Pawtuckaway State Park contains 5,500 acres of trails, lakes and glacial boulders. North-Middle-and South Pawtuckaway peaks cut through the heavily wooded park. There are groves of old growth hemlock and pine near Round Pond.
The Park is used year-round. In winter it's old logging roads become snowmobile trails and the more remote trails for snowshoeing and cross country skiing. In spring during the mud season people use ATV's and some fish in Pawtuckaway Lake or Round Pond. May-September is bug season also and they can be pretty bad. In summer and fall there are bike trails, swimming and hiking. Climbing schools use the cliff faces and huge boulders for training rock climbers.
Most use the main entrance to the park in Nottingham just off RT-107, admission is $4 for adults. You can also access the park from the West on Reservation road or from the north on Deerfield road. Get a good map of NH, neither are difficult to find.
For more information and a park map visit the State Park website.
In the rolling Hills of Rockingham County a few peaks rise up. The highest is Nottingham Mountain in Gossville, a mere 1,340'. Saddleback Mountain in Northwood is 1,184' and North Pawtuckaway Mountain is 1,011'. Sherpa John had proposed a hike to the Pawtuckaways before the annual Four Thousand Footer committee meeting and dinner that evening.
Eric Savage who is AMC committee chair of the Four Thousand Footer Club knows the park well and suggested a hike starting to the west off RT-107 turning right onto Reservation road. I'd always hiked it from the north along Deerfield Road so was unfamiliar with the West side. At the parking area was a large foundation of a factory or mill. We hiked along an old woods road, it was flat and the hiking was easy. We started to climb the peak through big trees along a well maintained path. We came across several ledges with descent views. The North peak was basically just a flat ledge marked by the round surveyor tags.
Tom, Aaron, Ira, Sherpa John and others on the summit
Tom and his group headed off, we lingered awhile before heading over to the other summit where a PSNH reflector sits. We saw the other group below us on the trail, we all waved, it was the last time we saw them that day. Then we headed down to the Devils Den where some of the guys climbed down into the cave. Not much of a fan of caves myself and already having been down there I waited up top. Ira did go in and needed a couple of pairs of hands to pull him out. Eric pointed out some yellow glowing moss. We went down to a second series of caves where Sherpa John found a balancing rock to stand on.
Down we went and at the bottom of the summit cone was Dead Pond which didn't look too dead to me. I remember a June hike where we were attacked by mosquitoes here in great numbers.
The trail wound past some glacial boulders where people were doing some practice climbing on different pitches. Chalk stained the rocks, an interesting tree seemed to be growing right out of one big glacial erratic. Ira had decided to head back to the car so Eric pointed the way. Aaron, Sherpa John, Sarah (Sherpette), Eric and I went on. We went past Round Pond, a nice blue body of water with ducks and lots of tree stumps.
A little pond with fresh beaver activity was on the right side of the old road heading towards the South Peak. We nearly missed the little spur path heading towards the summit. A little man made dam with some help from beavers made a small pond near here.
On the South summit was a Fire Tower which we climbed to get panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. I took this picture facing south looking towards Pawtuckaway Lake.
We hiked down to a road and walked out from there. The park is numbered and with a park map is fairly easy to negotiate. Really beautiful April day with good company. Nice to meet new VFTT friends.
Here is a fast loading version of the state map.
