7 minute read
Unique Best Places- Best Places For No Sweat Hikes (Or Walks)
UNCONVENTIONAL & UNEXPECTED
What’s not to love about New Hampshire? From the rolling hillsides to the glorious mountaintops to the dense forests and powerful ocean, we Granite Staters know that New Hampshire truly has it all. This year for “Best Places,” we’re going off the beaten path and focusing on the unique places and activities that our state has to offer.
New Hampshire is anything but conventional, which is why we’re highlighting the unexpected twists of our state. From bogs to birds, to rage rooms, comedy clubs, cocktails and mocktails and more, we’re challenging you to get outside and explore New Hampshire, with all the delightfully surprising twists and turns it has to offer.
BY EMILY REILY, ELISA GONZALES VERDI & EMILY HEIDT
BEST PLACES FOR NO SWEAT HIKES (OR WALKS)
Let’s face it: New Hampshire is known for its abundance of hiking opportunities (4,000-footer club, anyone?), but not everyone is able or ready to take a full day to scale mountains and rocks in the process. Here is a list of hikes that won’t even make you break a sweat, and are family-friendly, too. We’re thinking “pack a pair of sneakers and head right out after work” kind of hikes or walk — the state is yours!
Odiorne Point State Park, Rye
Head out on this 2.8-mile loop trail and soak in the expansive views of the Gulf of Maine, including four lighthouses; the Isles of Shoals; and the mouth of the Piscataqua River. The trail takes under an hour to complete and is also a popular birding area (leave your dog at home!). nhstateparks.org
Wildcat Falls, Merrimack
Explore this 2.2-mile loop trail loop, which takes about 45 minutes to complete. It is a popular area for hiking and running, so you may encounter other people while romping around — including dogs. (Bring a little bucket for wild blueberry picking, too). merrimackoutdoors.org
Beaver Brook, Hollis
This regional nature center has a network of more than 35 miles of trails that are open to anyone, 365 days a year, from dawn to dusk. The forest, marsh and pond landscapes are perfect if you want to do a light walk or hike, or even take it up a notch with a bike ride. Hand-curated trail maps (accessibility included) make it easy to plan your adventure. beaverbrook.org
Castle in the Clouds, Moultonborough
As if visiting a more than 100-year-old castle wasn’t enough, this spot has 28 miles of trails meticulously maintained by the Lakes Region Conservation Trust. Take a leisurely hike along the cascading waterfalls, ending at the largest waterfall on the property, or drop a bead or two of sweat and opt for a more experienced hike with views of the Ossipee Mountains. castleintheclouds.org
The Southeast Land Trust (SELT), Seacoast
This group conserves and stewards land for the benefit of all Granite Staters, including tens of thousands of acres in Rockingham and Strafford counties. Check out one of the 11 trail maps and guides on their website to plot your next afternoon in nature. seltnh.org
Diana’s Baths, Bartlett
A New Hampshire classic and Granite Stater favorite and tradition, this 1.3 mile out-and-back trail takes about 30 minutes to complete and includes many rocks, ledges, cascading falls and pools in the brook. Bring a picnic lunch and even your dog for a fun summer afternoon. northconwaynh.com
Tower Hill Pond Loop, Manchester
This wide trail has a minor elevation change and a few rocks and roots to navigate, but nothing that will work up too much of a sweat. It is 3.9 miles long and takes about one hour and 17 minutes to complete, or longer if you stop for birding opportunities along the way. alltrails.com
The Fells, Newbury
Known as one of New England’s finest early 20th-century summer estates, The John Hay Estate at The Fells has 83.5 acres of beauty to meander, including the 22-room Colonial Revival home (perfect for a pre- or post-hike stop), renowned gardens and woodland trails. The Carriage Road Trail is an easy half-mile trail that will take you through the forest for a historic jaunt along the property. thefells.org
Insider’s Picks for Best Places for a Road Race
Do you like long, gnarly trail runs over rocks and roots and up and down mountains, or easy-rolling sun-dappled backroads through farm country, or maybe fast pavement in a crowd-thronged downtown?
There are so many great races, and so many personal preferences and elements of chance that make up any runner’s “best” race or run, that it would be folly to pick the three “best” for the whole state of New Hampshire. Rather I’ll just say, here are three of the best New Hampshire races I’ve run in our great state over the years.
Reach the Beach
Sept. 13 -14, 2024
For the sheer terrain covered and sights seen, Reach the Beach is hard to beat. The race is a relay from Attitash Mountain to Hampton Beach. You can run it on a 12- or six-person team rotating through the lineup and running either three or six of the legs. I’ve done both several times and love the six-person “ultra” experience. Less downtime, more running. You run all afternoon, all night by headlamp, and into the morning as dawn breaks over the Seacoast. Way back when, I was on a male masters’ ultra-team that won the division that year, and it remains a high point in my running memory. runragnar.com/event-detail/road/reachthebeach
Elliot Northeast Delta Dental Corporate 5K
Aug. 8, 2024
Want to get shoulder-to-shoulder with 5,000-plus runners and walkers, and throngs of spectators, for a fast 5K in August in the heart of New Hampshire’s largest city? The Elliot Northeast Delta Dental Corporate 5K, hosted by Millennium Running, is a speedy course despite the crowds – or maybe because of them. Runners come from all over for this one, and corporate teams compete to raise funds for the Solinsky Center for Cancer Care at the Elliot. Last year our own Yankee Publishing, Inc., fielded a large team and can attest to how much fun it is. The times laid down here also attest to the runability of the course, including a sub-14-minute finish in 2003. While I’ve never run anywhere near that fast, I also set my personal 5K personal best here. millenniumrunning.com/corporate5k
Clarence DeMar Marathon
Sept. 29, 2024
This marathon is named in honor of Clarence DeMar, a Keene resident who was an Olympic marathoner and seven-time winner of the Boston Marathon, a record that remains unbroken to this day. His last win was at age 41, also making him the oldest winner ever. That may be why this was the race I picked when I returned to marathoning in my 50s after a six-year hiatus. I ran it in 2021 and was blown away by both how runnable it is (it’s fast!) and the natural beauty of the course, which begins in Gilsum and winds down through sun-dappled, tree-lined back roads, out and back on the stunning Sury Mountain Dam, where you get a stunning view of the lake, and down into Keene to finish at Keene State College. Historic, rich in scenic beauty and runnable to boot? No wonder this is one of the state’s most iconic races. clarencedemar.com
