Maps, Elevations & Summary
Distance: 1.9 milesMaximum Elevation: 1,329 ft.
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.
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.
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 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.
