Trip/Event Location: Plymouth, NHUS
Trip Leader(s): Gandalf
Max # People: 15
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Plymouth Mountain is a moderate hike nicely softened by the presence of snow. We will hike the Fauver Link and Sutherland Trails to Pike’s Peak and Plymouth Mountain (2193') with
The trailhead can be difficult to find so we'll meet at this location and we can carpool from there.
Take I93 north to exit 26 [Tenney Mountain Highway]. Take a left at the first traffic light and park in the Hannaford's parking lot. We will meet here to carpool and drive the backroads to the trailhead. We will be driving a blue Toyota Tacoma truck.
We wanted to stay somewhat local so we chose Plymouth Mountain [2,187 ft.], which you can see from I-93. We also figured the trail would be broken out since it was a somewhat popular “locals” hike. We were right on all accounts, and this hike turned out to be a hit. All we needed was MicroSpikes. Plymouth Mountain is located in Plymouth, New Hampshire and is also the highest point in Plymouth. The actual summit is wooded but nearby ledges and Pikes Peak offer views to the north and east. An elevation gain of 1500’ is pretty easy for those that like light hikes in the woods, and is a good one for beginners that gets the heart rate up with just a 3 hour commitment of time.
We headed up the Fauver Link Trail from the parking area off of Old Hebron Road. The trail crosses an old logging road at about 0.4 miles in. And then we continued on the Sutherland Trail.
It was really easy hiking through nice woods. After two miles we took the side trail to the ledge know as Pike’s Peak with marvelous 180-degree views! We had lunch here. The vistas are very far away …40 miles or so, as the crow flies. It's a wonderful "in-person" experience to see so many of the high peaks in the White Mountains from one spot.
We then continued another half mile to the summit of Plymouth Mountain. The summit is wooded but if you continue past the sign you'll the a sign with "Newfound View" with a gorgeous southern facing ledge just five minutes away. From Newfound Ledge, we could see the Uncanoonuc Mountains by Manchester, Ragged Mountain Ski Area, Newfound Lake, Mt Kearsarge and nearby Mt Cardigan.
We then headed back down. The woods again are super nice so it was an enjoyable and quick descent back out to the car.
Overall, an enjoyable 5 mile meander. Nice woods, trail was easy to follow and really decent views from Pikes Peak and Newfound Ledge. Add in a sunny day with brisk 20 degree air and a fun crew it was a great hike!
Some of us stopped in Plymouth for a quick tour of the White Mountain Natural History Museum then drove over to see Mike who had missed the hike due to a head cold but nicely had the fireplace going and appetizers waiting for us. Later on after dinner we surprised Rick with a birthday cake – Happy 53!
Thank you GO members for joining me this day – I can’t wait for the next adventure!
~ Jon Normand
Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous
Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous
Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate
Outdoor Fitness Level: Easy to Moderate
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