Rines Hill (NH) 7/10/2016

Rines Hill

Location: Alton, New Hampshire
Mileage: 1.0 Miles
Elevation Gain: 385 Feet
Trails Used: None, Bushwhack
Views: None, Wooded Summit

Hiking Lists: None

I had to work on Saturday, so Sunday became my hiking day. Unfortunately, the rain from Saturday stuck around, though I figured it would only last through the morning and clear up by afternoon. But this is New Hampshire weather, so of course I was wrong to be optimistic. Still, I set out to find something to do, preferably a trail or trail system. 

I considered doing something in the Belknap Range, but with the cloudy and rainy weather, most of the hikes I had in mind relied on having good views. I also tried to find two trailheads for hikes in the Ossipee Range, but with no cell service, I just ended up driving around unsuccessfully. After wasting much of the morning searching for things to do, I went back to my usual fallback: checking the gazetteer to see what was nearby, finding access, and giving it a try.

Driving down Rines Road, I noticed a few newly cut logging roads that looked like great ascent points, so I chose one to reach the summit area. Pulling on a long-sleeve shirt, I started up the steep but short climb. Near the top, I was surprised to stumble upon a rock-climbing area.

I parked along Rines Road and followed a recently logged area up toward the summit of Rines Hill.

Eventually, the logging cut disappeared, and I had to bushwhack through open woods to reach the summit of Rines Hill.

I came across a faint yet noticeable trail that led to a rock wall where people go to rock climb.

Unfortunately, I had to either find a way up or skirt around the base of the rock wall, so I decided to make my way along the bottom.

Evidence of rock climbing includes carabiners, cams, and quickdraws bolted into the rock. I’m not too familiar with climbing, so some of these terms might be made up.

I spotted a rope hanging down and used it to pull myself up toward the summit of Rines Hill. The rain had made the rock slick and tricky to climb.

The wooded, viewless summit of Rines Hill, at an elevation of 1,041 feet, features a herd path that climbers use to navigate around the top of the climbing area.

A view from the edge of the climbing area on Rines Hill.

I decided to skip the rope section because of the rain and worked my way around the cliff to find a safer route down. I followed the faint climber’s trail until it disappeared in the recent logging cuts in the area. From there, I crossed through a logging cut and had just a short road walk back to the car.

I found out later, after researching this peak, that the local landowner doesn't want people using his property to reach the rock-climbing area so the preferred way of reaching this is from the Knights Pond Conservation area parking lot. If rock climbing is your thing, this might be the spot for you.