Peaked Hill (Gilmanton) - Gould Hill (Hopkinton): 5/21/2015

I got off work early again on Thursday so after I ran a few errands, I joined Al in Gilmanton to do a few peaks he wanted to do.  I met him rather late so I would only really have time to do one or two hikes, depending on the length of the hikes.  

Peaked Hill (Gilmanton)

Mileage: 1.45

Elevation gain: 390'

Trails used: none.  Bushwhack.

I met Al along Route 104 in Gilmanton right near the CH Page State Forest area and we couldn't find good access to do this peak so we had to bushwhack up to the summit.  Problem was, the road up is a private driveway and there is a house on the high point so we didn't want to trespass.  Only way to get this would be to find out who owns the property and ask for access.

Peaked Hill (or Gilmanton Peak, as it is also known) is in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.  There is a private driveway that goes to the top so unless you have permission to do this peak please respect the property owner's wishes.

The house on the summit of Peaked Hill.  No trespassing signs surround the area so unless you can get permission, it is a no go.

Cruising by this pond, I spotted a nest with a heron (i think) in its nest.

Al continued on as I drove home with only the one hike done.  It would have been too late for me to try another one.  So as soon as I got home, I made dinner and asked Desi if she wanted to do a really quick hike in Hopkinton and she was game.  So off we drove for a super easy peak nearby.

Gould Hill

Mileage: .10
Elevation gain: 45'
Trails used: none.


To say this one was a gimme peak was a bit of an understatement.  You can basically drive all the way to the summit, then make the short walk to the high point and then continue on to some ledges with really nice views.  You do this while barely breaking a sweat too.  At least when we did this, there was a nice cool breeze so it kept any bugs at bay.

Gould Hill is located in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.  It is famous for the Gould Hill Orchard and also for Governor John Lynch's mansion on the other side of the summit.  If you drive up Gould Hill Road, then take Watchtower Road to the summit (and then turn left), its as easy as that.

The summit area for Gould Hill (elevation 872').  This was placed here by the Hopkinton Fire Department. I couldn't find much information online about this.

Two of the four old tower footings are still on the summit.

We took a short path from the summit to some ledges, complete with a bench.  The views looking towards Crotched Mountain and North Pack Monadnock.

Looking towards Lovewell and the Sunapee area, and Stewarts Peak and the Mink Hills from the ledges below the summit of Gould Hill.

The lower end of Mount Kearsarge from the ledges below Gould Hill.

There is a house next to the communication tower on the summit of Gould Hill.  They certainly do have a really nice view.

One last set of panorama type pictures from the ledges below Gould Hill.

We parked at the turnaround for the communication tower area and house, and the monument and high point are like 100 feet away.

Two relatively easy peaks.  Peaked Hill would have been a bit better if we could have gotten access to the high point but it looked like there would not have been any views regardless.  The choice peak of the day was definitely Gould Hill.  Easy drive up and good views.  Possibly a good place to watch a meteor shower or sunset.