One of our favorite activities to really get out and see an area is hiking. Being from New Hampshire, spending a day hiking in Pawtuckaway State Park is a great way of exploring the area, seeing great views and clearing our minds from our busy lives.
The network of trails in Pawtuckaway State Park is impressive for this relatively small park. Most of the trails lead up to one of two mountains (South Mountain, the most popular, as well as North Mountain). Both have great views, and the great thing about it is that you can combine one or more of the trails and make each hike as long as you want!
It can be hard to figure out what to hike in Pawtuckaway State Park, and we hope this guide helps you narrow down what is best for you and your unique situation!
PAWTUCKAWAY STATE PARK HIKING: DISTANCES AND ELEVATION GAINS
There are a few hikes in the park, and selecting the exact right one for you isn’t simple. However, we put together this chart to help at least narrow down the right hike for you, which compares elevation gain and distance for each hike mentioned in this article.
BEST HIKING IN PAWTUCKAWAY STATE PARK: TRAIL DESCRIPTIONS AND TRAIL MAPS
SOUTH MOUNTAIN LOOKOUT TRAIL
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance (round-trip): 4.6 miles
- Elevation gain: 820 feet
- Hiking time (approximate): 2.5 to 3 hours
South Mountain Lookout Trail map, courtesy of New Hampshire State Parks
Everyone wants to have a hike end with a great view, and hiking to the Pawtuckaway Fire Tower is a great end point to do so! On this moderate hike, you’ll travel about 4.6-miles (round-trip) with an elevation gain of 820 feet.
The hike starts by heading down the Mountain Trail and is relatively flat before turning to the north at the 0.5-mile point (you’ll stay on the Mountain Trail). You’ll then start to gain elevation slowly before reaching the turnoff point at the 1.8-mile point. Here you’ll take a right on the South Ridge Trail and head up in elevation quickly before reaching the Fire Tower. From here you’ll have great 360-degree views. There are a number of spots to stop and take a break or eat your lunch. You can come back the same way you came, or you can keep heading to the east for 0.2-miles before turning back to the left (west), eventually meeting up with the trail you came in on. This extends the hike to 5.0-miles.
The South Mountain Lookout trailhead starts near Mountain Brook Pond off State Park Road. Note: You can also combine this trail with the North and South Mountain Loop, but the length increases to 9.5-miles (round-trip) and 1670 feet of elevation gain.
NORTH AND SOUTH MOUNTAIN LOOP
- Difficulty: Moderate / Hard
- Distance (round-trip): 6.1 miles
- Elevation gain: 1300 feet
- Hiking time (approximate): 3 to 4 hours
North and South Mountain Loop Trail map, courtesy of New Hampshire State Parks
If you are in for a bit of a longer hike, this is a great option. At 6.1-miles (round-trip) with a total elevation gain of 1300 feet, this hike hits two peaks. You can hike in either direction, and this hike is highlighted by the Pawtuckaway Fire Tower on South Mount Pawtuckaway as well as the view from North Mount Pawtuckaway, which is over 1000 feet in elevation. Most of the inclines are not too steep, but they do get steeper as you approach each of the peaks.
The North and South Mountain Loop starts at the end of Reservation Road on the east side of the park, but you can really start hiking this trail in a number of places throughout the loop.
NORTH MOUNTAIN LOOP TRAIL
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance (round-trip): 5.0 miles
- Elevation gain: 860 feet
- Hiking time (approximate): 3 hours
North Mountain Loop Trail map, courtesy of New Hampshire State Parks
If you don’t have time to hike both to North and South Mountains, then this is a great moderate trail. At 5.0-miles (round-trip) with an elevation gain of 860 feet, this trail gets you to the top of North Mountain. Start by hiking to the north on the North Mountain Trail before hiking up to the ridge and getting to the top of North Mount Pawtuckaway at the 1.4-mile point. You can turn around here or keep heading east for the full loop, coming back on the North Mountain Bypass Trail.
The North Mountain Loop starts at the end of Reservation Road on the east side of the park.
MOUNTAIN TRAIL TO SOUTH RIDGE TRAIL LOOP
- Difficulty: Easy / Moderate
- Distance (round-trip): 1.5 miles
- Elevation gain: 410 feet
- Hiking time (approximate): 1 hour
Mountain Trail to South Ridge Trail Loop map, courtesy of New Hampshire State Parks
This easy/moderate hike is a 1.5-mile (round-trip) loop that climbs just over 410 feet to the top of South Pawtuckaway Mountain. From the parking lot, the fastest way up to the Fire Tower is to take the Tower Trail. You’ll reach the peak at the 0.4-mile point. You can turn around here or make a loop out of it by heading down the South Ridge Trail and back to the parking area on the Connector Trail / Mountain Trail.
The Tower trailhead starts at the parking area on Tower Road.
SOUTH MOUNTAIN AND WORONOCO LOOP TRAIL
- Difficulty: Moderate / Hard
- Distance (round-trip): 7.6 miles
- Elevation gain: 1030 feet
- Hiking time (approximate): 4 hours
South Mountain and Woronoco Loop Trail map, courtesy of New Hampshire State Parks
This moderate/hard hike travels 7.6-miles (round-trip) and gains just over 1030 feet. After hiking up the Pawtuckaway Fire Tower, continue down from the peak on the South Ridge Trail before returning back on the flat Shaw Trail and Split Rock Trail before finally picking up the Woronoco Trail and heading back to the parking area. This trail has great views from the fire tower, but the rest of the walk is in the woods and is known for being both muddy and buggy in certain times of the year.
The trailhead starts near Mountain Brook Pond off State Park Road.
ROUND POND TRAIL TO SOUTH RIDGE
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance (round-trip): 4.5 miles
- Elevation gain: 790 feet
- Hiking time (approximate): 4.5 hours
Round Pond Trail to South Ridge Trail map, courtesy of New Hampshire State Parks
This is a different approach to the Pawtuckaway Fire Tower. This 4.5-mile (round-trip) moderate trail starts by heading west on the Round Pond Trail. You’ll pass by Round Pond before turning south and picking up the South Ridge Trail and then climbing up to South Ridge. The elevation gain is about 790 feet.
The Round Pond Trailhead is at the end of Round Pond Road off Deerfield Road.
PAWTUCKAWAY STATE PARK HIKING RESERVATIONS
Believe it or not, if you do plan on hiking in the park during the peak summer and fall months you do need to get reservations ahead of your visit. Over 1 million come to the park each year (not for hiking, but also for camping and swimming), so you do want to be sure you are not left out because of not planning ahead!
You can get reservations up to 30 days in advance: Pawtuckaway State Park hiking reservations.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON PAWTUCKAWAY STATE PARK FROM JUST GO TRAVEL STUDIOS
- We have other great information on the park, including Things to Do in Pawtuckaway State Park as well as our blog on Camping in Pawtuckaway State Park.
- When you are done with your day of exploring the park and hiking trails, send us a photo and we’ll create a custom, vintage-style posters for you with your own custom photo and custom wording that we’ll personalize just for you (with unlimited edits!).
