The best part about hiking in New England? The sheer diversity.
Stroll along the rugged Maine coast, scramble up a sheer cliff on iron rungs, follow a stream to a gorge-carving waterfall or huff-and-puff to the top of New England’s highest peak.
Here are New England's
best hiking trails.
New Hampshire
Mount Monadnock
Location:
Mt Monadnock State Park
Duration
4-5 hours
Length
4.2 miles round-trip
Difficulty
Strenuous
Author and nature lover Henry David Thoreau climbed New Hampshire's Mount Monadnock for the first time in 1858. He enjoyed it so much he returned two years later to tackle it again.
Thoreau’s not the only person to enjoy the hike to the top of the 3165ft peak, which is climbed by more than 100,000 people every year.
Monadnock derives from an Abenaki tribal word meaning “special” or “unique”. The word is now used geologically to describe a residual hill that rises alone on a plain.
The most direct path to the summit is the steep White Dot Trail. It’s a breezy rock pile ready-made for picnicking and view-appreciating. For variety, return on the less steep White Cross Trail.
MAINE
Coastal Trails
Location:
Coastal Maine
Duration:
30 minutes to 1.5 hours
Length:
Marginal Way – 1 mile; Ocean Path – 2.2 miles, both one-way
Difficulty:
Easy
The Maine shoreline stretches nearly 3500 rugged and rocky miles. Dotted with lighthouses, lobster shacks and tidal pools, it can be a scenic yet strangely moody place to explore by foot.
One perennially popular trail is the paved Marginal Way, a one-mile footpath in Ogunquit winding high above the crashing waves. It traces a “margin” of the sea and is dotted with inviting benches.
The Ocean Path, which stretches 2.2 miles along the coast in Acadia National Park is a bit more wild. It swings past rocky outcrops, booming Thunder Hole and the towering Otter Cliffs.
Level but occasionally rocky, the trail is easily reached from Park Loop Road.