Middle Mountain (Pawtuckaway) - New Hampshire Hikes and Walks

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Trail Description - Middle Mountain (Pawtuckaway)

Middle Mountain is the lowest and least spectacular of the three major summits of the Pawtuckaway Mountains in Pawtuckaway State Park. The trail is an old woods road used as a snowmobile trail in winter, and the only distant views are from the ledge at the end.

Although park headquarters and the campground are located off NH Route 156, the mountains are most easily reached by Reservation Road off NH Route 107 in Deerfield. Note that all of Pawtuckaway State Park is closed to pets.

Distance: About 1.0 miles to view ledge each way

Elevation gain: About 350 feet, nominal on return

Hiking Time Estimator

Maps: USGS Mount Pawtuckaway
AMC Southern NH Trail Guide, page 194 in 1999 edition
Pawtuckaway State Park hiking map

Location: Merrimack Valley Region
NH 2004-2005 map O-8
DeLorme NHA&G 29-H9 - Nottingham
Nottingham is between Concord and Portsmouth, but the road access to the trail is from NH Route 107 in Deerfield

Trailhead: Loop road near South Mountain trailhead, elevation about 500 feet
43.1055°N, 71.1842°W (WGS84)
From I-93 exit 15, go E on I-393 for 4.6 miles until it ends, then continue E on US Route 4/202 passing the Epsom traffic circle at 10.1 miles. At 13.8 miles, turn R on NH Route 107, proceeding S and passing the first junction with NH Route 43 at 19.9 miles and the second at 23.6 miles. At 24.3 miles, turn L on Reservation Road which in summer has a sign for the fire tower.

This point is about 7.9 miles N on Route 107 from NH Route 101 exit 5 in Raymond for those coming from the SE.

Go E on Reservation Road, angling R at 1.2 miles (sign for fire tower) and climbing over a ridge. At 2.6 miles from NH Route 107, turn L and proceed .7 miles to woods road on L with snowmobile signs. This is the beginning of the trail but parking is not allowed here, so continue across the culvert and park at the old cemetery on the L or the South Mountain trailhead on the R.

Upper End: View ledge beyond summit of Middle Mountain, highest elevation about 845 feet

Owner: Pawtuckaway State Park

Maintainer: unknown

Special regulations: No camping, fires, or pets
Park trails closed for several months in spring to reduce erosion

Description

From the loop road, the Middle Mountain Trail angles N up the side of the mountain, then turns SW and climbs to the ridge up a pair of switchbacks. Next it ascends more gradually past the flattish summit, and finally descends slightly to a turnaround where there are views S from a ledge.

Off Season

Reservation Road plowed to junction at 2.6 miles from NH Route 107 but limited parking there. Loop road past trailhead heavily used by snowmobiles, trail to summit used occasionally.
Park trails closed for several months in spring to reduce erosion.

Map Notes: Trail not shown on USGS map

Topozone.com live map

Pawtuckaway State Park hiking map, scanned GIF 146Kb

Pawtuckaway State Park hiking map, PDF 4.3Mb

Pawtuckaway photos

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