Advisory Committee. “You’re right in the woods, but you’re only a few steps away from being in the city. Even if you’re at work and you want to take a break for lunch, you can go and take a little walk, or you could be there for a long time.”
About the trails: All seven access points lead to interconnecting trails of varying distance and terrain within the park that are color-coded. Some are paved, while others are dirt paths.
“All of them intertwine,” Anderson said. “We have a couple of Boy Scout troops that have even made the markers so that you can follow them. … You can take some that are only a mile [to] a mile and a half. Some go a little bit farther. You can do the whole entire trip [across the park] and it would be about 5 miles, or you could take two routes that connect.”
Closest ice cream: Roughly 4 miles to the north and east of Mine Falls Park is The Big 1 Ice Cream Stand (185 Concord St., Nashua, thebig1icecream.com), which opened for the season on Feb. 25 and serves dozens of flavors of Richardson’s Ice Cream, of Middleton, Mass.
Points of interest: Mine Falls Park features a variety of amenities. In addition to the boat launch off Riverside Street, there is a sports complex that can be easily accessed from the Whipple Street entrance, which has six soccer fields and a softball field.
There is also a historic gatehouse by the Riverside Street entrance, which was constructed in 1886 as part of the park’s canal system, a brochure from the city’s Parks & Recreation Department shows. In 2009 it received the New Hampshire Preservation Achievement award.
4. Uncanoonuc Mountains
300 Mountain Road, Goffstown, goffstowntrails.com/pdf/Uncanoonuc-Trails-2017.pdf
The Uncanoonucs are a pair of small peaks in Goffstown — the North peak, at an elevation of 1,324 feet, is the highest point in the town, while the South peak rises to 1,321 feet.
About the trails: Both peaks have a series of interconnecting trails with multiple access points that reach the summits. Among the most popular routes on either of the Uncanoonucs, Rexford said, is the White Dot trail on the North peak.
“A lot of people will just go up and back White Dot,” he said. “[The trail] is steep … but the view from the top is just fantastic. … It’s a pretty straightforward hike that gives you a great view of Manchester down into the valley, and it won’t take you all day. For me, it’s the perfect after-work hike.”
Of the two, Rexford said the North peak offers more of a natural, outdoor experience. The South peak, meanwhile, is known for having several radio and television broadcasting towers, and was also once home to a ski lift in the middle part of the 20th century.
Both peaks share some trailheads in common, while others are devoted to either one or the other.
“If you’re coming from Goffstown Village, you’ll take a left onto Mountain Road and the White Dot trail is the first one that you come to,” Rexford said.
Closest ice cream: Less than 3 miles to the north of the Uncanoonucs is Devriendt Farm (178 S. Mast Road, Goffstown, 497-2793, devriendtfarm.com), which is due to open sometime later this month or in early May, serving more than two dozen flavors of ice cream.
Points of interest: A few minutes up the White Dot trail is a unique cave-like structure.
“A granite slab slid and created a big overhanging,” Rexford said. “You can look underneath it, and it kind of looks like a little cave, which is interesting.”
The Incline trail, on the South peak, is accessed from Mountain Base Road.
“On the east side of the South peak, there is a foundation from an old hotel, a small hotel that was built in the early ’30s,” said Rick Silverberg, leadership training coordinator and past chair of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s New Hampshire chapter. “In that area, there’s a rather unique view over toward the river and the Mill buildings in downtown Manchester. … Some of the folks that I went up there with originally, 40 years ago, told me that when you look from that position, it doesn’t look a whole lot different now than it did back when the Mills were still operating.”
5. Pulpit Rock Conservation Area
New Boston Road, Bedford, plcnh.org/pulpit-rock-trails
Owned by the Town of Bedford, the 338-acre Pulpit Rock Conservation Area features 10 marked trails totalling more than 3 miles. The main access point and parking lot are on New Boston Road.
About the trails: Rexford said the Kennard trail is a mostly flat, easy-going route that is among the Pulpit Rock Conservation Area’s most frequently used trails.
“The trail starts out across a swamp. It’s quite pretty,” he said. “It’s kind of an elevated, wooden trail for a little bit through the swamp, and it’s just a flat, very pretty hike.”
Travel south on the Kennard trail for just over half a mile before it branches off into several other trails. One of those, the Pulpit Brook Trail, eventually connects at the other end through Amherst to the Joppa Hill Conservation Area. The eponymous Pulpit Rock is near the center of where several of the trails interconnect.
Closest ice cream: The Inside Scoop (260 Wallace Road, Bedford, 471-7009, theinsidescoopnh.com) is roughly 6 miles east of the conservation area and serves more than 30 flavors of Richardson’s Ice Cream, of Middleton, Mass.
Points of interest: Other than Pulpit Rock itself, there is a small ravine just off to the south.
“It’s a little rugged to get down to, but it’s neat to see,” said Ken MacGray of Concord, an avid hiker and Appalachian Mountain Club guidebook author. “This time of year, it’s actually probably pretty neat with all the snow melt, because there’s a little waterfall that flows down to the ravine.”
The best way to view the Pulpit is from its base, accessed from the Ravine Trail. The Ravine Trail, which is damp most of the year, also follows Pulpit Brook through other interesting rock formations, according to Kathleen Ports, associate planner for the Town of Bedford.
6. Pack Monadnock
Miller State Park, 13 Miller Park Road, Peterborough, 924-3672, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/miller-state-park
Established in 1891, Miller State Park is the oldest state park in New Hampshire, according to Blaney — it was dedicated in memory of Gen. James Miller, a Peterborough native who fought in the Battle of Lundy’s Lane in the War of 1812. The park is also home to Pack Monadnock, the highest point in Hillsborough County at 2,290 feet.
A paved 1.3-mile-long auto road leading to Pack Monadnock’s summit, accessed from Route 101 in Peterborough, is open to cars. Reservations are available online and are especially recommended during peak season.
About the trails: Three main hiking trails all lead to the summit of Pack Monadnock, Blaney said — two of them start right at the base of the auto road.
“The trail on the east side of the mountain is the Marion Davis trail, and then the trail on the west side is the Wapack trail,” she said. “The Wapack trail is a 21.5-mile long-distance trail. It starts down at Mount Watatic in Ashburnham, [Mass.], and then it stops at North Pack Monadnock, which is in Greenfield, so it goes over lots of little small mountains.”
Closest ice cream: Drive west of Pack Monadnock on Route 101 for about 5 miles to reach Ava Marie Handmade Chocolates & Ice Cream (43 Grove St., Peterborough, 924-5993, avamariechocolates.com), which scoops around 20 flavors of ice cream year-round and up to 40 flavors during peak season in the summer months.
Points of interest: Like from Mount Monadnock, Blaney said Boston’s skyline is visible from Pack Monadnock’s summit. On crystal clear days you can even climb to the top of the fire tower on the summit for a 360-degree view of Mount Washington.
There is also the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory, part of a joint effort with New Hampshire Audubon and the Harris Center for Conservation Education, which is staffed daily from Sept. 1 through mid-November.
“It’s really just a platform and an area where people can go and observe different raptors, because in the fall they are migrating and always flying over this area,” Blaney said. “The Harris Center and Audubon folks come out and they do raptor counts, just to keep monitoring the populations of the birds. Lots of people come out to that, and you can learn to identify the different birds and ask questions, so that’s kind of a cool thing.”
7. Marjory Swope Park Trails
Long Pond Road, Concord, concordnh.gov
Marjory Swope Park is dedicated to the memory of the late Concord environmentalist Marjory Mason Swope — her husband, John Swope, gifted the land for the 77-acre park for the city. It’s open year-round for activities like hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
About the trails: The trail system within Marjory Swope Park consists of a 1.5-mile-long loop trail that is accessed from Long Pond Road.
“This is one of our more popular trails,” Concord assistant city planner Beth Fenstermacher said of the park’s main loop trail. “It’s got a little bit of terrain, but it’s pretty easy for most people. There are some sections that are a little steep, but they are short, so we find that most people can navigate it pretty easily.”
While the loop is a popular route by itself, there are also a few other connecting trails throughout. One connects to the Winant Park trail system to the east, while a connecting trail in the other direction eventually brings you to the area of Carter Hill Orchard. Two trails also lead to the summit of the 712-foot Jerry Hill.
Closest ice cream: Just under 5 miles to the north of Marjory Swope Park is Frekey’s Dairy Freeze (74 Fisherville Road, Concord, 228-5443, frekeysdairyfreeze.com), which recently celebrated the grand opening of its 40th season in business on April 1. The stand serves more than two dozen flavors of Gifford’s ice cream.
Points of interest: Marjory Swope Park’s main loop trail has several vista points, including of the southwestern part of the state from the summit of Jerry Hill. One of the other most notable vista points features views of Penacook Lake, the city’s drinking water reservoir.
“We maintain it so that that view remains open all the time. … You can get off the path and look out over the water,” Fenstermacher said. “It’s a really nice spot. We’ve done yoga hikes and book club meetings up there.”
8. Oak Hill Trails
Shaker Road, Concord, concordnh.gov
The Oak Hill trail network features several interconnecting routes — Fenstermacher said its main access point is on Shaker Road, but there are other small parking areas on Oak Hill and Hot Hole Pond roads.
About the trails: Unlike at Marjory Swope Park, where the trails are only identified by color, Fenstermacher said the trails within the Oak Hill network are all named. Most of them are under 1 mile long by themselves, but many pick up at the ends of other connecting trails.
“A lot of people pick their favorite loop and that seems to be the one that they always do, so you can make a series of 2-mile loops or 3-mile loops and it’s all within the same trail system,” she said. “You could do 7 miles out there easily if you start at the main parking lot.”
Closest ice cream: Head to Arnie’s Place (164 Loudon Road, Concord, 228-3225, arniesplace.com), which is roughly 5 miles to the south of the Oak Hill trail network. The shop reopened for the season on April 1 and offers dozens of flavors of homemade ice cream.
Points of interest: The longest standalone trail in the Oak Hill network is the 2-mile-long Tower trail, which runs east just over the town line into Loudon and features a fire tower at the end.
“It’s a straight shot and then you can go and climb up the fire tower,” Fenstermacher said. “It’s nice if you want to be out there for a couple of hours. It’s kind of like a destination point for people.”
Silverberg said he especially likes to hike the 0.8-mile-long Luti trail, which can be accessed from the parking lot on Oak Hill Road.
“It goes up pretty quickly through several old homestead sites that are on the side of the hill,” he said, “and you can see the old stone walls and the foundations from the old cellar holes from where the houses were. They are all houses that were built in the 1700s, originally, long since gone.”
9. Pawtuckaway State Park
7 Pawtuckaway Road, Nottingham, 895-3031, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/pawtuckaway-state-park
At right around 5,500 acres, this is one of the largest state parks in New Hampshire. There are lots of opportunities for hiking on Pawtuckaway’s many trails, and there is also an onsite campground, a boat launch and a large family beach on the park’s lake.
About the trails: Blaney said Pawtuckaway State Park is home to a series of three peaks — the north mountain is the tallest, at about 1,011 feet, while the south mountain comes in at 908 feet and the middle mountain at 800 feet.
“The trails to get to these summits are relatively short, and I would consider them very easy,” she said. “The south mountain has a fire tower on it, which is cool. So again, that has a couple of view points and then if you climb up the fire tower you can see all around you. … [The] middle mountain has a nice outlook in one direction looking north, and then the north mountain actually has the least views.”
The park’s Mountain trail, she said, begins at a sign to the left just past Mountain Pond. Another popular trail is called the Fundy trail, which begins across the road from the entrance to the group picnic and camping areas and borders Burnham’s Marsh.
“It goes along a really large marsh area, so there’s a good chance to see lots of wildlife that you might encounter in a marsh,” Blaney said.
Closest ice cream: Head south of Pawtuckaway State Park for about 3 to 4 miles to reach Stillwells One Stop Ice Cream Shop (63 Route 27, Raymond, 895-1100, stillwellsicecream.com), open year round and serving multiple flavors of Richardson’s Ice Cream, of Middleton, Mass.
Points of interest: One of the best-known features at Pawtuckaway State Park is its large boulder field.
“It’s a pretty big area full of glacial erratics, which are big boulders dropped from when the glaciers retreated [during] the Ice Age,” Blaney said. “There’s little caves that have formed from the moving rocks, so that’s a super-popular location as well.”
10. Welch-Dickey Loop Trail
Orris Road, Thornton, fs.usda.gov/recarea/whitemountain/recarea/?recid=74773
On the southern edge of the White Mountain National Forest, in the town of Thornton, the Welch-Dickey trail is a single ledgy 4.4-mile-long loop around the twin peaks of Mount Welch and Mount Dickey.
“It’s kind of one of the best half-day hikes in the Whites, and it’s definitely one of the best bang-for-your-buck type hikes, because you’re out on open ledges for a lot of the hike, and they’ve got fantastic views,” MacGray said. “It’s all kind of one mountain mass, but there are two named summits. … It’s also a great place for a sunrise or a sunset hike.”
About the trail: The trailhead and main parking area for Welch-Dickey are at Orris Road in Thornton. Rexford said it’s common for most hikers to complete the loop counterclockwise.
“It will be very gradual until you get to your first ledge, which is kind of a big, flat ledge, and then you’ll come up from the back side and look down into the ravine to the road, going into Waterville [Valley],” he said. “It basically feels like you’re going from ledge to ledge, and they are maybe five to 10 minutes apart. It’s an absolutely beautiful hike.”
Although it won’t take you all day to complete, MaccGray said he does consider Welch-Dickey to be a moderately challenging hike.
“There are some potentially difficult sections where there are steep granite slabs,” he said, “but they usually aren’t an issue unless things are wet or icy. That’s the only time you’d really need to use any caution.”
Closest ice cream: Roughly 15 miles southwest of the Welch-Dickey trailhead is M ’n M Scoops (67 Main St., Plymouth, 536-4850, mnmscoops.com), offering a variety of flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, sherbet and more.
Points of interest: While the summit of Mount Dickey is wooded, one of the most dominant vista points is from the summit of Mount Welch, MacGray said, where you can see many of the peaks in the White Mountains, including the 4,802-foot Mount Moosilauke to the northwest.
Featured photo: A sunrise hike on Mount Major. Photo by Emily Lord and courtesy of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests
