Manchester, NH Novice hiking now that the weather is getting better?

April 4, 2008 2:03 AM

Manchester, NH Novice hiking trails nearby a couple of miles or more long, now that the weather is getting better?

Many thanks...

posted by prodevel to science & nature (4 comments total)

Rattlesnake Mountain. This is in my opinion New Hampshire's single best trail in terms of minimum effort to maximum results; a half-hour or so of easy walking to a spectacular lake view.

Mount Monadnock. Not quite so easy and substantially longer, but well worth it. Try it in the fall when leaves are at their peak... the 360-degree view is amazing no matter when you go, but the fall is the best.
posted by Daily Alice at 3:47 AM on April 4

Pawtuckaway.
Bear Brook.
Tower Hill Pond.

All pretty close to Manchester.
posted by D_I at 5:01 AM on April 4

Also, get the Falcon guide Hiking New Hampshire for lots of detailed trail info.
posted by Daily Alice at 7:28 AM on April 4

The New Hampshire trail with the best results for the least effort would have to be Pitcher Mountain, in Stoddard. It's maybe a half-mile uphill on one of two trails, one of which is really an access road and so is not difficult at all. At the top are:
a) A fire tower, which sometimes is open to visitors, so you can climb up it and look around at the surrounding countryside.
b) If you go in late July or early August, you will discover that acres of the mountaintop are covered in wild high-bush blueberries, a legacy of a fire that swept the top and left a nice ashy soil. You can pick as many as you like (though you ought to leave a donation in the box for them). There's also a bunch of trails out through the berries, if you want some more walking.
The location is here. (You can see the fire tower in the satellite photo; the question-mark-shaped road is the access road.)

Also, Monadnock is a must in New Hampshire, but maybe not in spring. That's when the bugs come eat you alive.
posted by Upton O'Good at 2:35 PM on April 4