Tucker Mountain (Hill) - Dickinson Hill - Lake Winnepocket Peak - Round Hill (Webster): 5/24/2015

Decided to stay some what close to home and do a few bushwhacks as I got a late start.  As usual, the hardest part to the day is finding out what to hike and how to hike it.  I thought about driving north but really didn't get the urge to so I figured I could stick around the house and attempt to hike a few peaks.  The weather was supposed to be nice and in the comfortable range but I was sure the bugs would be out in force and I was not disappointed.

Tucker Mountain (Hill)

Mileage: 2.20

Elevation gain: 715'

Trails used: none. Road walk, logging road, bushwhack.

I found almost no information for Tucker Mountain as I will usually look to see if there are any trails or old roads that would make it easier to do most mountains/peaks that I climb.  So it was up to looking at Google Earth and topographic maps to see how I would/could approach this one.

Tucker Mountain is located in Hill and Andover, New Hampshire although the summit and high point are in Hill.  There are no trails that reach the summit but I used a combination of old woods roads and logging roads to get to the summit area.  There are no views from its wooded summit.

I parked at the end of Tucker Mountain Road (the portion I was willing to drive, as it looked to be a recently used logging road) and headed up the dirt road to begin the bushwhack.

I followed a few old logging cuts almost to the ridge, and then bushwhacked up a steep slope to the ridge of Tucker Mountain.

Once on the western side of the ridge for Tucker Mountain, I walked through open woods like this to the summit.

More open woods as I was almost to the summit of Tucker Mountain.

The summit area of Tucker Mountain (elevation 1644').  There is a quarter that someone left on the high point, and that I also left there.

This was a steep hike filled with black flies and mosquitoes so it made going a bit slower as I had to wear the bug net which limits visibility somewhat.  It was nice on the summit ridge as it is typical open woods bushwhacking which makes it easier going.  Going back down was a fun time as the leaves plus steep grades made it slow going as well.  Another hike loomed so it was back to looking to see how to get to it.

Dickinson Hill

Mileage: 1.60

Elevation gain: 575'

Trails used: none. Bushwhack.

Another one that had very little information on it.  I knew how I wanted to approach Dickinson Hill but like most times, the easiest route on paper always seems to be the hardest to accomplish due to various circumstances.

Dickinson Hill is located in Hill, New Hampshire and is the highest point in Hill.  There are no trails that reach the summit plus there are private property issues so you have to be careful about which route you take.  There are nice views just down off the summit area so it was a nice surprise to find them.

Starting this hike with a bushwhack with woods like this is somewhat fun.  I expected it to be a bit more open on my way to the summit of Dickinson Hill.

The woods opened up a bit more as I neared the summit of Dickinson Hill.

The bland summit area of Dickinson Hill (elevation 1900').  It is a pesky flat summit so I walked around to make sure there weren't any higher areas.

A possible second summit area complete with cairn, so someone has been up here before.

Nearby Page Hill with the White Mountains in the background, from the ledges just below the summit of Dickinson Hill.

Views of nearby Cardigan Mountain from the ledges below the summit of Dickinson Hill.

The views from the ledges below the summit of Dickinson Hill stretched from Franconia Ridge down to the Sandwich Range.

After the pleasant view surprise from the ledges just below Dickinson Hill's summit, it was time to head back down.  It was starting to heat up so I figured I would do at least two more small peaks and then head home for the day.  So, once back at the car it was a nice drive over to the two peaks I would do, which were close to each other and on the way home.

Lake Winnepocket Peak (Un-named 870)

Mileage: 0.90

Elevation gain: 265'

Trails used: None. Bushwhack, old woods road.

On the map, it looked like it would be a quick easy bushwhack and it pretty much was.  Once again, it was an access type peak so where could I start the hike without trespassing on someone else's property.  I managed to find a good spot that had picnic benches and placed me roughly a half mile from the summit.

Lake Winnepocket Peak (as we will call it, it is an un-official name) is located in Webster, New Hampshire and is the highest point in Webster.  There are no trails to the summit, although I managed to follow an ATV trail for a bit on the western side of the peak and there are no views from the wooded summit.

I parked at a picnic area off of White Plains Road and headed into the woods.  I figured it would be a quick round trip bushwhack.

Right around this colorful tree, I heard a rumble that sounded like thunder.  So it was a hurry up and reach the summit hike now.

For being a short hike with relatively low elevation gain, it sure got steep for the summit climb.

The summit of unnamed peak 870 (elevation 870'), or Lake Winnepocket Peak as some have dubbed this summit.

A second possible summit area as the summit is a nice flat plateau type summit.

The picnic area I parked out and used to climb up to the summit of Webster's highest point.  There was 2 spots with benches and grill's.

I never heard any more thunder, and it was still pretty sunny outside, so I figured I would get one more hike in and then call it a day.  It was only later that I found out that "rumble of thunder" was most likely a minor earthquake who's epicenter was in nearby Boscawen, New Hampshire.  I never would have thought it would be that.  

The last peak of the day was literally right around the corner from where I was and it looked like there was a road that went almost to the summit so I drove over to take a chance.

Round Hill

Mileage: 1.35

Elevation gain: 390'

Trails used: none. Road walk, bushwhack.


Round Hill is located directly to the west of the Webster high point and right across Lake Winnepocket.  I drove up to Pond Hill Road and parked at the boat ramp as you can't drive up to the summit of Round Hill.  

Round Hill is located in Webster, New Hampshire and is the second highest peak in Webster.  There is a road that you can walk up to just below the summit, and a short bushwhack through open woods to the wooded summit. 

I parked at the boat ramp off of Pond Hill Road, which is a semi private class 6 road but foot traffic is welcome up the road.

There is a house along Pond Hill Road, and where the driveway ends the rough part of the road started but it was still better than walking in the woods.

The high point of Round Hill (elevation 840'), which required a very short bushwhack off of the road to get here. 

Four good bushwhacks and one with better than expected views.  I managed to grab two more town high points but I am still not even half way to finishing the New Hampshire Town High Points list but I will chip away at them over the next few years.

The bugs were tolerable as long as I kept the bug net handy.  I managed to not pick up any ticks on this hike so I'll take hikes like this in a heartbeat.  The weather was nice and it remained  sunny and warm but not too warm or humid.  A good day of hiking to be sure.