Winant Park, Concord NH

• 3-star hikes
• 2 to 3 mile options
• Easy | Gain 270 to 320 feet
• Concord, NH | Merrimack Region
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A small wooden gazebo is surrounded by leafless trees, indicating it might be autumn or winter. A wooden bridge leads towards the gazebo, and a weather vane is on top. In the background, there is a parked car and more trees under a clear blue sky.

Information kiosk by the Fisk Road trailhead and parking lot.

Named for the relatives of benefactor of the park’s land, Winant Park sits in the Northwest hills above and on the outskirts of New Hampshire’s capital city.

The forested land has been used for many years for hiking, horse riding and skiing. The City of Concord has doubled-down on the park’s development in recent years with new signs, frequent wayfinding blazes and formalization of the park’s trails; while requesting that older informal trails be left grow over and return to nature. What exists today is a pleasant small network of trails that string around and over the park’s highest hill and into the backwoods beyond.

3★ Hill Loop 1.6 mi loop, easy, gain 270 ft
AllTrails · GPX File · Directions

3★ Hill & Backwoods Loop 2.8 mi loop, easy, gain 320 ft
AllTrails · GPX File · Directions

Views from the summit of the round, unnamed 650 foot hill are partial at best and likely close to nil in summer when the forest’s foliage is in full force. The Mountain Vista points towards some distant peaks between a light row of tree trunks, and the cut-back vegetation at the State House Vista leads the eye to the gold-topped building some 1.6 miles away to the East. Reaching the top of this hill is relatively easy for most, and there are a couple of benches at the top if you need to get your breath back, or if you just want to sit back and enjoy some peace and quiet in the forest.

The aptly named Backwoods, North of the hill provide opportunities for an additional forest loop. We've listed two separate routes on our map depending on how long of a forest ramble you're in the mood for. A side trip along a trail to the East leads to a large water tank, but there are no views or other features of interest over here.

The Winant trailhead also connects to the nearby Majory Swope Park by way of the 1.6 mile (each way) Winant Connector Trail. Please see our Marjory Swope trail review linked in the 'Trailspotting Nearby' section below for maps and descriptions of this additional route.

A forest scene with tall, slender trees that have shed their leaves, suggesting it might be autumn or winter. The ground is covered with fallen leaves and sparse grass. In the distance, beyond the trees, there is a clear view of a mountain range under a bright blue sky. The sun casts shadows of the trees onto the forest floor, indicating a sunny day.

Mountain Vista from the hilltop.

A split composition of two scenes: on the left, a person walks on a forest trail surrounded by trees with some autumn leaves, wearing dark clothing and walking away from the viewpoint. On the right, a close-up of a rock painted with colorful flowers and green leaves, placed on another rock with a blurred natural background.

Typical Winant Park trail. | Painted rock by the trailhead.

Tangents:
• Trail Links: Official, Public Map at AllTrails
• Facebook Group: Comment on this article

Trailspotting Nearby
4★ Marjory Swope Park (2-5 mi) · 4★ Oak Hill & Knowlton Forest (3-5 mi) · 4★ Fisherville Road Rail Trail (3 mi) · Show Map

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