• This wine costs how much? Wine-themed online travel agency intothevineyard.com reported in an Oct. 13 press release that New Hampshire consumers pay more for bottles of wine than residents in any other state. “New Hampshire tops the charts,” the press release reads, “with a bottle of Josh Cellars Sauvignon Blanc averaging $17.98 (+39% above the national white wine average) and Cabernet Sauvignon at $19.48 (+39% above the red wine average).” The study found that the same wines in Florida, on the other hand, average $10.87 and $13.27.
• Books and wine: Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, 244-3165, averillhousevineyard.com) will host Pouring Over Pages, a book & wine pairing night, with four wines, four romance reads, games and prizes, from 6 to 8 p.m. Just a Taste Books will be on site for a night of romance, wine and literary fun. Non-alcohol option on arrival. General admission tickets are $45; VIP tickets are $65. Visit averillhousevineyard.com/events.
• Hot dogs and lager: Candia Road Brewing Co. (840 Candia Road, Manchester, 935-8123, candiaroadbrewingco.com) will celebrate the launch of this year’s Vienna (Wiener) Lager with Weenie Weekend Saturday, Oct. 25, from noon to 9 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 26, from noon to 6 p.m. More than 20 varieties of hot dog will be on the menu, including vegan and vegetarian options.
• Eating acorns: The Concord Food Co-op (24 S. Main St., 225-6840, concordfoodcoop.com) will host a hands-on class that teaches folks how to process acorns into edible treats, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 4 p.m., led by nature educator Julieann Hartly. Children and adults are welcome. This event is free, but you can reserve a spot through eventbrite.com.
In the Oct. 16 issue of the Hippo, we presented a guide to Halloween happenings for all ages, from the extra-scary haunted houses for the 18+ crowd to kid-friendly not-so-scary events. Find the issue in the digital library at hippopress.com. Here are some of the family fun happenings this weekend:
• Downtown Trick or Treat in downtown Manchester will run Friday, Oct. 24, from 3 to 6 p.m. with businesses along Elm Street and in Stanton Plaza handing out candy to trick-or-treaters as well as other activities, according to the Manchester Economic Development Office’s Facebook page and manchesterproud.org.
• The 2025 Halloween Howl in downtown Concord will take place Friday, Oct. 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and feature trick-or-treating, a trunk-or-treat, a costume contest, games and more, according to intownconcord.org. Main Street will be closed to traffic from Centre Street and Loudon Road to Hills Avenue for the event, the website said.
• Kids can trick-or-treat the Concord Farmers Market on Capitol Street next to the Statehouse in downtown Concord during its final market of the season on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. See concordfarmersmarket.com.
• The Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St. in Nashua, nashualibrary.org, will hold a Costume Parade on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to noon. Kids can parade through the library in costumes, collecting surprises at each department, according to the library website.
• Children’s Trick or Treat will take place at Charmingfare Farm, 774 High St. in Candia, visitthefarm.com, on Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26, with entry times starting at 10 a.m. Take a horse-drawn wagon or tractor ride throughout the farm along a Halloween-themed trail to meet with characters, visit farm animals and receive candy, according to the website. Admission costs $29 per person, with add-ons for pumpkin art and pony rides. The Halloween Juggling Spectacular show featuring Jason Tardy will take place throughout the day; see the website for times.
• Main Street Monster Mash Howl-o-Ween will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Main Street in downtown Nashua. Kids can trick-or-treat at downtown businesses and take part in costume contests — as can pets, according to a post on the Great American Downtown Facebook page. There will be a Pearl Streets Howl-o-ween Puppy Parade at 11:30 a.m. and a performance by the ActorSingers at noon, the post said.
• The Town of Merrimack Halloween Party will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, from noon to 2 p.m. in Wasserman Park. The day will feature games, crafts, face painting, food vendors, a costume contest, community organizations and more, according to merrimackparksandrec.org.
• Pumpkinpalooza will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Kimball Jenkins, 266 N. Main St. in Concord, kimballjenkins.com. This family-friendly all-ages celebration invites you to bring your own pumpkin to decorate before taking part in a candy scavenger hunt and a costume parade and listening to “‘A Spooky Serenade,’ a live performance by Melissa Elsman, Contralto,” according to the website, where you can register to attend (advance registration required).
• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, starhop.com, will present the Family Fright Fest celebration on Sunday, Oct. 26, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day will feature hands-on Halloween science, live demonstrations, a special Halloween-themed planetarium show, a trick-or-treat scavenger hunt and more, according to a press release. The event is described as all-ages and costume-friendly, the release said. Activities are included with general admission, the release said.
After a hot, dry summer — there was a drought in most parts of New England — we had a very early frost this year, Sept. 20. Not enough to kill our late potato vines, but enough to kill squash and dahlias. I was caught off guard. I am now getting ready for winter.
It is important to clean up the vegetable garden well to avoid overwintering diseases. Pull your squash, cucumber and tomato vines and compost them well away from the vegetable garden. I have a compost pile for noxious weeds and grasses and for plants that harbor fungi. That compost never gets hot enough to kill weed seeds or diseases, but it disposes most of the organic material at home, rather than sending it to the landfill.
After pulling the plants in the vegetable garden, I weed carefully and then hoe up the mounded beds with soil from the walkways and add a layer of good compost. Finally, I mulch planting areas well to keep weeds from starting in early spring, before I plant. Fall leaves are fabulous mulch: They inhibit germination of weeds, prevent soil erosion, and add good organic matter and minerals to the soil.
Although many gardeners chop up their fall leaves with a bagging lawnmower, I usually don’t. I just rake them onto a tarp and spread them over the vegetable beds. Will the leaves blow away? A few might, but after the first good rain they compact and settle in for a good winter’s nap. If I have more than I need for the vegetable garden, I run them through my chipper-shredder to reduce their volume and store dry in big barrels. This stuff I use in flower beds in the spring. Plants love it!
We have an exorbitant number of flower beds so it’s a lot of work to cut back perennials and get out any late-season weeds. Here are a few tips:
1. Use a serrated knife or folding pruning saw to slice off multi-stemmed plants like daylilies. Grab a handful of foliage and with one swipe they are all ready for the wheelbarrow. If that method is not for you, how about using hedge shears or even a weed whacker to cut down big expanses of flower stalks?
2. I have my pollinator or “Darwin” bed, which gets no weeding — it has filled up with tall plants that fight it out for space: phlox, fall asters, goldenrod, Joe Pye weed and obedient plant. I leave it until spring to clean up, as it provides good places for beneficial insects to overwinter.
3. We have a lot of hostas, and I wait to clean up until hard frost has killed the tops. Then I can either just grab the mushy leaves and pull them off, or use a rake to do the work.
4. As for weeds, we don’t have many. The flower beds are weeded early in summer and then well-mulched. But I use my favorite tool, the CobraHead weeder, to remove any late season invaders. It is able to get under weeds, loosen the roots, and get them all out.
Now is the time for planting bulbs. To save time and energy, don’t plant them one at a time. For 25 daffodils I excavate an oval 30 to 36 inches long and 18 inches wide and 8 inches deep. I put good soil in a wheelbarrow or a tarp, and rocks and heavy clay or poor soil in another. I put about 2 inches of good soil in the bottom and mix it up with some bagged organic fertilizer or bulb booster. I nestle the bulbs into that mix, and cover with good soil or soil and compost mix. Bulbs need good drainage and reasonably good soil.
Daffodils last many years — tulips less so. I plant 100 tulips just 3 or 4 inches apart in rows 8 inches apart in my vegetable garden once it is cleaned up, and use them for cutting and putting in vases and for giving away. I generally pull the bulbs after cutting in the spring, but one year I kept 50 or so and replanted in the fall. The following spring they bloomed, but were shorter and smaller. Since deer love tulips I can use chicken wire vertically along the sides of the bed to keep them away, come spring.
I plant garlic in mid-to late-October each year, mainly using garlic I grew the year before, but sometimes buying new varieties to try. I plant once the soil has chilled as they may start growing this fall if planted in warm soil. That’s not awful, but I prefer to avoid it. I plant garlic 3 inches deep, 4 inches apart in the rows, and rows 8 inches apart. I give them a little organic fertilizer at planting time, and cover with a 6- to 10-inch layer of mulch hay or straw. They’ll grow through it next spring, but most weeds will not.
I prune some trees and shrubs in October, too. You really can prune any month, but once leaves are down it is easier to see their stems and look for crowded areas, crossing or rubbing branches, and dead branches to remove. To identify dead branches, just rub the bark with your thumbnail. If it shows green it’s alive; if not it’s dead. Prune so sunshine can hit every leaf and there is good air circulation.
So don’t walk away from the garden now and say, “I’ll get it next spring.” Get those weeds now. The more you do, the easier it will be next spring.
Henry can be reached by e-mail at henry.homeyer@comcast.net.
Featured photo: Daffodil bulbs planted in a 36-inch oval hole, ready to cover with soil. Photo by Henry Homeyer.
I am hoping you can provide me with some advice. I am looking to purchase a three-strand pearl necklace. My son is getting married in May and I would like to give his wife pearls. My question is how do you know if buying an antique or older set, what to look for. Or should I look for a new set?
Thank you, Donna, for any advice you can share.
Linda
Dear Linda,
Great idea buying an antique set of pearls. I also think you have a bit of time for your search. Either way you go you want to get the best quality for your investment.
I think I might start off by researching what you want to look for in pearls. Remember educating yourself is the best way before any purchases. Then I might connect with a couple local jewelers. They have experience with older pearls and new ones as well. They could keep an eye out and let you know if an old set comes in. And even provide newer ones as well.
My history with real pearls is limited but I can share a couple signs with you. You want to make sure they are all individually strung in between each pearl. You want them, if older, not to be scratched or tarnished, and if strung on chain, that it be real 14KT or 18KT gold.
Linda, I think it’s a great wedding gift either old or new. I wish you luck on your journey finding the right set. Thanks for sharing.
Donna Welch has spent more than 35 years in the antiques and collectibles field, appraising and instructing. Her new location is an Antique Art Studio located in Dunbarton, NH where she is still buying and selling. If you have questions about an antique or collectible send a clear photo and information to Donna at footwdw@aol.com, or call her at 391-6550.
Stepping out of one’s comfort zone to try something new is daunting, often frightening. However, at the upcoming Not Afraid to Fail Fest, it’s the whole point. Hosted by Manchester-based Queerlective, it’s billed as “a celebration of queer expression, risk-taking, and community care,” and a reflection of the nonprofit’s core values.
Among the first-time performers on stage Oct. 24 at BNH Stage in Concord are Ann Kinne, a farmer, woodworker and slam poet who will sing and play guitar, and Alysa Hemcher, who works by day as an operations director for a regional nonprofit and plans to cross standup comedy from her bucket list.
A pair of spoken word artists will try to up their game. Avery Bondra left the stage a decade ago, but they’re back to share some poems “that capture the essence of love and vulnerability,” according to a press release. Cory MacEachern has done open mics before but plans a much more personal performance that addresses the death of her brother last winter.
Both Cecilia Kiely and Star are taking the stage for the first-ever time. Star, who works in special education, will perform the Ethel Cain song “Janie” and accompany herself on guitar. Kiely is an aspiring writer who hasn’t revealed what she will share for her debut, but promises “a unique blend of humor and heart.”
The comedy-packed night continues with Michelle Rebidue, who mixes standup and animated storytelling for an act called Life In a NutChelle. Kelso & Aoife are a married couple with a skit that begins with an attempted handshake and devolves into a chaotic stew of awkwardness. Jay Galloway’s standup set will focus on being a New Hampshire newcomer.
The bold cast is rounded out by two members of the Queerlective working board. Jason DeYoung coordinates large events for the organization. A member of the New Hampshire Gay Men’s Chorus, he will step into the spotlight to sing “Who’d I Be,” one of his favorites from Shrek The Musical.
Executive Director Randall Nielsen doesn’t have a performing slot, but is making his debut in another way. “Somebody asked about me having my own thing, and I’ve never emceed an event,” he said in an interview that included DeYoung recently, adding, “and Queerlective has never put on an event like this before.”
The spark for the effort came from strategic planning sessions last January. They discussed ways to reflect the boldness that was required to form an organization in 2022. “Not being afraid to fail was very key to us, starting from scratch and not knowing anything about nonprofits,” DeYoung said.
Nielsen spoke of his interest in using art as a tool for community building.
“I just had too many ideas, so I thought, ‘let’s just let people bring their own ideas as well.’ If you’ve ever wanted to try something, or need a reason to learn a new skill, that’s kind of what we were thinking of as well when we were putting this together.”
A call for participants went out, and all who applied will perform in the show.
“That’s a goal for this project, along with encouraging the community to be more adventurous,” Nielsen said. “We see a lot of hesitation and anxiety from people just to even go out and attend an event, let alone to put together something on their own.”
In late September, everyone attended a workshop led by a local clown to work on stage presence and getting comfortable in performing a show that Nielsen described in a Facebook post as “part open mic, part talent show, part joyful mess and one hundred percent about showing up with courage, creativity and the community behind you.”
To that end, guidelines will be spelled out when the show commences to foster an environment of encouragement and support for performers who are taking a big risk.
“That’s one of the big things,” Nielsen said. “No matter what happens, we’re clapping, we’re cheering, we’re supporting these people. If they mess up, it’s OK. We’re all going to mess up at one point or another. That’s life.”
Not Afraid to Fail Fest When: Friday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m. Where: BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord Tickets: $18 at ccanh.com
Mark Swasey does a lot of hiking. According to his Ascent List on peakbagger.com, he has hiked to the top of more than 1,000 mountains. According to him, the best hiking of the year is just starting.
“Fall hiking,” he said, “outside of winter, is probably my favorite time of the year to hike. Number one, it’s the weather. You tend to get these cooler, drier days in the fall. Of course, the foliage and just the various flora that we have in New Hampshire just seems to really pop this time of year.”
Ken MacGray is the author/editor of Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide: AMC’s Comprehensive Resource for New Hampshire Hiking Trails South of the White Mountains. October is his favorite time of year to hike.
“I wait for this time of year all year long,” he said. “I just prefer the cool weather over when it’s 90 degrees with high humidity. Of course, the foliage color is always fantastic l to see. This year has been a little different because it’s been so dry. But the main reason for me is basically the cooler weather.”
Whether it’s cooler weather, or beautiful views, or relief from mosquitoes or even other hikers, hiking can be at its best in the fall. The following are eight hikes Hippo readers voted as their favorites in the “Best Of 2025” poll.
Mount Monadnock
Mount Monadnock State Park, 169 Poole Road, Jaffrey, 532-8862; nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails/monadnock-state-park
There are 37 trails to the top of Mount Monadnock, covering about 40 square miles.
From the Park’s website:
Mount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is a mountain in the town of Jaffrey, NH. At 3,165 feet, Mount Monadnock is nearly 1,000 feet higher than any other mountain peak within 30 miles. The park is surrounded by thousands of acres of protected highlands. Monadnock’s bare, isolated, and rocky summit provides expansive views. It is known for being featured in the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. In 1987, Mount Monadnock was designated a National Natural Landmark. The park offers year-round recreational opportunities.
Elizabeth Guguet climbs Mount Monadnock three or four times a year. She loves hiking there because of the way the mountain itself makes her feel.
“I think mountains in general attract people for that bit of intrigue and mystery that they have,” she said. “You see the summit shrouded in a cloud and then all of a sudden the light bursts through. The Native Americans that lived here, the Abenaki, ‘Monadnock’ means in their language the ‘mountain that stands alone.’ And I love that.”
Guguet likes how many trails there are on Mount Monadnock.
“I don’t think there’s an ‘easy’ way to go up,” she said. It depends on how you’re feeling. I just did the Dublin Trail and I love that trail because it’s not traveled as frequently as, say, the White Dot or the White Cross [trails]. Sometimes there’s a lot of people up there, and you can absolutely take another trail and you’ll see barely anybody.”
Mount Major-trail. Courtesy of NH State Parks.
Mount Major
Trailhead parking is just off Route 11 in the Mount Major Parking Lot, at 875 Mount Major Hwy, Alton; blog.nhstateparks.org/mt-major-family-friendly-hike
Mount Major is a small (about 1,700 feet high) and easily hikable mountain in Alton. There are two main trails to the top of the mountain, each about one and a half miles long. It only takes an hour or two to climb, even for inexperienced hikers, but has outstanding views from the summit.
Mark Swasey bases much of his hiking around “52 With a View,” a list of 52 hikes in New Hampshire that are not as ambitious as the state’s 4,000+-foot peaks but still have good views. He said the views from the top of Mount Major do not disappoint.
“Mount Major’s got one of the best views in the state,” he said. “It has a lot of bang for the buck. It’s not a long hike from the parking lot. From the summit there’s a view of the lakes and the various [mountain] ranges that are around, even into Maine. The views are expansive.”
Greg Boisvert is a guidance counselor and student advisor at Deerfield Community School. He has taken many groups of students to hike at Mount Major. He said it is an especially good hike for children.
“It’s a relatively short hike,” Boisvert said, “with a big punch at the end. At the top you have kind of a 360-degree view. You get to see the Lakes Region. You get to see north to Mount Washington. It’s relatively close, probably the closest sizable hike for kids who live closer to the seacoast. Kids feel very successful about climbing it; they feel tired, but then at the top it’s nice and open, with lots of room for kids to run around, but also the view is really nice too.”
Andres Institute of Art
Andres Institute of Art, 106 Route 13, Brookline, 673-7441; andresinstitute.org
The Andres Institute is the largest outdoor sculpture park in New England. There are 10+ miles of trails over 140 acres, with 100+ sculptures (including new pieces added during this year’s International Bridges and Connections Sculpture Symposium, just ended in early October), representing 40+ countries. Hikes are self-guided, with docents available. According to the Institute’s website, “Trails are open every day from dawn until dusk. There is no fee to enter but donations are greatly appreciated either online or in the trailhead or studio donation boxes.”
According to Kristi St. Laurent, the president of the Andres Institute of Art, the hiking trails at the Andres Institute are designed with frequent stops in mind.
“The park is situated on a former ski area,” she said, “so there is a little bit of a vertical challenge to the hiking. But then, of course, there are the sculptures. For everyday hikers, the opportunity to stop and rest and consider the art makes the hike more doable. If you go straight to the top and back again, [it’s a hike of] about 2 miles. But there’s a whole host of other trails that you can take. And most people say it takes them probably two hours on the hill for their first visit.”
For first-time visitors, St. Laurent recommends taking the Parkway Trail.
“It’s actually the paved driveway up to the spring,” she said, “but the footing is good and you can see a lot of sculptures along the way. And from the studio it’s a short hike from there up to the summit. And from there, you can see off to Mount Monadnock, it’s just a glorious view overlooking Sculpture No. 1 from the [Institute’s] first symposium 27 years ago, The Phoenix, which is 15 feet high and 11 tons.”
“If I need a quick hit,” St. Laurent continued, “I do the Quarry Trail. There’s several sculptures along there that I like. It used to be a granite quarry, and we have something called a grout pile, with the leftover stone that they would take out of the quarry. But it goes along the base of the hill, so it doesn’t have the vertical climb that some of the other trails do.”
Pawtuckaway State Park
Pawtuckaway State Park, 128 Mountain Road, Nottingham, 895-3031; nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails/pawtuckaway-state-park
Pawtuckaway State Park is a 5,000-acre preserve named for Pawtuckaway Lake and the Pawtuckaway Mountains. The park extends from the west shore of the lake to the west side of the mountains. According to AllTrails.com there are 29 hiking trails in the park.
Ken MacGray said the views from the hiking trails in Pawtuckaway State Park are inspiring, particularly for geology enthusiasts.
“It’s quite a unique park, actually,” he said. “It’s the remnants of an ancient volcano. So if you actually look at it on a topographic map you can see the circular shape of the mountains. It’s called a ring dike complex. There are three mountains within the park. There’s North Mountain, Middle Mountain and South Mountain. South Mountain has a fire tower on it, which is probably the most popular hike in the park.”
Veteran hiker Mark Swasey agreed that Pawtuckaway’s geology is fascinating.
“You can just imagine that at one time there was a volcanic mountain sitting there that was about the size of Mount Rainier,” Swasey said. “To walk around that is amazing. The boulders and the various rock formations that are in there are impressive. The woods themselves are unique and it is just a wonderful loop hike.”
Ken MacGray said hiking to the fire tower isn’t physically demanding but can take a while.
“It’s not terribly tough,” he said. “It’s a little bit long depending on where you start. Most people usually come in from the main state park entrance, so it’s about a 6-mile round trip if you start from there. There are shorter ways to do it. You can drive into the interior of the park and take what’s called Tower Trail up. It’s less than a half mile but it’s very steep. And that’ll just get you up to the summit.”
Pulpit Rock Trail. Photo by Brian Nolen
Pulpit Rock Conservation Area
Pulpit Rock Conservation Area, New Boston Road, Bedford, 792-1320; plcnh.org/pulpit-rock-trail
Parking:
1. Kennard Trailhead: on the south side of New Boston Road, about .2 mile west of Esther Drive, at approximately 596 New Boston Road
2. Gage’s Mill Trailhead: turn onto Pulpit Road from New Boston Road and drive .72 miles, on the right just after 144 Pulpit Road
From the Pulpit Rock website:
The Pulpit Rock Conservation Area is ‘Bedford’s Natural Treasure’ and one of the town’s best places for local hiking, bird watching, and close-to-home outdoor experiences. With a marked trails system and varied terrain, the 338-acre parcel features the gorge and ledge named ‘Pulpit Rock,’ wetlands, Pulpit Brook, a number of small picturesque waterfalls; rocky outcroppings, glacial erratics such as Indian Rock, beaver lodges, and the remnants of Gage’s Mill, along with forest and fauna. This conservation land offers more than three miles of hiking trails and other opportunities for passive recreation.
Author Ken MacGray said Pulpit Rock is another hike that does not involve a lot of climbing. “It’s kind of centered around a gorge,” he said. “The trails from the road lead into this gorge. You can do a loop and then descend down into the gorge and then come back up, then Pulpit Rock is a ledge overlooking the gorge. It’s not really big; it’s not a ton of climbing. There’s a little bit when you go down into the gorge and coming back out, but it’s nothing crazy.” He said that the attraction of the area is in the forest, the gorge, and the surrounding wetlands. “There’s no big views or anything like that there,” he said.
There are three hiking trails at Uncanoonuc, 1.2 miles, 1.6 miles and 2.6 miles in length, with a climb of between 440 and 770 feet.
From TrailSpotting.com:
The two rounded peaks of Uncanoonuc Mountains stand out above the Goffstown landscape, virtually equal in height and around 700 feet in prominence. At 1,324 feet above sea level, North Uncanoonuc Mountain is officially several feet taller than the south mountain. Though North Uncanoonuc narrowly avoided being turned into a ski area in the 1960s, some of today’s trails on the slopes are a legacy of the forest clearing performed during the abandoned development of the resort.
The two mountains in Goffstown, North and South Uncanoonuc mountains, are immediately next to each other and are similar in shape and size, but author Ken MacGray says they offer very different hiking experiences.
“South Mountain is more heavily developed at the summit,” he said. “It has a lot of communication towers and structures on top. I prefer North Mountain personally, because it doesn’t have that and it feels more natural, without the artificial buildings on top. Before I started doing the AMC Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, one of the previous editors years ago described South Mountain as ‘having the finest forest of communication towers in Southern New Hampshire.’ I always get a kick out of that. … Different people appreciate different things, though, and I can see people that would actually enjoy a hike where they’re looking at manmade objects”
Mark Swasey agreed. “I thought North [Mountain] was very nice,” he said, “and there were nice trails to the top. It really reminded me of the Wapack Range, of some of the trails that you get on North Pack and Pack Monadnock.”
Mount Kearsarge
Rollins State Park, 1066 Kearsarge Mountain Road, Warner, 456-3808
According to AllTrails.com, climbing Mount Kearsarge via Rollins and Lincoln Trail involves hiking a 1-mile loop, with a 337-foot gain in elevation:
This short trail starts from the parking lot at the end of the Rollins State Park auto road and climbs to meet the Lincoln Trail just below the summit of Mount Kearsarge. The Rollins trail is the easiest way to the summit and the total distance from the parking lot to the summit is about 0.6 mile. The trail starts as a crushed gravel path, crossing a few small bridges as it passes through the picnic area. It then ascends via easy to moderate grades as it climbs along the old route of a carriage path. It meets the Lincoln Trail, which ascends 0.1 mile to the open summit over bare ledge.
Ken MacGray said he loves Mount Kearsarge.
“I think it’s one of the nicest peaks in southern New Hampshire,” he said, “just because it’s very prominent. It has what’s called a lot of topographic prominence, meaning that it stands very high over the surrounding countryside. So that results in a lot of just really great views from the top.”
Tower Hill Pond Trails
10 Tower Hill Road, Candia
HikingProject.com describes the Tower Hill Pond Loop Trail as “a relatively easy loop trail right outside of Manchester with nice views of Tower Hill Pond. The full loop from Tower Hill Road is 4 miles. The trail is fairly flat and wide. Great for running, biking, or walking. This spot is especially nice in the autumn when you can enjoy views of the water and changing foliage. This is also a great place to walk the dog, but they must be leashed and are not allowed to swim as this is in the watershed.”
Ed Devereaux is a watershed patrol officer for the Manchester Water Works, which manages the Loop. He said it provides a convenient place for area residents to walk.
“It’s mostly local people,” he said. “There is an amount of people from Massachusetts, probably because it’s close. If you take it from the Tower Hill Pond gate, which is on Tower Hill Road … goes all the way around the pond and back … it’s 4 miles in total. It’s easy walking; it’s just the length of it that might be an issue for some people. There are a lot of side trails that can increase the length of your walk, though. A map is available on the Water Works website.”
According to Ken MacGray, the Tower Hill Pond Loop is less about wilderness hiking than it is about walking with your dog or a friend.
“It’s a pleasant walk,” he said. “I wouldn’t necessarily call it a hike myself, but it’s definitely a pleasant walk. It’s a place that’s definitely accessible to a lot of people. When I say accessible I don’t mean like ADA accessible, but it’s easy to get to. The trails are easy to walk. You can go there with your kids. It’s just an easy place to get outside.”
All Persons Trail at NH Audubon’s Massabesic Center New Hampshire Audubon recently opened a nature trail for visitors with limited mobility at its Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn, 224-9909, nhaudubon.org). Massabesic Center Director Kimmie Whiteman said the new All Persons Trail was built to provide a chance for “all persons” to enjoy being in nature.
“Our trail is 0.4 miles,” she said, “and it goes from the front of the center through several of our garden spaces. and then across a brand new boardwalk over a vernal pool area to connect with our field trails and continue down to Milne Pond, where there’s a beautiful scenic enjoyment site.”
Whiteman said October is an excellent time to enjoy the trail.
“Really, in all seasons, you get such a wide variety of habitat as you’re walking through,” she said. “But in the fall you have that pop of color from the woodland area that surrounds the fields. The pollinators are still out collecting that late season nectar. We’ve been seeing a bobcat periodically here recently, which is really neat. If you’re here at the right time of day in the morning or at dusk you might get a little glimpse of it.”
Resources for Hikers
– Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide: AMC’s Comprehensive Resource for New Hampshire Hiking Trails South of the White Mountains, featuring Mounts Monadnock and Cardigan, edited by Ken MacGray. Paperback, 320 pages. Published by Appalachian Mountain Club Books in 2021. $23.95. Available online and in bookstores and outdoor outfitters’ shops.
– New Hampshire 52 With a View Passport $19.95 through amcstore.outdoors.org. This is a concise way to log hikes on some of the state’s scenic, not necessarily strenuous, mountains. • PeakBagger.com A website where serious hikers can log a lifetime of hikes as they are accomplished.
– nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails The list of New Hampshire state parks, including Mount Monadnock and Pawtuckaway State Park.
– Grand Monadnock Facebook Group (facebook.com/groups/557083607702443) A collection of hikers with strong opinions about Mount Monadnock.
– HikerBabes Community: Southern New Hampshire Chapter (facebook.com/groups/2587362171290164) A Facebook resource for women who hike.
– TrailSpotting.com An online resource where you can find information about specific hiking trails including location, length, changes in elevation, and level of difficulty.
