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Great Hill
Tamworth, NH
Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
Looking up the Ned Behr Trail
Having missed a good sunset a day earlier by believing a gloomy weather forecast, I was determined to get outside for a quick hike after the rain let up. Since I have ascended Great Hill via the same trailhead for over a year, I decided to check out something new.
I found the 'primitive cross country ski trail' on the WODC map a bit hard to find - after driving to the traditional trailhead and back, I was able to pinpoint it. Unfortunately, the trail was rather wet and beat up with numerous blowdowns and sections of pooled water, with spring snow (in fall) ranging from a few inches to a foot deep.
Reaching the woods road of sort that leads to the traditional trailhead, I didn't see an obvious starting point for the Ned Behr Trail. Since I had limited daylight, I decided to continue down the woods road and do the normal route to the tower.
Despite the rain earlier, as well as the looming clouds, the views from the fire tower were pretty decent - some points to the west beyond Red Hill seemed more visible than normal in fact.
After taking in the views a bit, I located the Ned Behr Trail (heading south from the tower, along some ledges at first) and followed the vague trail downhill. Other than some evidence of deer and perhaps bear, it didn't look like the trail had been used too much. Soon, I found some dark red blazes and followed them down to the woods road, discovering the trail was indeed marked (by a dark red blaze, which was hard to see with the wet tree bark and poor lighting), starting at an open landing of sorts. From there, I continued back to Great Hill Road and called it a day.
With a decent amount of work, it could perhaps be a nice alternative to the traditional quasi-road walk to the tower. Until then? I don't know.
| Hike Ratings |
|
Getting To Trailhead: |
Moderate |
| Destination: |
Great Hill |
|
Length: |
Easy |
|
Steepness: |
Easy |
|
Navigation: |
Moderate |
|
Views: |
Excellent |
|
Crowds: |
Minimal |
|
| Hike Stats |
|
Date Hiked: |
Wednesday, December 10, 2008 |
| Hike Commenced: |
3:13 PM |
| Parking Elevation: |
1,030' |
| Destination: |
Great Hill |
| Ascent Commenced: |
3:13 PM |
| Summit Reached: |
3:29 PM |
| Time Elapsed: |
00:16 |
| Trailhead Elevation: |
1,030' |
| Summit Elevation: |
1,270' |
| Vertical Gain: |
245' |
|
|
| Hike Ended: |
3:49 PM |
| Hike Time Elapsed: |
00:36 |
| Hike Vertical Gain: |
250' |
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Cross country ski trail trailhead on Great Hill Road
Mt. Chocorua as seen Great Hill fire tower
Directions to trailhead: Take Great Hill Road from Tamworth Village. The road will eventually turn to dirt and soon become less steep. The primitive cross country ski trail leading to the Ned Behr Trail is located on the right side of the road, adjacent a woods road (departing in a different direction on the same side of the road, forming a right angle), just before the road curves to a straightaway near height of land.
Back to Great Hill Profile
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