Rollins State Park

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

/ 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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Mt. Kearsarge, late summer

/ 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!

Bishop Peter Libasci of Manchester, NH at far right, with students from Northeast Catholic College.
Bishop Peter Libasci of Manchester, NH at far right, with students from Northeast Catholic College.
A tantalizing view from partway up the trail.
A tantalizing view from partway up the trail.
Bonus: a new historical marker in Warner. I've photographed more than a hundred markers statewide, aiming to capture them all.
Bonus: a new historical marker in Warner. I’ve photographed more than a hundred markers statewide, aiming to capture them all.

Mt. Kearsarge via Rollins State Park auto road

/ Ellen Kolb / 1 Comment

The auto road up Mt. Kearsarge in Rollins State Park in Warner, New Hampshire, is gated shut and will probably stay that way until Memorial Day approaches. See the Rollins page on the New Hampshire State Parks web site for updated information.  That doesn’t block pedestrians and bicyclists, though. If you’re ready for a three-and-a-half-mile uphill walk on a paved road, followed by a half-mile hike on a ledgy trail (total elevation gain from park gate: roughly 1700′), this is the place. Download a map from the State Parks website and enjoy the trip.

Yesterday, armed with plenty of sunscreen, I took the walk and reaped the views. For a plodder like me, it was two hours each way, plus time on the summit. Time well spent, indeed.

Rollins State Park
looking west from Summit
view of Mt. Cardigan & Ragged Mountain
Mt. Kearsarge, Winslow & Rollins State Parks. Probably the prizewinner for number of communication dishes on a NH fire tower.
A name & crossed swords carved into the granite ledge
Plaque honoring Gov. Rollins

I didn’t pack bug repellent, and I should have. Lesson learned.

While there were eight other cars parked outside the gate when I arrived, I encountered other people on the road only occasionally. I was passed by an ambitious bicyclist, twice. At one of the pullouts about halfway up the road, I stopped to watch some turkey vultures gliding aloft. They’re quite beautiful when in flight, however homely they are close up. The only sounds along the way were the breeze through the trees and a rustle of leaves from some nearby critter. I haven’t been anyplace so peaceful since my last trip to Second Connecticut Lake.

A few details: there was a pit toilet along the auto road not far from the park gate, which is always good to know before setting off for a few hours of walking. There’s an admission fee to the park ($4, subject to change), and when the park gate is closed in the off-season, there’s an iron ranger (donation box) where you can place your fee on an honor-system basis. At the upper end of the auto road, if the last half-mile hike is not to your liking, there’s a parking lot and picnic area with views to enjoy, though not the panorama seen from the summit.

Note: This Mt. Kearsarge is not to be confused with a remote peak of the same name in northern New Hampshire.

Getting to Rollins State Park: Take I-89 to exit 8; follow signs to NH 103 toward Warner. In town, turn onto Kearsarge Mountain Road; look for brown signs pointing to Rollins State Park. After several miles, the town road ends at the Rollins gate.

Post revised in 2026 to update web links.