Mount Jesse (NH) *8/1/2026*

Mount Jesse

Location: New Durham, New Hampshire
Mileage: 2.4 Miles
Elevation Gain: 560 Feet
Trails Used: None. Road Walk
Views: From Summit of Mount Jesse
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Hiking Lists: None

Wanted to do something easy and trailed on Saturday after the long hike on Friday. Mount Jesse is one hike I have been meaning to do since the SELT bought the land and opened it up to hikers. It had long been off limits due to a private residence on the summit, as well as shooting ranges. Currently, you can walk up the access road to the summit and its views, but SELT is working on hiking trails in the future.

I began at the gated access road to Mount Jesse, just off Kings Highway.

The access road winds its way to the summit of Mount Jesse, with a few steep stretches along the way.

Approaching the summit of Mount Jesse, with a charming house perched at the top, the trail is lined with endless blueberry bushes. The entire hike up is a feast for the eyes, culminating in open fields that lead the way to the peak.

From the summit of Mount Jesse, looking north, the panorama was shrouded in haze from the morning’s high humidity.

More views from the summit of Mount Jesse, looking north and west. On a clear day, the scenery would be absolutely stunning.

Overall, it was a nice hike, with the only downsides being the bugs and humidity this morning. I had considered doing some other trails in the area, but a lingering headache and fatigue from yesterday’s 18-mile trek in Vermont kept me from it. I’ll be back once they add some hiking trails.

Glastenbury Mountain 7/31/2026

Glastenbury Mountain

Location: Glastenbury, Vermont
Mileage: 17.4 Miles
Elevation Gain: 2140 Feet
Trails Used: Road Walk, Forest Roads, Appalachian Trail/Long Trail
Views: None. Fire Tower Closed
Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult
Hiking Lists: Vermont 3000 Footers, Vermont Town High Point

A better title might be “How to Do Glastenbury Mountain the Long, Hard Way.” This hike had been on my to-do list for a long time, but I never really looked into the access points. It ended up being one of those trips where I winged it more than researched it—and it showed. It was over a two-hour drive for a 17+ mile hike that took about 6.5 hours. There was a chance of rain, which seems to be the norm lately; so much rain this summer, yet still in a drought. I took Somerset Road and parked at the FR325 (Castle Brook Road) lot, just around the corner from the Somerset Airfield Campground. Then I geared up and headed down the forest road.

I started the hike by walking about a mile along FR325 (Castle Brook Road), then followed a mix of forest roads and snowmobile trails all the way to the summit of Glastenbury Mountain.

The water was flowing nicely on Castle Brook along FR325 after all the recent rain. It wasn’t an issue at the time, but the end of the hike promised to be interesting.

There were plenty of damp spots like this, along with ponds and wetlands.

For most of the day, the path wound along an old forest road, snowmobile trail, or horse trail, with stretches of tall grass and damp spots scattered throughout.

There was a lot of standing water on the forest roads, some easy to avoid and others that forced me into the tall grass, making the conditions even wetter.

Yes, this is still part of the route I took to reach the summit of Glastenbury Mountain. I lost track of the various number designations for the snowmobile trails.

Fortunately, most of the water crossings on the hike had bridges, making it easier to get across with the water flowing from the recent rains.

The snowmobile trail ran alongside the Appalachian Trail as it made its way to the summit of Glastenbury Mountain.

Perched atop Glastenbury Mountain at 3,751 feet, the fire tower offers no views from the forested summit, as it’s currently closed.

The 50-foot fire tower on Glastenbury Mountain, built in 1927 and last used in 1949, had its lower stairs removed in 2022 after being declared unsafe. 

I headed south on the Appalachian Trail to make the hike easier, passing about 10 northbound thru-hikers as I descended. I crossed over Glastenbury Southwest Peak and continued to the wilderness boundary.

The Glastenbury Wilderness sign. Shortly after passing this sign, I headed into the woods along an old overgrown snowmobile trail, which I followed down to the car.

The snowmobile trail mentioned earlier was steep and wet in most parts.

Wet areas were everywhere on the way down. Shortly after this stretch, I came across a flooded section of the snowmobile trail. I had to use the beaver dam to cross, but unfortunately, I couldn’t keep my shoes or feet dry. Several parts required walking through ankle-deep water.

Deer Cabin Brook was the first major crossing on the way back to the car, and by far the easiest of the three. With my shoes already soaked, I simply rolled up my pant legs and waded right in.

The Glastenbury River was the toughest of the three crossings. I nearly fell in twice because of the fast-moving, thigh-deep water, and the rocks were incredibly slippery.

The Deerfield River was the third and final crossing. It wasn’t as challenging as the Glastenbury River, but still required a slow and careful approach.

I knew the hike would be long, and it really wore me down. As I neared the summit of Glastenbury Mountain, my legs cramped, my socks were soaked, and a light drizzle began. I still had at least five to six miles to go heading down to the car, and I hadn’t counted on the water crossings. Once I reached Somerset Road, it was a quick walk back to the car, a change of clothes, and a much-needed drink. Glad to be done with this one—never again.

Glastenbury Mountain, the tallest peak in the unincorporated town of Glastenbury, Vermont, sits within the Green Mountain National Forest.

Stewart Mountain - Bartonville Mountain (NY) *7/26/2026*

Stewart Mountain

Location: Chester, New York
Mileage: 0.8 Miles
Elevation Gain: 218 Feet
Trails Used: Stewart Mountain Trail
Views: From Ledges on Stewart Mountain
Difficulty: Easy
Hiking Lists: Chester Challenge - Adirondack 29er Junior Peaks

We drove to Schroon Lake, in the Adirondacks, to stay the night and do a few hikes on Sunday before we headed home. We made a pit stop at our favorite place in New York: Stewarts to refuel and get drinks before we headed to the motel down the road. Sunday, we headed out early to begin the easy drive to the trailhead off of White Schoolhouse Road, which has room for maybe 4 to 5 cars depending on how you park. Since this was a short hike, we decided against using backpacks.

Stewart Mountain is part of the Chester Challenge, which requires you to hike six of eleven trails listed on their website to obtain a pin for finishing, or patch if finished in winter between December 20th to March 20th. Stewart Mountain is also #36 on the Adirondack 29er Junior Peaks list. 

The parking area is located off White Schoolhouse Road, where a map points out the trail leading to the view ledge on Stewart Mountain.

We start up the Stewart Mountain Trail, climbing at an easy to moderate incline for the first 0.2 miles.

The one brief, steep stretch of the Stewart Mountain Trail.

The final stretch of the Stewart Mountain Trail just before reaching the main ledge views on Stewart Mountain lower summit.

The ledge overlook on Stewart Mountain offers stunning views of Loon Lake and the Gore Mountain Ski Area.

A few pictures and then a quick return hike back to the car. We passed a woman and her dog going to the summit and then a couple heading up as we made it back to the car. A quick half hour hike to stretch the legs as we headed to hike number 2. 

Bartonville Mountain

Location: Horicon/Brant Lake, New York
Mileage: 1.8 Miles
Elevation Gain: 546 Feet
Trails Used: Jack and Jill Trail, Ricks Run MB Trail
Views: From Ledge below Summit of Bartonville Mountain
Difficulty: Moderate
Hiking Lists: ADK-9 Challenge 

Our second and final hike of the day was near Stewart Mountain, and finding it turned into a bit of an adventure. I actually drove right past it at first, but we eventually backtracked to the big parking lot next to The Hub, a mountain bike repair shop, restaurant, and bar. Unfortunately, it was closed when we arrived since it was early, so we didn’t get the chance to check it out. The Hub is also responsible for building the hiking and mountain biking trails on Bartonville Mountain. Please remember to respect this private property that we’re fortunate to be able to enjoy.

The Jack and Jill Trail sits beside the Mountain Biking Trail, starting just behind The Hub, where you can grab a bite or a drink. From there, it veers right and makes its way toward the ledge view.

The red-blazed Jack and Jill Trail features several switchbacks as it winds its way 0.67 miles to the scenic ledge views atop Bartonville Mountain.

Stretches of bedrock along the Jack and Jill Trail add variety and break up the monotony of rocks and roots.

The ledge on Bartonville Mountain offers stunning views, overlooking Brant Lake and the vast beauty of the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness.

The Jack and Jill Trail links up with Rick’s Run, a mountain biking path, which I followed to reach the summit of Bartonville Mountain.

The wooded summit of Bartonville Mountain was just a short bushwhack from the Rick Run Trail.

We turned around and made our way back down the trail at a relaxed pace. It was fortunate we did both hikes early, as the day’s heat was starting to build and would have made things uncomfortable later on. Though both hikes were on the shorter side mileage-wise, I felt they fell short in the views department compared to what the Adirondacks usually deliver. Now it’s time for the four-hour drive back to New Hampshire.

Slide Mountain (NY) *7/25/2026*

Slide Mountain

Location: Shandaken, New York
Mileage: 6.4 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1709 Feet
Trails Used: Slide-Wittenberg-Cornell Trail (Burroughs Range Trail), Curtis-Ormsbee Trail, Phoenicia East Branch Trail
Views: Several Ledges below the Slide Mountain Summit
Difficulty: Moderate
Hiking Lists: Catskill 3500, New York County High Point, Northeast 115, Town High Point

Slide Mountain is one of the few peaks in the Catskills we still wanted to tackle, being one of only two four-thousand-footers in the range. Attempting the full Catskill 3500 isn’t feasible for us right now, mostly because of the long drives, the mileage to get there, and the many other hikes we’re planning this year in New Hampshire and the Adirondacks.

We decided on Friday to get a hotel room in New York closer to Slide Mountain, as it usually takes us about 4.5 to 5 hours normally to get to the Catskills. So we left New Hampshire and made the drive to East Greenbush, NY to stay the night. We awoke early for the roughly 1.5-hour drive to the trailhead parking area for Slide Mountain. We geared up and headed up the trail to begin our hike.

The trailhead parking area for Slide Mountain, located off Oliverea Road, is a spacious lot that was completely full when we got back to the car.

Upon entering the Slide Mountain Wilderness, you cross the Neversink River, which was unusually dry today. From here, it’s about 2.8 miles to the summit of Slide Mountain.

The first 0.7 miles of the Slide-Wittenberg-Cornell Trail were pretty steep and rocky before meeting up with the Phoenicia East Branch Trail.

From here, the Slide-Wittenberg-Cornell Trail was steady but never too steep, following an old jeep road once used for the fire tower that stood atop Slide Mountain.

At the junction of the Phoenicia East Branch Trail and the Slide-Wittenberg-Cornell Trail, we would head toward the summit of Slide Mountain.

The DEC sign marks the 3,500-foot elevation, where camping is only allowed above this point during winter. In other seasons, there are about four campsites available in the area.

As we continued along the Slide-Wittenberg-Cornell Trail, the path leveled out, making for a fairly easy walk to the summit of Slide Mountain.

This stretch of the Slide-Wittenberg-Cornell Trail was scattered with small white quartz pebbles, something I’ve never seen on any other trail.

Just below the summit of Slide Mountain, two small viewpoints provide modest glimpses of the surrounding scenery.

Slide Mountain’s wooded summit reaches about 4,184 feet, though it hasn’t been officially measured. Future LiDAR data might revise that number. A bit farther along the trail, you’ll find a memorial plaque for John Burroughs, which is why this route is part of the Burroughs Range.

The views from the ledge just below the summit of Slide Mountain are stunning. An old fire tower once stood at the summit, and a few stone blocks now mark its probable location.

There’s no sign at the junction of the Burroughs Range Trail and the Curtis-Ormsbee Trail, but it’s about 0.7 miles from the summit of Slide Mountain.

The Curtis-Ormsbee made for a pleasant descent compared to the rocky trails we climbed. There were two lookout spots, but both lacked views as trees have gradually grown to block them.

This is one of the steepest stretches of the Curtis-Ormsbee Trail. A nearby viewpoint exists, but tree growth has blocked any views during this time of year.

The Curtis-Ormsbee Trail leveled out near an intriguing rock formation, a cleft in the stone with several caves and rugged cliffs.

A primitive campsite is located along the Curtis-Ormsbee Trail, just before it meets the Phoenicia East Branch Trail. Be aware, there’s no water available at this spot.

The memorial monument honors William Curtis and Allan Ormsbee, avid hikers who lost their lives on Mount Washington in New Hampshire on June 30, 1900. This trail was Curtis' favorite way to reach the summit of Slide Mountain.

The Phoenicia East Branch Trail was incredibly muddy, and I could imagine it turning into a river during the rainy season and winter.

The final water crossing on the Phoenicia East Branch Trail marked the start of a 0.7-mile hike down and back to the car.

It was an easy walk back to the car, passing quite a few people heading up while the parking lot was full and spilling into the street. Yet another simple Catskill hike—none we’ve done so far have been particularly tough or long. We’ll likely return someday, but with Slide Mountain, Hunter Mountain, and all the fire towers checked off, there’s not much left we feel we need to tackle for now.

Slide Mountain, located in the Catskill Mountains, is the highest peak in the town of Shandaken, New York.