Skatutakee and Thumb Mtns

[AntlerPeak]

On Thursday April 6 two of us hiked this very nice loop hike from the Harris Center off NH highway 123 between Handcock and Stoddard. The drive through Alstead proved eye opening as we had not heard of the devestation in that area. Upon returning home I found the info on the web, it must have been harrowing to all who live in that community.

The trails are all in excellent condition, dry and free of snow and blowdown. It made for an enjoyable hike to two open summits with fine views with little effort. Our route comprised the Harriskat, Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down trails. There is no sign at the Harriskat/Thumbs Down trail jct 0.6 mi in from the road. The jct however is quite obvious.

In the col on the ridge connecting Skatutakee to Thumb Mt there is a sign pointing back to Skatutakee but not one to identify the Thumbs Down Trail though again it is quite visible.

After leaving the summit of Skatutakee following several minutes of shameless view hogging we enjoyed an easy walk along a fine trail over the connecting ridge. Just a minor quick spurt up two hundred feet planted us on the fine summit of Thumb Mt. Again view hogging took place.

Once we passed Jacks Pond where the Thumbs Down trail levels we crossed the outlet where the trail turned into an old road. It is not very well marked in this section and we passed the turn where the trail exited the road. Rather than backtrack we continued down the road expecting it to exit the woods at Kings Hwy. It did and the property owner told us the trail is confusing and lots of people end up in his yard. We walked the road back to the car. Nice day great trails and exceptional views. Highly recommended.

 

[Quietman]

I've done this hike often as it's about 10 miles from my house. The summit views from Skatutakee were cleared last July so they're much more expansive that they had been. Signage could be improved but the trails are well maintained. I don't often make it to the bigger mountains, but I enjoy the smaller ones just as much.

 

[AntlerPeak]

I've done this hike often as it's about 10 miles from my house. The summit views from Skatutakee were cleared last July so they're much more expansive that they had been. Signage could be improved but the trails are well maintained. I don't often make it to the bigger mountains, but I enjoy the smaller ones just as much.

Quietman, some of the smaller ones are quite nice and well worth the effort. The trails there were especially nice we found it to be a very enjoyable walk. Have you tried the trails down in Pisgah St Park? We were there a few weeks back and enjoyed an excellent loop over low ridges. Next up is likely to be Sunapee or Blue Ridge near Rutland.

 

[Quietman]

Thanks,
I haven't been to Pisgah, but it's on my list. I need to keep my weekend walks to 2 hours and under to keep up with stuff at home. So my main list consists of N. & S. Pack Monadnock, Monadnock(Dublin Path), Temple, Crotched, Watatic, Gap, Pitcher, Skatutakee, Bald(near Willard pond in Hancock), and a few other local conservation areas. Once every 2-3 months, I get a little more time to do something bigger. I want to do the northern half of the MSG sometime this summer, and I have a few 4K's left, but would rather get a great view than bag a peak just to complete the list.

 

[AntlerPeak]

Thanks,
I haven't been to Pisgah, but it's on my list. I need to keep my weekend walks to 2 hours and under to keep up with stuff at home. So my main list consists of N. & S. Pack Monadnock, Monadnock(Dublin Path), Temple, Crotched, Watatic, Gap, Pitcher, Skatutakee, Bald(near Willard pond in Hancock), and a few other local conservation areas. Once every 2-3 months, I get a little more time to do something bigger. I want to do the northern half of the MSG sometime this summer, and I have a few 4K's left, but would rather get a great view than bag a peak just to complete the list.

Quietman, we did the "long loop" up Davis to Hubbard to Pisgah down the connector trail to the Kilburn Loop and road. Begin and end in the same parking lot somewhere in the range of three hours. No views off Davis Hill but a nice trail. Good views to the west on Hubbard Hill where you can see Mt Snow and Haystack in VT. Really nice views from at least three outlooks on Pisgah. As I recall about 7.5 miles and around 1000 feet total climb. Like Thumb, well worth the effort.