Winslow State Park

Hard to believe a hike can be this rewarding without having to drive into the White Mountains! We took the Winslow trail up Mount Kearsarge, and although it is only a little over a mile, it is steep and rocky with lots of scrambling over boulders and watching of our every step. A lot of trails I have hiked have had long, boring parts traveling on a nondescript path in the woods with not much to look at other than pine needles and white oak trees. This trail wasn’t anything like that and was interesting and fun the whole way up. At the summit, it is wide open with the most gorgeous views in every direction. My family took a ton of pictures because we couldn’t get enough of the natural beauty. We definitely plan on returning, and trying one of the longer hikes up next time.

Winslow Trail: Very pretty trail with lots of tree roots, boulders and steep sections in a fairly short 1.1 miles. You won’t get many views on the way up, but views from the top of Kersarge are quite nice. Descending can be tricky when the trail is wet, fairly slippery and slow going. Winslow base park is ok, with picnic tables, gazebo, fire pits and out houses. What looked like a real bathroom with plumbing was locked for some reason. Entrance fee was $ 4 for adults on my visit

Winslow State Park is one of the trail heads to Mt. Kearsarge. I took the Winslow Trail to the summit. It is a short 1.1 mi hike, it starts off very rootsy so watch your step so you wouldn’t trip on the way up. Then it gets pretty steep near the middle of the hike and rocky. The day that I went was very sunny and dry, so if it was rainy I would think it would be very slippery from the rocks. Once at the top, the view is simply amazing. It is a 360 degree view of rolling hills covered in trees. When I went the leaves just started to change colors so there were speckles of orange and reds in a sea of rolling green tree tops.
An added bonus on my hike was that I was able to enter the fire watch tower since that day was classified as a «level 3» fire hazard for the area (whatever that means…) The tower sits another 50 feet above the tippity top and offered shelter from the wind.
I definitely recommend this hike since it is relatively short and offers an amazing view!