New Hampshire’s Pine Mountain is one of those small peaks with a huge payoff. On the northeast boundary of the Presidential Range in the White Mountains, the 2,410-foot mountain is a sublime vantage point for vistas through Pinkham Notch to the Carter-Moriah Range and robust views of the Presidentials.
There are also myriad surprises on a leisurely, approximately 3.5-mile loop that combines a winding dirt road through a hardwood forest with a 100-acre mountaintop Christian summer camp and a short but steep pitch with some scrambling.
An accessible trek for those staying in nearby campgrounds such as Dolly Copp or Barnes Field in the White Mountain National Forest or Moose Brook State Park in Gorham, lots of promising blueberry bushes, hand-painted signs indicating vantage points and seemingly parallel striped etched rock make the hike that much more attractive.
One way to get to Pine Mountain is from Gorham’s Promenade Street, leading to an approach from the north on the Pine Mountain Trail. That’s a 2.7-mile one-way undertaking.
The more well-traveled route is to do a loop trek using Pine Mountain Road, the Ledge Trail and a short piece of the Pine Mountain Trail, beginning at the gravel Pinkham B (Dolly Copp) Road. The road connects N.H. Route 16 through Pinkham Notch with U.S. Route 2 in Gorham. The trailhead is about 2½ miles up the road from Route 16.
Pine Mountain Road is a pleasant, unpaved ramble leading up to the center, so be cognizant of the occasional vehicle. But hikers leave it at about .9 miles for the Ledge Trail and its glorious looks at the Androscoggin River Valley, Mount Washington and beyond from Pine Mountain’s south cliffs.
The pathway steepens quickly. In no time, there’s plenty of rock scrambling with easy-to-find hand and foot holds.
Each time bursting out on the ledges, new views of the Peabody River Valley and more can be found. The uppermost cliff contains a nearly 180-degree panorama with some fine examples of glacial striation, marks left behind when glaciers dragged rocks. There’s also a bench on the south shoulder of the mountain carved into the stone, a memorial to Carol Williams Horton, the first wife of Horton Center founder Douglas Horton, for whom the mountaintop camp is named. The bench was preceded by a marble bench erected in 1948 that was destroyed by lightning a few years later.
The trail continues, though the steepness doesn’t, to the top of Pine Mountain.
The wooded summit was once home to a total of three fire towers. All that remains are four concrete blocks and stanchions that had formed the foundation of the structure.
The Forest Fire Lookout Association says the tower, funded by the New Hampshire Timberland Owners with help from the New Hampshire Forestry Commission, first operated in 1910. A new tower was built in 1916, and another in 1939. That last 40-foot tower, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, stayed in service until 1967 and was razed in 1975 with dynamite.
Flanked by wildflowers such as trillium during the descent, there are number of signed spur trails — Angel View, Gorham View and Chapel View — leading to excellent vistas. Chapel View looks out upon nubby Chapel Rock, which is Pine’s northern summit. There is also a lean-to Adirondack shelter, built in 1996.
A short trek down the Pine Mountain Trail over some blowdowns leads to an enchanting boardwalk area with utility poles and some rock-climbing opportunities. Taking that boardwalk leads to Chapel Rock, a spot where the center holds religious services. There are steps, a railing and a sign indicating the area is closed to the public during those services.
Sticking with the group’s religious affiliation, a cross holds court from the massive ledges, part of the stunning landscape near the top of the small mountain.
Climbing to the top of the ledges affords views to Pine Mountain, taller surrounding peaks and communications towers, which accounted for excellent summit cell service. It’s best to double back on the Pine Mountain Trail so as not to disturb the campers at the center.
Stairs and blank bridges are used and crossed to return to Pine Mountain Road to close the loop. Looking up during the initial descent on the road, there are inspiring views of the northern Presidentials before they’re swallowed by the foliage near a small mountain with lots to see.
Marty Basch can be reached at marty.basch@gmail.com.