North Uncanoonuc Mountain - Red & Blue Trails

Maps, Elevations & Summary

Distance:  1.9 miles
Maximum Elevation: 1,329 ft.

Cumulative elevation gain: 659 ft.

Total Time: 2.0 hrs.

TRAIL REPORT

Today there was a reprieve from yesterday's near 90 degree temperatures.  I arrived at North Uncanoonuc Mountain parking lot by 10:15 a.m. and there were only two other cars in the lot.  It was 68 degrees and although the clouds looked pretty ominous, there was no rain in the forecast.

The trail starts on the opposed side of Mountain Road from the parking area and is labeled "Class 6 Road".  It is very wide and is used in the winter as a skimobile trail.  There is almost no elevation gain as Class 6 Rd. parallels Mountain road and wraps around the base of North Uncanoonuc.  There are a couple of newer trails that have been felled, just follow the red plastic signs along the road.  After about 0.4 miles, I passed the junction with the Red dot trail.

I read that this is a very steep trail so I decided to continue on another 0.1 mile to the Blue Trail, which has a more moderate incline.  The trailhead was clearly marked with both wooden and plastic signs.

The Blue trail was not too bad, ascending at a pretty relentless pace up the side of the mountain.  The footing was worth noting, there was a lot of small, baseball sized rock which made for uneven footing.  This is similar to the trail surface I encountered last year across the valley on the South Uncanoonuc Incline trail.  After a half an hour of steady climbing, I reached the first overlook to the west.  The clearing is about 0.4 miles beyond the blue trail trailhead.  Unfortunately, with the low cloud and high humidity, there wasn't much of a view.  You could make out a distant summit which must have been Pack Monadnock, through the trees.

0.1 mile beyond the clearing, I came to the summit with a wide open view toward the tower-studded summit of Sounth Uncanoonuc.

I tarried here a while, talking with a pair of student hikers from UNH who happened on a bunch of lady slippers beneath a hemlock tree.  Three red-tailed hawks circled overhead on a refreshingly cool breeze.  I didn't stay very long due to the menacing sky and started back down the path.

I chose to return vie the red dot trail and I am glad I chose the blue for the ascent.   The red was very steep indeed, with one section having a 38% grade.  With a smooth dirt surface and very little rock on the trail, I imagine it must get very slippery in the rain.  The steep descent was quickly over and I was back at the car in no time at all, spending less than 2 hours on the loop.

Rattlesnake Mountains - Old Bridle Path, Ridge Trail & East Rattlesnake Trail

Maps, Elevations & Summary

Distance:  4.8 miles
Maximum Elevation: 1,304 ft.

Cumulative elevation gain: 1,027 ft.

Total Time: 3.8 hrs.

TRAIL REPORT

This was the prefect day for a hike.  Early morning temperatures were 37 degrees so no ice, trails were dry and the temp was supposed to rise up into the mid 60's.  Also, it might be the last weekend that there were few mosquitos about so I decided to head up to the Rattlesnakes for a big loop hike.  I heard that these were very poplar hiking destinations so I decided to leave early, arriving at the trailhead just before 7:30 a.m.  The lot was absolutely empty, so I parked and donned boots and pack and set off up the Old Bridle path.  The path is very wide with lots of very convenient steps and water breaks.  In no time at all a spur is reached at 0.9 miles which leads to a small granite ledge with the first views of Squam Lake.

I imagine that in the summer, most of this view is blocked by leaves.  Getting back on the trail, I continued on to the second set of ledges which are just 0.2 miles farther.  These are wide open and afford a beautiful unobstructed view of the lake.  Bennett and Veerie Coves were a beautiful blue color in the morning light and the air was still, making the lake look like a mirror.

Looking further to the southeast, the first views of Red Hill are experienced.

Looking straight out, the first thing that I noticed was the peninsula immediately below the ledge.  This was Five Finger Point.  There are trails at the base of the mountain that circle this mall spit of land jutting out into the lake.  Almost Due South are the Bellknap range with  Mounts Major, Piper and Bellknap the leftmost summits in the picture.  The water immediately at their bases is Lake Winnepasaukee.

After a short water break, it was time to move on.  Feeling pretty well, I decided to head over to East Rattlesnake Mountain.  The trailhead was found just opposite the ledges so I quickly started down the Ridge Trail into the Armstrong Natural area managed by the University of New Hampshire.

UNH has a nice pamphlet available online which describes the flora and fauna you can find in the area.  Since it was very early in the season, most plants were just emerging and it was tough to ID any ground plants.  It was nice to see the maples actually starting to push out their leaves in some of the smaller samplings.

The trail rapidly descended into a shady col. About 0.5 miles from the summit of West Rattlesnake, I reached the saddle between the two summits and the intersection with Col trail.  Instead, I continued on the Ridge Trail.  about 0.1 miles beyond the Col Trail junction, thhe Ridge tail makes a very abrupt 90 degree turn to the right which is very poorly marked and easily misses.  The trail began it's ascent up the side of East Rattlesnake almost immediately and reached the ledges after another 0.1 miles.

The views from East Rattlesnake are not quite as open as those from the West Rattlesnake summit, but pretty nonetheless.  The open ledges were very sunny and warm so it seemed like a good place to hand the pack, stretch out and have a sandwich and some water.  It was still early and I has seen absolutely none on my whole trek so far, which was positively delightful.

I headed back sown the trail to the junction with the East Rattlesnake trail and began a pretty steep descent  toward the lake.  The trail was not very rocky but was rather relentless with few switchbacks.  about halfway down, it did zig-zag through a number of pretty large boulders in the forest.

Almost 0.5 miles from the beginning of the East Rattlesnake trail junction, I came across a small stream which was very easy to cross.  In the summer it would be a very convenient water source.  Very close to the stream crossing is a junction of the Five Finger Point trail, the Col Trail and the Pasture Trail.  

Continuing on a short distance, the trail passes a barn and winds up on Pinehurst Rd.  which is paved.  After a level 0.2 mile stroll down Pinehurst Rd., there was a sign for the Ramsey Trail on the right.  I headed up the Ramsey Trail for some distance looking for the Undercut path but could not find the intersection of the trail.  Instead, I headed back down Pinehurst Rd.  for another mile until it intersected with Route 130.  

The walk up to the trailhead along Route 130 is not recommended.  It is not very steep but a relentless climb up 0.5 miles of blacktop.  Traffic was steady and there are no real shoulders to walk on so I found myself stepping off the road frequently to let vehicles pass.  On reaching the trailhead parking, I was surprised to find both parking lots full with cars pulling over to park along Route 130; quite the contrast from the seclusion I experienced on most of the trip.  I used only 1.5 liters of water so the 3 liters I carried was overkill, especially considering the stream which was available to refill my water container.  I'll lighten the load next time.

Pratt Mountain - Wapack Trail

Maps, Elevations & Summary

Distance:  3.0 miles
Maximum Elevation: 1,817 ft.

Cumulative elevation gain: 686 ft.

Total Time: 3.0 hrs.

TRAIL REPORT

The drive up Binney Hill Pond Rd. is very rocky, enough so that we needed to switch to the Volvo SUV to clear the large rocks and mud pools in the road.  We went to within 0.25 miles of the trailhead and found parking in a cleared field where the Wapack Trail intersects the road from the south.  After gearing up, we followed the yellow triangular blazed down the road until the double blaze marked a departure of the Wapack trail from the road to the north.

The weather was perfect and the forest was quiet except for a number of woodpeckers working on the trees.  We saw one, a large hairy woodpecker doing his work as well as a number of chickadee pairs.  The large road puddles were filled with frog egg clutches and we could make out some of the tadpoles writhing within....spring is here!  After leaving the road, the trail heads downhill about 0.2 miles to Binney pond.  There was a stream at the bottom of the hill and an old beaver dam but crossing the stream was an easy rock to rock crossing.  The pond itself showed signs that it was once a farm field with stone walls that disappear under the water from the shore.

Along the edge of the pond, there were a number of bod bridges, all in good repair, which made moving over the wetland very easy as the trail turned north to parallel the pond.

The trail is not very rocky at this point and it moves through deciduous forest up and down some small hills.  After about a mile from the trailhead, the path jogs to the left, away from Binney pond, and begins it's climb uphill.  There are a number of large boulders here, presumably coming from the top of the mouton ridge.  Abby took some time to climb a few.

After about a mile from the car, we came across a spring which feeds into Binney pond.  It was well marked and flowing strongly, a good source of water of we had a filter with us.  Just beyond the spring, there is a patch of very muddy trail, but strewn with enough stones that it can be crossed easily.  It might be more difficult after a rainy period.  From here the trail ascends pretty steeply.  There are enough rocks on the trail to give a good footing.  About halfway up the mountain, the trail jogs to the left near a fallen tree.  The climb is pretty relentless until the ledges are finally reached.  The summit here is marked by a cairn.

There are signs that point to the ledge overlook which was very pretty indeed.  There are some nice rocks to sit on and the view looks down directly on to Binney Pond.

We took off our packs and posed for water and a snack after taking a number of photos on the ledges themselves.  You could see Mount Watatic and Emmerson Hill almost directly behind the ponds.  To the southwest, we clearly saw Mount Wachusset, the ski area still white from the late season snow making.

We actually spent quite a bit of time at the overlook, looking at the wild life.  A flock of geese flew over the pond but changed directions abruptly, just as a turkey vulture flew overhead.  He was soon joined by a number of red-tailed hawks that were soaring on the thermals just below us.  Down at the pond, a blue heron could be seen flying in and out of it's nest.  Eventually, we geared back up and headed back down the trail.  We paused again on the pond bridges to get a close up of the great blue heron as it flew overhead.

By this time the sun had warmed things up and it was close to 65 F when we finally got back to the car.

Blue Job & Little Blue Job Mountains - Orange trail

Maps, Elevations & Summary

Distance:  2.4 miles
Maximum Elevation: 1,355 ft.

Cumulative elevation gain: 528 ft.

Total Time: 2.3 hrs.

TRAIL REPORT

After a winter of Achilles tendon problems and months of PT, I chose this hike to be a modest reentry back into some mountainous terrain.  Arriving at 9 a.m., the parking lot was already close to full.  Taking the orange blazed trail on the far right, walking was easy for the first level stretch.  There was minimal mud and no bugs at all and the temperature was in the low 40's.

As the trail started up the mountain, mud and wet leaves became more plentiful and the mossy granite made the going a bit more slippery.  As the climb progressed, there were actually some ice patches still left on the trail, but not enough to warrant putting on any traction.

After about 20-30 minutes, a rock ledge is reached, marked by a cairn and affording the first partially obstructed view to the west.

After the cairn, the trail continues to climb for a very short distance and abruptly turns left.  The old fire tower could be seen through the trees.

Climbing up to the summit, I could not find a USGS marker; however, there were a number of old footings from an earlier tower as well as a large cell tower and transmitter.  An old building also stands at the summit, use unknown but it does have electrical service.

The views were much better from the topmost level of the fire tower.  In the view to the west you could make out Saddleback Mountain as well as Mount Wachusett.

To the northwest, Belknap Mountain and Mt. Major could be seen in the distance.

Finally, the view to the north was full of the peaks of the White Mountains.  I could make out the Tripyramids and Mt. Tecumseh in the distance.

After a short water and snack break, it was time to start off to Little Blue Job.  The trail leaves the esummit lust to the left of the gas tanks that are on the outside of the cell tower transmitter building. It is not marked with any sign or blazes and I needed to look for a number of rock cairns to identify the path as it headed steeply down he mountain. 

Once again, as the trail descended into a shady spruce forest, there was some ice in patches on the trail.  after about 10 minutes, the trail crossed a small stream which could make a good water source if it were still running in the summer. After a total of 0.3 miles from the Blue Job summit, the trail pops out of the hemlock forest onto rock slabs and the first views of Little Blue job were seen in the distance.

The trail continues past a very pretty pond which is situated in the col between the two summits.  

From the pond the trail once again begins climbing, this time on smooth rock ledges.  Once again, there were no markings; one simply follows the cairns.

It was a short climb and then the trail follows a rock wall to a large cairn marking the summit of Little Blue Job Mountain.

The view from the top was beautiful and you could clearly make out numerous peaks of the White Mountains to the north.  There were also a number of large flat boulders, perfect to stretch out and get some sun.  I thought that the summit of Little Blue Job was far more rewarding than it's taller brother!  Finally, it was time to head back.  There are numerous spur tails all heading off of the summit.  I followed the cairn trail back the way I came but followed a trail that led to the opposite side of the pond.

Once again, the trail was not well marked.  Just before reentering the first, the trail, which had become deep with mud, suddenly entered an extensively flooded section that was still partially covered in ice.

It was impassable so I set off into the woods to climb up the ridge a small distance and get out of the muck.  After a 10 minute Bushwack, I rejoined the trail and followed it back down to where it rejoins the orange blazed trail returning from the summit of Blue Job Mountain.  About 20 minutes after leaving the summit of Little Blue Job, I was back in the parking area.

South Uncanoonuc Mountain - Incline and Summit Trails

Maps, Elevations & Summary

Distance:  1.7 miles
Maximum Elevation: 1,309ft.

Cumulative elevation gain: 633t.

Total Time: 1.7 hrs.

TRAIL REPORT

Coming off of a strained tendon in my ankle, it seemed best to take a short hike close by.  The Uncanoonuc Mountains are a mere 1300 feet in elevation and located just northwest of Manchester, New Hampshire.  The day was perfect, with little wind and temperatures in the low 30's when I started just before 8 a.m., parking at the kiosk near the trailhead.

The ease of the hike was displaced as soon as I hit the trail.  Although short, the 630 foot climb along the Incline trail was steep,  with a 35% relentless grade that soon had me stripping off my fleece down to a base layer.  Besides being steep, the trail bed is mostly consisting of softball sized rocks so the footing was a bit loose making for a little extra work.

Approaching the summit, there are some views through the trees to the east overlooking Manchester and back along the trail, to some hills to the south.  All in all, the views are not outstanding and in the summer, I'm sure most views are obscured by the leaves.

The summit is a the largest grouping of cell tours and antenna masts I have ever seen.  No wonder the AMC Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide describes it as "“probably the finest forest of communication towers in New Hampshire".  There was a small sign at the summit which was labelled "marker 25 ft. east'  so I whipped out the compass, paced out 25 feet and started clearing leaves that were all around.  Sure enough, I found the summit marker!

Instead of heading back down the incline, I circled the summit to find the Summit Traill which deports the top just down the paved summit road.  You'll have to look sharp, in that the sign faces away from the summit.  

The descent down the summit trail is less steep and more interesting than the Incline trail.  I found a knurly hemlock which I include a picture of for all of my fellow bonsai enthusiasts.

The descent offers some broken views of the North Uncanoonuc Mountain, just across the valley.  In no time at all, I reached a trail junction which labels the Link Trail.

  Take the unlabeled trail which is a continuation of the Summit Trail as it turns to the east, wrapping around the northern slope of the mountain.  Finally wound up at the junction of the Bickford trail and walked along the shore of Uncanoonuc Lake back to the car.