Three ‘Hidden Gem’ NH Hikes

We’re a pretty active bunch here at Secondwind. We have a lot of hikers in the group.  Here are three of our favorite hikes tucked away in Epsom, Concord, and Newbury.

Neville Peak, Nottingham Mountain, Epsom Town Forest, Epsom, NH

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. You can spend an hour, an hour and a half, or more poking around the trails.

Why We Like It:

1. Fantastic views from Mt. Cardigan all the way to Mt. Washington in just a short 40-minute easy to moderate hike.
2. Touch all the elements here.  A funky foundation buried deep in the earth. Beaver ponds and waterfalls. Campfire sites. Breeze at the top.
3. Great hike for pups. Lots of water. Not a lot of people.

Trail description, photos, and directions, here. Hint: You’ll have to turn off of Mountain Road in Epsom.

Oak Hill Trail System, Concord

Distance & Difficulty: Depends! There are 7 miles of hiking and cross country skiing trails on Oak Hill. You can spend all day looping too and fro. If you’re goal oriented, sprint straight to the top and the Fire Tower. However, you’ll miss some of the most spectacular views, that are somewhat easier to access.  We see families with kids of all ages on these trails. Something for everyone!

Why We Like It:

1. Variety! You could hike Oak Hill every day for months on end and take different routes and usually end up with a view.
2. Community. Even though not a whole lot of people know about Oak Hill (relative to Monadnock!), there are a few regulars who hike there that you will run into again and again. These folks tend to be really friendly. A lot of them have pups, but you may even come upon the couple with their pet goat!
3. Views. There are a few different options for great views. But even if you stick to the non-view trails, there is great beauty on these less-traveled trails.

There are two entrances to Oak Hill. Our peeps tell us the Oak Hill entrance is more fun than the main entrance off Mountain Road. (That’s Mountain Road #2! But in Concord.) Directions and maps here.

Andrew Brook Trail to Lake Solitude on the back side of Mt. Sunapee

Distance & Difficulty: 3.7 miles round trip. Moderate Difficulty

Why We Like It:

1. Sitting on top of steep ledges looking down at a cool crater lake. Life doesn’t get much better than that.
2. Awesome hike for dogs. (Can you tell we love our dogs?) In fact, it’s rated the #1 best hike for dogs in a dog-specific hiking book for the region. The lake is a great place for the pups to cool off after the hike up.
3. Water follows you the entire way.

The Andrew Brook Trail was just recently protected by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.  The trail starts off of Mountain Road. (That’s Mountain Road #3!)

Here’s more information from AllTrails.

What are your favorite NH hiking trails? We’d love to know!