Marjory Swope Park, Concord NH

• 4-star hikes
• 2 to 5 mile options
• Easy| Gain 300 to 580 feet
• Concord, NH | Merrimack Region
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The image shows a serene natural landscape with a person standing at the edge of a forest, gazing out over a body of water. Tall trees frame the view, and the water is dotted with land or islands. The sky is partly cloudy, suggesting a warm and pleasant day.

Penacook Lake views from Marjory Swope Park.

Close to Concord and located above the scenic expanses of Penacook Lake, Marjory Swope Park offers woodland hiking around Jerry Hill and features several great vantage points of the surrounding countryside. The park's trails include a perimeter hike around the hill and further routes that head to the summit of this round and wooded prominence. In our map we've described what we think is the circuit that takes in the best of the park's features, including all the main viewpoints and the hill's peak.
Expand ↓ Map

4★ Marjory Swope Park 1.7 mi loop, easy, gain 300 ft
AllTrails · GPX File · Directions

4★ Winant Connector & Swope 4.9 mi part-loop, easy, gain 580 ft
AllTrails · GPX File · Directions

The park is accessible from a moderately large parking lot on the west side of Long Pond Road, but this park is pretty popular so expect the lot to be full at peak times. We also describe a longer route that begins at Winant Park trailhead which also extends your hike with an out-and-back route along the Winant Connector trail.

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Marjory Swope Park
A circuitous route of the park that takes in all the greatest hits, including viewpoints and summit. The 715 foot summit of Jerry Hill is enclosed on all sides with vegetation, so there's not much to see from this vantage except for the foundations of a long-gone viewing tower. There's a nice bench and mountain views including Crotched, Monadnock, Wallingford and Craney Hill on the east-west trail from the summit, but the best view is definitely to the north, with views over the long Penacook Lake.

The image is a split view of two photos. On the left, there’s a wooden signpost with a red sign that reads “Marjory Swope Park” and features an illustration of an owl. On the right, a person wearing a red top and black pants is walking on a rocky forest trail surrounded by green trees.

Typical trail around Jerry Hill in Marjory Swope Park.

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Winant Connector & Swope
The Winant Connector adds 1.6 miles to your journey in each direction. We really like this well maintained but less trodden trail, which includes some creek crossings and meadowland views. Expect the trails in Marjory Swope Park to be mostly dry and easy underfoot, with only occasional rocks and roots.

The Winant Connector can be subject to wet conditions at times, though rudimentary boardwalks are helpful along the worst of the spots. We have a separate trail review of the Winant Park trails, and this is linked in the 'Trailspotting Nearby' section at the foot of this article.

The image shows a serene natural scene featuring a forest and a reflective body of water. The water is calm with a single visible ripple, suggesting a recent disturbance. The forest is dense with various shades of green, indicating lush vegetation. The sky is partly cloudy, allowing sunlight to illuminate the scene.

Reflections of Jerry Hill from outside the park, by Little Pond Road.

Tangents:
• City of Concord: Official PDF
• Public Maps at AllTrails: Marjory Swope Park
• Facebook Group: Comment on this article

Trailspotting Nearby
3★ Winant Park (2-3 mi) · 4★ Oak Hill Fire Tower (4-5 mi) · 4★ Fisherville Road Rail Trail (3 mi) · Show Map

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