Pictured on Lyme Pinnacle are, from left, Amelia Lantz, Peter Hope, Jim Lantz, Debbie Kinson, and Phil and Vicki Webber. / Paul Kinson
We hope to offer hikes and snowshoe trips this season, probably on weekends. To do this we will need trip leaders. Please contact me at 603-863- 6456 or phope@oxfordnetworks.net if you are interested.
Remember that Winter = Cold! Always wear adequate layered clothing and bring appropriate gear, food, and water. When you go out on your own, always tell friends and family of your exact plans. Do not rely solely on electronics — they may well fail! Map and compass as well as knowledge and experience are key.
Consider the purchase of a Hike Safe NH card: www.wildlife.state.nh.us/safe/.
This season’s Peter’s Picks are well suited for four-season enjoyment.
Poets’ Trail, King Farm, Woodstock, VT
Take I-89 North to Exit 1/US-4 (the third exit ramp after crossing the bridge into Vermont). Follow this west through Woodstock, then turn past a cemetery on your right. Turn right onto Prosper Road, then immediately turn right again onto Rose Hill Road. The next left is King Farm Road, which leads uphill to the farm, where the trail begins behind the barns at a wooden arch.
The Poets’ Trail features signs with poems, as well as sculptures. It climbs gradually, mainly though open fields, with good views. You will pass a short, level side trail diverging left to a small reservoir nestled in attractive woods. The main trail then swings left and climbs to a crossing of the Acer Loop Trail in a short stretch of woods. This is a good rest stop. Then continue on up to the Outlook, with a bench and great views. An attractive pine forest lies behind, with trails leading to the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park.
To return, retrace your steps, or descend the upper section of the Acer Loop to your left as you are taking in the view. This loops down through pleasant woods to cross the Poet’s Trail as described above. Turn left and down to return to King Farm.
Round-trip distance 2-3 miles, with a few hundred feet elevation gain. Easy/Moderate
Lyme Pinnacle, Lyme, NH
Take NH-10 north from Hanover. Pass the Lyme Green on your right, then you will see Post Pond on your left. Turn right uphill on Pinnacle Road, at first paved then dirt. At the first crossroad turn right onto Highbridge Road. After several ups and downs this roads climbs, with an open field bordered by a rail fence to your left. At the top of the hill, just before you reach Hardscrabble Road on the left, you will see Cutting Hill Lane, a grassy Class 6 road on the right. The Hanover Conservancy will soon build a parking lot, but for now park on the grass.
This in-and-out hike starts by walking on this old road, which gently descends between houses and fields, then crosses a wetland and rises to a large clearing. On the left you will see a sign marked Pinnacle Trail North, and the start of blue blazing. Take this trail left, and bear left at every intersection. The route at first is level, then it rises fairly gradually, with a few steeper sections. At a T junction, turn left uphill to the open summit. You will see a memorial bench and an old chimney, all that remains of the former cabin. On the ground you can see where the cables holding the cabin down were attached – Jim Liberty Cabin on Mt. Chocorua still has such an arrangement. From the open summit ledges enjoy a great view: To the East you will see Holt’s and Winslow Ledges, Smarts Mountain and Mt. Cube; to the West beyond the Connecticut River Valley lie the nearby hills of Vermont and the more distant Green Mountains.
Round trip distance 2-3 miles, with a few hundred feet elevation gain. Easy/Moderate
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