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Lovewell Mountain is a notable summit in the town of Washington, distinctive enough to have a USGS quad named for it. A fire tower was once proposed here but not built, and without a tower to rise above the trees the only views are from ledges in each direction. The traditional trail up the mountain described here has been incorporated into the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway. The first half follows an unmaintained town road, and much of the rest is on rock ledges in the trees which can be slippery when wet but there are no tall cliffs to slide off of.
Distance: From Halfmoon Pond Road to summit, about 2.3 miles one-way
Elevation gain: About 1000 feet, nominal on return
Maps: USGS Lovewell Mountain
Location: Dartmouth - Lake Sunapee Region
NH 2003-2004 map N-4
DeLorme NHA&G 26-E2/3 - Washington
Washington is W of Concord and NE of Keene
Trailhead: Junction of Lovewell Mountain Road and Halfmoon Pond Road, elevation about 1530 feet
43.1889°N, 72.0793°W (WGS84)
From I-89 exit 5, go W on NH Route 9 for 15.9 miles and turn R on NH Route 31. Go 9.1 miles and turn R on Halfmoon Pond Road at Washington town bandstand. Go about 1.9 miles to Lovell (that's what the sign says!) Mountain Road on R; note white blazes along Halfmoon Pond Road and watch for where they turn.
There is no parking lot so you will have to find a space at roadside, in dry weather high clearance vehicles may be able to drive part of the way up
Far End: Summit of Lovewell Mountain, elevation about 2470 feet
Owner: Unknown
Maintainer: Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway
Special regulations: unknown
Walk or drive E up Lovewell Mountain Road, a Class VI (unmaintained) town road which ultimately comes out at East Washington. Condition of this road varies from poor to awful, with some rock ledges and a large mudhole just before the top. At least the abandoned 4wd truck that graced the roadside for many years has finally been removed. The trail turns L off the road near its highest point about 1.0 miles up, passing through a gap in the stone wall; follow the white blazes.
The trail wanders through the woods sometimes on overgrown rock ledges, passing an old homesite with cellar hole and apple tree. About .6 miles from the unmaintained road are some wider ledges with large cairns, then the trail returns to the woods. At 1.1 miles from the unmaintained road is a side path L to a spring with some brackish water in a plastic pipe placed on end; just up the main trail is a side path R to the SE view. The summit is a little farther with a USGS marker, a large cairn, and an official trail register, along with a path to another view.
The Monadnock-Sunapee Trail continues down the NW side, after about three more miles striking the continuation of Halfmoon Pond Road about two miles N of Lovewell Mountain Road, but no description is provided yet.
Expect to dig your own parking space through a plow drift.
Map Notes: NA
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