Many people have heard of New Hampshire’s notoriously-tricky Mt. Washington, or perhaps even aspire to climb it themselves!Â
However, did you know that the Granite State has thousands of hiking trails at a variety of skill levels?Â
In this post, we want to introduce you to 3 lesser-known New Hampshire hikes that we love.Â
We like to think of these three “Goldilocks-style”– one is rather simple, one is a bit more challenging, and the 3rd (spoiler: it’s one of New Hampshire’s famed “4000-footers!”) is perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea.Â
But, just like Goldilocks, we’re sure one of these will be the hike for you.Â
So lace up your hiking boots, and let’s hit the trail! Â
Length: 3-mile "down + back" trail (~6 miles round-trip)
Max Elevation: 916 feet
Elevation Gain: 1060 feet
Difficulty Level: Easy-to-Moderate
Closest Town: Nottingham, NH
Located about an hour and 20 minutes from Boston, Pawtuckaway State Park is a 5500-acre hidden gem, “tucked away” if you will (sorry, had to do it!) among New Hampshire’s better-known venues for shorter hikes.
There are a few trail options here, but we recommend the Mountain Trail, which is a 3-mile “down and back” style trail (meaning that it’s not a loop– you’ll come back down the same way you came up), which ends at the park’s firetower at South Mountain– the highest vantage point, with beautiful panoramic views. The trail is a little over 6 miles total.
If you don’t know what a firetower is (we didn’t before a few years ago!), indulge us in sharing a bit about their history, because firetowers are awesome!Â
Fire towers are a feature of state parks in much of New England, as well as on some parts of the West Coast. Prior to the formation of the National Forest Service in 1905 (and well into its early years) fire suppression was expressly the responsibility of individual states, which went to great lengths to avoid costly and devastating large-scale fires.Â
Fun fact: New Hampshire actually pioneered these efforts with the creation of the New Hampshire Timberlands Owners Association in 1910, and the first fire lookout towers began to pop up in the area around that time.Â
Firetowers built in the traditional style feature a small, square room that essentially sits on 4 tall stilts, made from steel or wood. Calculations are made to place the firetower where the “view shed” (or wraparound distance and range of views) is maximized. Similar to lighthouses, the tower is staffed by a lookout, who monitors the area for fires as well as lightning, and other severe weather or threats.
During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps built hundreds of firetowers, and they doubled as lookouts for enemy airplanes during World War II.Â
Today, not many remain, and many have been torn down with the advent of technology. However, many states continue to use them, due to continued poor cell service in state parks like this one, as well as the fact that federal fire monitoring (done from space) doesn’t catch small fires.Â
You can also sometimes rent these through Airbnb or the USDA’s website, for a cabin-style lodging experience! For more information about history and rental opportunities, see here.
Top 5 Things to Know for a Successful Visit:
- Parking: the park asks that you reserve your parking ahead of your visit, and no later than 9AM day-of. Note that while there is a spacious parking lot, the hiking paths share it with the campgrounds nearby. If you don’t purchase your pass ahead of time, there is a park employee at the entrance checking parking passes who may not allow you to park. We saw several cars turned away while we were preparing to begin the hike. You can get your parking pass here.Â
- Dogs are allowed, on leash. We noticed a lot of dogs off-leash while we were here, which is expressly against the rules.Â
- For a trail map, see here. Note that cell service is very spotty here, and there are extensive signs warning folks to carry the map with them to avoid getting lost. You can get a copy at the visitor center, when you check in for parking, or you can print out your own. The park also has a fantastic list of tips, check them out here!
- Note that the park is “carry-in, carry-out”— there are no trash cans once you leave the parking lot. There is a small restroom in the parking lot.Â
- When you reach the firetower, you can climb up the first 2 levels, on a fairly narrow staircase. The area where the lookout stays isn’t open to visitors. When we visited, there were a lot of wasps around the firetower– keep an eye out for those as well. They weren’t aggressive, but… better to be cautious. Â
Option 2:
Mt. Major Reservation, Blue + Orange Trails
Hike Length: 3-mile loop
Max Elevation: 1785 feet
Elevation Gain: 1080 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Closest Town: Alton Bay, NH
One of our favorite hikes we’ve ever done, Mt. Major is a must-see and the “just-right” in this Goldilocks analogy! The views of Lake Winnipesaukee from the top are unparalleled, and while the loop is quite steep on your way up, the rapid incline makes the hike go by a bit quicker– perfect if you don’t have a lot of time or seeking a more “instant gratification” style hiking experience. The surrounding area of Alton Bay, NH is beautiful, too, if you have a bit of extra time to explore.Â
The trail is astoundingly beautiful from start to finish, with beautiful exposed roots, mini-boulders, and lots of cute chipmunks and other critters. It’s easily one of the most beautiful trails we’ve ever explored.Â
Top 5 Things to Know for a Successful Visit:
- Â Keep in mind that the parking lot is fairly small, and the area can get very crowded, especially on weekends. This is a really popular place to hike, and once the parking lot fills up, there’s not really alternative places to park short of the shoulder of the nearby highway. We visited on a weekday and the parking lot was still relatively full.Â
- Dogs are allowed, on leash. Some parts were a little slippery, but if your dog is accustomed to hiking, it should be fine.Â
- Like many other NH hikes, Mt. Major is carry-in/carry-out— there is a small trash barrel in the parking lot, as well as a few port-a-potties. Â
- The eponymous Mt. Major Trail (marked with blue blazes) is the quickest, but also steepest, ascent at 1.5 miles bottom to top. We recommend this trail on the way up, but not necessarily on the way down– near the top, there is an area of wide open rock face that we think would be pretty challenging to slide down! For a slightly longer, but accordingly slightly less-steep path to make your way back down, we recommend the Brook Trail option (marked with orange blazes), which is 1.8 miles from top to bottom.
- When you reach the top, make sure you take your time walking around and seeing the views of the lake and Alton Bay from different angles– they are absolutely breathtaking! If you’re on a crunched timeline, make sure you budget time to explore the peak before heading back down. There is ample space to sit and relax, or perhaps even pack a picnic to share. On clear days, you can even see the peak of Mt. Washington!
Option 3:
Mt. Osceola, White Mountains
Hike Length: 6-mile loop
Max Elevation: 4347 feet
Elevation Gain: 2077 feet
Difficulty: Moderate-to-Difficult
Closest Town: Livermore, NH (Waterville Valley Region)
For those of you wanting to tackle one of New Hampshire’s 48 “4000-footers” (mountains with elevation of more than 4000 feet), we recommend Mt. Osceola. There are lovely views at the top, and while it’s certainly a challenge (complete with some huffing and puffing), the switchbacks make it a bit easier than other 4000’s.Â
This hike is fairly long– it took us about 4 hours, and is 6 miles round-trip with a few parts with very slow going. If you have some spare time after concluding your hike, the nearby Waterville Valley area is absolutely beautiful– great fall foliage, skiing in winter, and, of course, hiking!Â
If you’re interested in other 4000-footers, they are designated by the Appalachian Mountain Club— a complete list can be found here. They are mostly located in the White Mountains, but sit in several ranges, including the Franconia Range and the Presidential Range. The tallest of the 48 is Mt. Washington, at 6288 feet.Â
Top 5 Things to Know for a Successful Visit:
- The parking area is relatively small, but there’s plenty of street parking outside the lot– only allowed on one side of the road (clearly marked.) They ask for a $5 donation to do the hike. Another thing to note: the road to reach the trailhead is not in particularly good shape– there are lots of large potholes and it is largely unpaved. Be ready for some bouncing around!
- Keep in mind that there is a lot of rock scrambling on this trail. We would estimate that over half of our trek had some degree of climbing around rocks scattered along the trail. We had very sore calves the next day from walking back down on our tiptoes! There are a decent amount of small trees to hold onto for balance next to the trail, but a decent amount of the descent was quite slow going.
- While there are a few options as far as trails go, many people go down the same way they came up– you may have to pause to let people pass fairly frequently, as the trail can get fairly narrow.
- Dogs are allowed, on-leash. Again, lots of people let their dogs off-leash, which was even a bit scary at times (as a dog would come barreling towards you on certain narrow parts of the trail.) Please be considerate of others and keep your dog on-leash.Â
- We recommend wearing layers and bringing a packable rain jacket if you have one. We worked up a sweat quickly because of the incline, but when we reached the top, the wind was fierce! We were definitely grateful to have had sweatshirts to put back on, to better enjoy the view. The weather also changes very rapidly here– several folks we came across who were on their way back down warned about quick thunderstorms that would roll through the peak area and then disappear just as quickly.
What did you think of these hikes? Is there one that seems like the best fit for you? Let us know in the comments!
For more of our signature hiking content, check out our Why Not Hike landing page!Â
16 comments
This is a great hiking and travel guide for anyone that is traveling to New Hampshire! With the leaves changing colors I’m sure this is a beautiful area to explore!
Oh yes, unparalleled “leaf-peeping” here!
It looks beautiful! Great tips to know before going, too 🙂
We are in New England regularly so adding these to the list! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
New England is the best! Hope you can visit again soon! 🙂
Great post! Thanks for sharing your experience!
Wonderful blog. I love hiking too. This is a great post for people who love hiking and travelling to Hampshire. thanks for sharing
Hiking is the best!
These look beautiful! If I’m ever in the area I will have to check some of them out! Thanks for sharing!
Hope you can visit soon! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
These hikes look beautiful and I like that you included information to know before you go. Definitely need to travel to this area!
Haha, it’s always best to avoid surprises… especially of the wasp variety! Hope you can visit soon! 🙂
Love these different options – if I had to choose I’d opt for the white mountains.
An excellent choice!
Definitely keeping this handy in case I ever go there! I haven’t been on many hikes but am definitely planning to go on more next summer! 🙂
Summer hikes are the best!
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