New Hampshire Hiking In The
Lake Winnipesaukee Region
New Hampshire hiking around the Lake Winnipesaukee area can be a breathtaking experience.
There are endless
hiking trails
throughout the state for you to hike, whether you take a guided tour, set out on your own, go
hiking with your dog,
hike for half a day or several, hiking in New Hampshire is worth every moment on the trail.
It's a great time to be lost in your thoughts and enjoy all that nature has to offer. The shelter of the trees will protect you from the wind and hot sun.
There are plenty of places to stop along the way to take a break and have a snack or just to look at your surroundings.
When you arrive at the peak, the wind can be strong. It cools you right down. But the views are breathtaking.
Hikes Around Lake Winnipesaukee In New Hampshire
We have gone on several hikes around the Lake Winnipesaukee area.
Most of our hikes have been with groups of people such as the Girl
Scouts and school.
There are pros and cons when hiking with groups. You get to enjoy the company along the way and have many conversations with all the different people.
The things you can learn from others' experiences hiking can enhance your time on the hiking trails. You can learn about the different wildlife and plant life as well as the best way to hike, proper gear to bring and even things about filtering water.
If you have set a pace and get stuck behind a group of people that are a bit slower, it can be aggravating.
It can take awhile to pass them or if you found away around and then stop for a rest, the group gets in front again. If you go with an open mind and use this time with nature, it's easier to shrug this stuff off.
Before you start your hike, you should follow these
hiking tips
as well as some
hiking safety tips
to make your trip fun and safe.
New Hampshire Hiking and Lake Winnipesaukee
There are a variety of
New Hampshire hiking trails
that will meet any level from beginner to experienced. There are 48
mountain peaks that are greater than 4,000 feet and many others that
offer awesome views.
The mountains around Lake Winnipesaukee that we have hiked have been fun and not that hard. I'm sure there are more difficult ones, but the easy to moderate hikes are fine with my family.
Once you get to the top, the views are fantastic.
We climbed a fire tower one time and spotted our house.
Appalachian Trail
If you're
hiking the Appalachian Trail,
it starts in Hanover, New Hampshire and cuts through the White Mountain
National Forest before ending in Maine. Here you'll find 161 miles of
trails with great views.
At some point we will hike a section of the Appalachian Trail, but until then, we'll try out the various other hiking trails in the Lake Winnipesaukee area.
New Hampshire hiking is some of the best around. There is something for every season. In the fall, the foliage is spectacular.
This is our
preferred time to hike. The weather isn't too hot or too cold, there
are no bugs, it seems to smell crisp and clean and it keeps you in
shape.
Hiking For All Seasons
The New Hampshire Hiking in the winter offers more challenging
terrain as well as ice climbing. We have never tried winter hiking, but
if the trails were fairly easy, we would consider it.
The springtime is another great time to hike in New Hampshire around Lake Winnipesaukee. April might be the best bet. Once May arrives, so do the black flies. They can be fierce. Even though the sweet smell of spring is in the air, the black flies can make it miserable.
As the temperatures warm up the black flies go away. It's more pleasant to hike in the summer and you can also try rock climbing.
You do have
to be careful in the hot weather. Always rest, drink a lot of water and
pace yourself so that you don't overheat.
Hiking Mount Washington
The White Mountains in New Hampshire draw many hikers to their
challenging trails. The Presidential Range such as Mount Washington,
have the tallest peaks in the state. Mount Washington is the tallest
mountain in the northeast at 6,288 feet.
Many people hike Mount Washington for the challenge. I suppose it isn't as difficult as Mt. Everest, but can still be a tough climb. Others bring their skis and hike up Tuckerman's Ravine and then ski down.
My husband
has done this but I won't go because then he has to carry two sets of
skis up while I carry the poles. Actually, he told me I had to carry my
own, so I decided to skip it.
Hiking Mount Monadnock
Mt. Monadnock in the southwest part of New Hampshire is the most
climbed mountain in North America. This was one of my favorite
mountains to hike when I was a kid.
We would hike as a family with our dogs. I remember my dad carrying a large red backpack with everything in it while us kids followed along.
Another memory of
Mount Monadnock was in college. We hiked up and ran all the way down.
It was fun, but I couldn't walk for a couple of days afterwards. The
lesson learned: never run down a mountain, just take your time.
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