Gretchen Stuppy Carlson
One of the NH 52 with a view, Blueberry Mountain is a lovely hike in the western part of the state that offers a very pretty walk with some slabs and views of Mount Moosilauke. I hiked this trail with Dave, Hadley and Finley on a hot October day. This is a great fall hike, mostly since the blueberries across the top of the hike turn a bright red in early October.
There are two trails to the summit. We did the trail up the eastern site of the mountain. There is a slightly longer trail up the western site. The eastern side gives you views of Moosilauke.
Quick Look at Blueberry Mountain
EASTERN TRAIL
Distance: 3.5 miles
Elevation: 1,150 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
The Western trail is slightly longer.
The trail ascends gradually with a small steeper section towards the summit. The top of the hike is lightly wooded with some slabs and views.
Western Trail
The western trailhead for Blueberry Mountain, NH, is accessed from Lime Kiln Road, which connects Route 25 in East Haverhill with Route 116 in Center Haverhill. Follow Lime Kiln Road, take the fork heading east, pass the first left turn, and turn left at the final fork where limited parking may be available. Be aware that gates mark private property in this area, do not block or pass through them. I haven’t hiked this route personally, so check updated maps and trail reports before you go; NH Family Hikes offers additional details.
The Trailhead
The Eastern Trailhead is located near Benton in Glencliff. From Route 25, continue north past the Route 118 junction, then turn right onto High Street. After about a mile, turn left onto Long Pond Road, a dirt road marked by a wooden trail sign and a town PSA sign just before the turn. If there is no parking here, you canalso park in the small lot just past Long Pond Road on the right. This adds about 1.5 miles each way.
Long Pond Road isn’t always maintained in winter, and in spring you may encounter potholes and fallen branches.
Map of Blueberry Mountain
Details of the Blueberry Mountain Hike
We started this hike on an especially nice day in October right at peak foliage.
The trail starts in the forests and scends gently at first. At no point is the trail too steep, but it does get steeper and steeper towards the summit. After the first 2/3 of the trail, the trail opens up with less trees and you have views point to the mountains to the east and to the south. You also enter Blueberry territory.
Since we were doing the hike in the fall, the blueberries were well past their time, BUT the leaves on the bushes are a gorgeous bright red.
The trail is easy to lose to pay attention through this section. The final summit is just off the main trail to the north. There is a cairn marking the summit.
To make this a longer day hike, you can continue to the other end of the trail and come back as an out and back.
From the summit you have views to Moosilauke.
Dogs and Kids
This is a great dog friendly hike (we had Calypso with us and she enjoyed the trail, we saw several other dogs.
This is also a great hike with kids (although our kids were teens when we did the hike) this would be a great option for younger kids as well.
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