Living color

November 2, 2024November 2, 2024 / Ellen Kolb

This been a magnificent autumn in New Hampshire, and I’ve tried to make the most of it. Even now, with the foliage faded and fallen, I love the season. There’s no better time for a walk on a New Hampshire trail, whether it’s a ten-minute respite from the day’s work or a full day on a long trail.

Two views of Mt. Kearsarge

From Oak Hill in Concord, Mt. Kearsarge is a hazy double summit (at left). Photos by Ellen Kolb.

One afternoon in early October, I headed to Concord’s Oak Hill trails. I should’ve known what to expect: I-93 southbound was jammed with leafpeepers coming home from the North Country, where foliage at that time was at its most colorful. I figured Oak Hill, with colors just beginning to change in the Concord area, would be quiet. Nope: I had to squeeze my little car into about three-quarters of a space in the Shaker Road lot. I knew right away that the path to the fire tower would be busy, and I wanted some solitude. Fortunately, Oak Hill offers several miles of paths from which to choose. I went to an old favorite – a little ledge with a bench and a nice view toward the west featuring Mt. Kearsarge’s distinctive gentle profile.

Three weeks later, autumn in south-central New Hampshire was in its glory. The Craney Hill fire tower in Henniker, which is decommissioned and usually closed to the public, was going to be open for a day or two. I learned about the opportunity only a day in advance, and I wasn’t about to miss it. Weather was perfect. The drive to Henniker along Route 114 was the stuff of picture postcards. From the cab of the tower itself, the region’s foliage stretched out for miles – and there to the north was Mt. Kearsarge again, layered in colors, topped with the evergreens that reach almost to the summit ledge.

I think the town of Henniker has custody of the Craney Hill tower, and the once-a-year public accessibility relies on volunteers and support from visitors.

A change of plan

As I reported earlier, I had planned to join a group of supporters of the Light of Life shelter in Manchester for a 13-mile walk on the Rockingham Recreational Trail. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control, the event had to be cancelled. I decided to walk the 13 miles anyway, on a modified route. Four hours-plus on that familiar trail in foliage season? Yes, please. Besides, a generous donor to Light of Life had sponsored me.

The trail goes by Onway Lake in Raymond. The woods surrounding the lake provided a fine payoff to a long morning’s work.

autumn foliage reflected in a lake in New Hampshire — _{Onway Lake mirrored the foliage on an October morning.}

And here’s the track my GPS app made of my walk through Candia and Raymond, out and back.

I managed to spend nearly five hours on the way because I dawdled at Raymond Depot, where I found an open house being held by the local historical society, and I also stopped at the one and only Dunks along the way for some caffeinated refreshment. Every minute of the day was a gift.

Postscript to summer

Here’s the long-awaited coda to my efforts in August and September to complete the Cross New Hampshire Adventure trail: I finally got the job done, in spite of the pesky osprey that tried to discourage me. Neither birds nor ballast nor lack of money for shuttles could keep me from exploring XNHAT from end to end. The trail attracts bicyclists from near and far, but I was happy to walk, even though it meant walking each segment out-and-back. (I’d gladly do the Pondicherry section out-and-back anytime.) For the finale in Shelburne and Bethel, my wonderful husband served as my shuttle driver. He patiently rode his bike while I paced off the last few miles.

I just might dedicate a long post to the whole darn trail someday. It’s a treasure. I am sporting the finisher’s patch on my fleece jacket, not sticking it in a scrapbook with my other hiking patches. This one is going public so that people will ask me about it, which will give me a chance to tell them about the trail.

_{The Granite State Walker is a big fan of XNHAT.}

A pair of enduring favorites

December 3, 2022June 11, 2025 / Ellen Kolb

The Granite State Walker blog is now sixteen years old! This modest landmark prompted me to look back and see which posts have drawn the most viewers – and I hope inspired as many hikes – during that time.

Two destinations finished way out in front: Mount Kearsarge with its trailheads in Warner and Wilmot, and Oak Hill in Concord. Each has prompted several posts from me, and even the older posts keep finding an audience.

Oak Hill, New Hampshire, fall foliage, hill showing through distant haze — view from Oak Hill, looking west toward Mount Kearsarge

mountaintop cairn, blue sky with puffy clouds — view from Oak Hill, looking west toward Mount Kearsarge

I’m not surprised. Each of those locations has a fire tower, which can be an irresistible draw. Each one offers multiple trails. Easy access is another advantage: the south side of Kearsarge, via Rollins State Park, is only a few minutes’ drive from I-89. Oak Hill is close to I-93, and in fact is only a 12-minute drive from the State House (I checked).

The auto road through Rollins State Park ends at a picnic area a half-mile from the Kearsarge summit, which is a short hike for day trippers. (Don’t be lulled into carelessness by the short distance; plan ahead and wear appropriate footwear.) When the auto road is closed to vehicular traffic, usually November through May, it’s still accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists, and one needn’t get to the summit to find fine views along the way. Winslow State Park on the north side of Kearsarge offers a longer hike.

The Oak Hill trails are managed by the city of Concord, which has a surprising number of parks and trails for a city its size. The trail to the fire tower meanders uphill for about two forested miles to the Concord-Loudon town line. Shorter trails lead to pleasant vistas, including a western prospect that looks out toward – you guessed it – Mt. Kearsarge.

In sixteen years as the Granite State Walker, I haven’t run out of good places to explore south of the White Mountains. New trails are ahead, I know. But it’s good to have some old favorites to which we can return now and then. Kearsarge and Oak Hill are two of the best.

Short climb, grand view: Mt. Kearsarge via Rollins State Park

September 2, 2022May 27, 2025 / Ellen Kolb / 3 Comments

My last visit to Mt. Kearsarge in Warner, New Hampshire was a few years ago, as the fire tower was being rebuilt. I recently decided to go back for my first uphill walk since the virus-in-the-news laid me low earlier this year. From the upper end of the auto road in Rollins State Park, which is a treat in itself, I hiked the half-mile-long Rollins trail to the Kearsarge summit.

fire tower on Mount Kearsarge in Warner, New Hampshire, accessible from Rollins and Winslow State Parks. Photo by Ellen Kolb. — ^{Mt. Kearsarge fire tower, Warner NH. Ellen Kolb photo.}

It was a splendid morning at the end of August. A muggy summer heat wave had just broken, giving way to clear dry air and brisk breezes. As self-imposed rehab assignments go, this hike was unbeatable.

^{Summit cairn, Mt. Kearsarge. Ellen Kolb photo. Twin hills in far distance at left are the Uncanoonucs in Goffstown NH.}

The hills and trails of southern New Hampshire spell home to me. I looked south from Kearsarge’s summit cairn and scanned the horizon: the Uncanoonucs in Goffstown, Joe English hill in New Boston, a view of the Wapack Range from the north – is that Crotched Mountain ski area nearby? – and aloof and stately Monadnock.

The ledgy summit features a 360 degree view, in case someone finds the view of the southern hills unsatisfactory. My advice is to soak it all in.

At $4, park admission is a bargain. See nhstateparks.org for up-to-date information on fees and maps for this and other state parks. Kearsarge is home to two of those parks. Rollins from the south features the auto road and a short hike; Winslow from the north offers longer trails. The Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway makes its way over the summit as well.

The auto road closes to motor-vehicle traffic in November and usually re-opens on Memorial Day weekend. I enjoy walking on the auto road in the off-season when the weather allows, sharing the road with other walkers and ambitious bicyclists. The summit is out of reach for the likes of me until the snow and ice are gone, but there are a few vistas along the auto road that make an uphill walk worthwhile.

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Summer on the trails

September 21, 2019May 7, 2020 / Ellen Kolb / 1 Comment

It’s time to dig out my blaze orange gear. My favorite hiking season is at hand. I have no complaints about the season just ended, though. It was a beautiful summer in New Hampshire and beyond.

Mt. Kearsarge, Rollins State Park, Warner

The fire tower on Kearsarge was getting a serious makeover this summer, with heavy mats laid over the trail from Rollins State Park to accommodate construction vehicles. Hikers were still welcome, though. The broad ledgy summit offered its usual fine views.

view from Mt. Kearsarge summit, Warner NH

Mt. Kearsarge fire tower gets a makeover, summer 2019

While I was there in July, a group of kids from a Boys and Girls Club arrived on the summit with their chaperones, having hiked up from the state park on the other side of the mountain. One boy, maybe ten years old, bounded around like a puppy. “Dude! I’ve never been to the top of a mountain before!” I suspect he’ll go in search of more.

North Country trip

Four days of car camping in August brought me to trails in Pittsburg and Jefferson and a few places in between. Ramblewood Campground in Pittsburg (a five-star establishment, in my book) and Percy Lodge and Campground in Stark served as homes-away-from-home.

It’s tough to pick my favorite part of the Cohos Trail. On this trip, though, Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson staked a pretty strong claim. I circled the refuge one sunny afternoon, stringing together several trail and road segments to make an 8-mile loop. Once out of the woods, the view was all about the surrounding peaks: Mt. Martha to my south, the Presidentials to the east, and the Pliny Range to the north. That just might be the most rewarding flat hiking route I’ve found so far in New Hampshire.

Cherry Pond, Jefferson NH. looking toward Pliny Range.

I didn’t limit this trip to Cohos Trail segments. I discovered Second College Grant, a Dartmouth College property the size of a town, where I enjoyed a serene walk alongside the Dead Diamond River. Another day, perhaps I’ll return for a hike up Diamond Ridge.

From Stark, I took a quick drive to Milan Hill State Park to check out late-afternoon views from the fire tower. Not a hike, but still a treat.

New Boston rail trail

What a difference since my last visit about five years ago. I found the shady New Boston rail trail south of Lang Station upgraded significantly since my last visit. Trail volunteers, take a bow.

New Boston rail trail, NH

I walked for the first time north of Lang Station on the trail to the Goffstown line. Very different up that way: a work in progress, or maybe just in the planning stage. I found blowdowns, mud, and at the Goffstown line, an overgrown swath separating the trail from Route 114.

Someday, if a whole lot of things work out just right, the New Boston trail will connect with the Goffstown rail trail, which already connects to the Piscataquog trail in Manchester.

Rhododendron State Park, Fitzwilliam

Blooming in July at Rhododendron State Park

I think I missed peak bloom at Rhododendron State Park in July, but there were enough blossoms to make the drive to Fitzwilliam worthwhile. The loop trail through the rhododendron grove is shady and not too long.

Actually, this quiet little state park has more to offer than a few weeks of rhododendron blooms. A trail branches off the grove loop, heading up Little Monadnock mountain with its view toward Monadnock. A mile’s walk on a quiet road just outside the park entrance leads to Rockwood Pond and the Cheshire Rail Trail. This summer, though, I was there for the flowers. I wasn’t disappointed.

Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon: life-list material

My husband and I spent nine too-short days in Utah and Arizona in early September, where I got my first-and-maybe-last look at some of the gems of the national park system:

Zion, where temps in the low hundreds did nothing to dull the scenery…

Zion National Park, Utah

Bryce Canyon, land of the hoodoos, where even a half-moon can’t blot out the stars at night…

Bryce Canyon National Park

and Grand Canyon’s North Rim, far from South Rim’s crowds, where the sheer scale of the canyon left me speechless.

View of Grand Canyon from North Rim, Arizona

Along the way – it takes a lot of driving to see all three parks in only a few days – we found some beautiful lesser-known recreational areas: Cedar Breaks and Red Canyon in Utah, and portions of Dixie National Forest in Arizona.

As our return flight descended over the Monadnocks on the way into Manchester, I was happy to see our familiar green hills. This is home. Still, I treasure the awesome sights and beautiful places we saw out west.

Back to Oak Hill

May 29, 2017May 27, 2017 / Ellen Kolb

Over the ten years I’ve been keeping this blog, there’s one unassuming little post that keeps getting hits every single month: my walk to the Oak Hill fire tower where Concord meets Loudon, New Hampshire. Is it the “fire tower” phrase that keeps the search engines happy, or does Concord have a lot of enthusiastic local walkers?

The only blossoms in sight on a spring day were on the ground cover at the edge of the trail. Photos by Ellen Kolb.

Either way, the Oak Hill trails deserve the attention. They’re pleasant, easy, varied, and only a few minutes away from downtown Concord. I headed there after some work at the State House recently, knowing that I could only spare a half hour or so.

Junctions are well-marked, but this little “new vista” sign helped keep me on the right path.

I followed the signs to “vista,” only about a 12-minute walk from the parking area, and was treated to a good view of Mt. Kearsarge. I had thought that the fire tower was the only place on the hill with such a vista. My quick visit was well-rewarded. Bonus: a walk in the woods after a few hours in a hearing room is a good idea.

Mt. Kearsarge to the west. Trees conceal the Merrimack River, flowing south past the industrial building at right.

Mt. Kearsarge, late summer

September 12, 2015 / Ellen Kolb

Students from Northeast Catholic College in Warner welcomed me as I tagged along for their morning prayer service on Mt. Kearsarge. Bishop Libasci was among us as well, leading the service in the Rollins State Park picnic area before we trooped up the last half-mile to the summit. Good fellowship on a beautiful day!