1HappyHiker
Well-known member
The Speckled Mountain Region of the WMNF doesn’t see a lot of hiker traffic, even though there are some excellent trails to places that offer excellent views. One such place is Deer Hills, which is a hike where you begin your trek in New Hampshire and end up in Maine!
Besides crossing a State boundary, the other somewhat different feature of this hike is the great set-up for crossing the Cold River. There are fancy “stepping stones” (technically a dam crossing) that lead you across the river. They take all the guess-work of trying to maneuver yourself across the water on slippery, unsteady rocks.
Deer Hills consists of two peaks (Big Deer, and Little Deer Hill), and each top out at just slightly over 1000’ in elevation. A loop hike over both peaks is just 4.3 miles round trip. And so, “SHORT” could be a word used to describe the mileage for the loop, as well as the elevation of the two peaks. However, this loop hike nets you a surprising 1,050 feet of elevation gain!
Bearing all the above in mind, this hike fit the criteria that Hiker Cheri & I had in mind for this particular day. We wanted a hike that provided viewpoints, plus enough “oomph” for a moderate work-out, and yet was short enough to provide ample time to linger and soak in the views along the way.
There are many fine views along this loop, but perhaps the most impressive one is the outlook toward the Baldfaces from Little Deer.
The trails on this loop hike take you through some outstanding open forests of maple, beech, birch, and hemlock. If that were not enough, there’s a picturesque reflecting pool of water at the point where the trail crosses the Cold River. And, you might find a few other eye-catching surprises like the unusual iridescent yellow fungi we saw along the way.
Mineral collectors prize Deer Hills for the purple amethyst that can be found there. Even though we didn’t really expect to find any amethyst by merely hiking on the trails, we kept an eye open anyway. And, as expected, we didn’t find any! But, we did run into a guy on Little Deer who said that he had recently found some amethyst just off the trail in the nearby woods. So, I guess it’s there, if you’re willing to take the time to search for it.
BOTTOM LINE TO ALL THIS: Hiking the Deer Hills loop was by no means an epic adventure such as a Presidential traverse, or a loop hike along the Franconia ridge. However, it was still a very enjoyable hike, and it met our criteria for this particular day. It offered enough elevation gain to provide a moderate work-out, and was short enough to provide “hang-out” time to enjoy the viewpoints, plus all the surroundings along the trail.
1HappyHiker
Besides crossing a State boundary, the other somewhat different feature of this hike is the great set-up for crossing the Cold River. There are fancy “stepping stones” (technically a dam crossing) that lead you across the river. They take all the guess-work of trying to maneuver yourself across the water on slippery, unsteady rocks.
Deer Hills consists of two peaks (Big Deer, and Little Deer Hill), and each top out at just slightly over 1000’ in elevation. A loop hike over both peaks is just 4.3 miles round trip. And so, “SHORT” could be a word used to describe the mileage for the loop, as well as the elevation of the two peaks. However, this loop hike nets you a surprising 1,050 feet of elevation gain!
Bearing all the above in mind, this hike fit the criteria that Hiker Cheri & I had in mind for this particular day. We wanted a hike that provided viewpoints, plus enough “oomph” for a moderate work-out, and yet was short enough to provide ample time to linger and soak in the views along the way.
There are many fine views along this loop, but perhaps the most impressive one is the outlook toward the Baldfaces from Little Deer.
The trails on this loop hike take you through some outstanding open forests of maple, beech, birch, and hemlock. If that were not enough, there’s a picturesque reflecting pool of water at the point where the trail crosses the Cold River. And, you might find a few other eye-catching surprises like the unusual iridescent yellow fungi we saw along the way.
Mineral collectors prize Deer Hills for the purple amethyst that can be found there. Even though we didn’t really expect to find any amethyst by merely hiking on the trails, we kept an eye open anyway. And, as expected, we didn’t find any! But, we did run into a guy on Little Deer who said that he had recently found some amethyst just off the trail in the nearby woods. So, I guess it’s there, if you’re willing to take the time to search for it.
BOTTOM LINE TO ALL THIS: Hiking the Deer Hills loop was by no means an epic adventure such as a Presidential traverse, or a loop hike along the Franconia ridge. However, it was still a very enjoyable hike, and it met our criteria for this particular day. It offered enough elevation gain to provide a moderate work-out, and was short enough to provide “hang-out” time to enjoy the viewpoints, plus all the surroundings along the trail.
1HappyHiker
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