Distance
Elevation
Observed WildlifePack Monadnock is a small mountain that has the potetial to offer views of nearby peaks and even the distant Boston Skyline. Follow this route to complete a loop up and down the mountain that travels through pretty coniferous woods. Or skp the hike and drive up to this peak on the summit road.
My partner and I were looking for a semi casual hike in the snow which wasn’t too far from Boston. Southern New Hampshire was the best bet and I had yet to hike this mountain. We reached Miller State Park after an hour and a half of driving. Unfortunately it was apparent we would be missing out on summit views due to a dense fog.
We strapped on some yaktrax and started to the right of the summit road. The Wapack Trail crossed the road after about a hundred yards and then began to climb. The beginning was fairly steep up an inclined rugged rock face. After less than ten minutes we reached an outcrop that would have provided a nice lookout on a clear day. Another, less prominent, lookout greeted us after another five minutes of hiking. Then we plunged into the woods.
All the fog made for quite the spooky walk in the woods. We continued to hear cars driving on 101 for much of the climb but eventually we were deep enough to escape the sounds of civilization. The climb felt longer than the one and a half miles and we stopped for a small snack as we neared the summit. After an hour and twenty minutes of hiking we reached the summit. A viewing area map would make it easy for hikers to identify the summits to the west, but again no luck for us on this foggy day.
We then made fresh tracks in the week old snow as we circled the peak along the red-blazed Summit Loop Trail. We completed this short trail in just over fifteen minutes then climbed the fire tower. The door at the top was locked. There was no view to be had anyway so we descended the stairs and ate lunch on the roof of the nearby leanto and enjoyed some hot coco we had packed.
We then descended down Marion Davis Trail. It felt pretty similar to the ascent. The steepest parts of this trail was at the beginning of our climb down and it leveled off in the second half. The fog finally cleared when we were a few hundred yards from the trailhead. We jealously passed a few hikers starting their ascent who would probably enjoy views.
This hike ended up being exactly what we were looking for: not too strenuous but enough of a hike that we felt like we accomplished a thing. As usual we were quite hungry after the hike and my partner found an awesome place to stop for a bite, Hilltop cafe. It is a small kitchen inside of a community farm. The ingredients were obviously very fresh and we enjoyed sandwiches out on a picnic table. They also had some mini greenhouse type structures to dine in colder weather. We will need to plan another hike in the area just to eat here again.
