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Mount Kearsarge is a very popular summit in Winslow State Park in Wilmot, New Hampshire. I had heard great things about the hike but hadn’t done it myself yet, so on a September day in 2023, Jarrett and I decided to see what the hype was all about. We used the Winslow trail to ascend and the Barlow trail to descend. It’s a quintessential New England hike and can be found on AllTrails.
Normally we like to start our hikes early in the morning but this hike we did in the afternoon on a Sunday. We had no problem getting a parking spot as the lot is pretty big. It’s a popular spot though, so keep that in mind. We saw others while we were on the trail, but it wasn’t too busy. I can’t stress enough though how much of a pleasant hike it was – the perfect mix of rock scrambles and classic wooded trails. I was squealing the whole hike about how cute it was. There was even an alpine bog near the summit that I thought was so charming.
The leaves had just started to change when we hiked so we got to see some muted colors at the top. It’s pretty much 360° views from the very large rocky summit. There is also a fire tower on the summit that’s occasionally open (not when we were there unfortunately). If the loop we did was too strenuous for people or families with small children, there is a shorter trail (about half a mile) that starts on the opposite side of the mountain (requires driving up a carriage road to a parking area).
🥾Approx. 2.5 miles round trip
⛰️Approx. elevation gain 1,115 ft.
🌲Moderate to High (depends on fitness level)
💰 $4/adult, $2/youth
🦮 Dogs allowed
🚽 Pit toilets at trailhead
I absolutely loved this trail and would recommend it to anyone interested in hiking. It was fun, not too challenging, had beautiful views and could be done in just a few hours. I hope this inspires you to check it out!
📍I acknowledge the lands mentioned in this post are the ancestral lands of the Wabanaki (Dawnland Confederacy), Pennacook and N’dakina (Abenaki / Abénaquis) people.
The Adventures of Suze 
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