Maps, Elevations & Summary
Distance: 1.7 milesMaximum Elevation: 1,309ft.
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.
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.
