Mount Kearsarge, Wilmot NH
• 5-star hike
• 1.0 to 8.7 mile options
• Easy/Medium difficulty | Gain 300 to 2,119 feet
• Sunapee Region | Wilmot NH
• Driving directions: Winslow | Rollins | Lincoln

Mt Kearsarge's exposed rocky summit, over 2,000 feet proud of the surrounding landscape
Don't ask us why, but New Hampshire is home to two mountains named Kearsarge separated by a distance of sixty miles. This is the more Southerly of the two and commonly known as Mount Kearsarge, whereas the other is located in the White Mountains and known as Kearsarge North but still sometimes also refered to as Mount Kearsarge to keep you on your toes.
Atop the summit sits a fire tower that was erected in 1913 but has piled on the pounds in recent years since becoming adorned by an increasing amount of communications equipment. The state has a Fire Tower Quest Patch and program available; and this fire tower is one of 15 included on its list. See the Trailspotting Fire Tower List for a map of all standing New Hampshire fire towers and links to fire towers that we've visited.
Bring your best hiking boots to this trail as traction is important and remember to pack a few layers for the exposed summit. The views may be impressive, but so is the wind-chill. The easiest route to the summit is to drive up to Rollins State Park on the South side of the mountain and take the half-mile Rollins Trail to the summit. From the same location you can also include the more rocky Lincoln Trail to make a loop trail with no additional distance. Other more difficult and longer routes are available and we detail all these below.
Phone navigation:
Trail Descriptions:
Some suggest this as a good family hike, but smaller children might struggle with the big rocky steps as you progress a thousand feet to the summit. We rank this hike as medium difficulty but in some conditions it could be considered hard, mainly depending on your expectations. The Winslow & Barlow Loop begins and ends at Winslow State Park which has a large parking lot that can fill up quickly on busier days.

Views from the rocky last half mile on the Lincoln Trail.
Be aware that the trailhead and large parking lot is located in Rollins State Park which is closed during winter and early spring. When closed you can park your car by the park entrance and walk up the road, but if you're thinking about doing that you'd be better served on the long Lincoln Trail from the bottom of the mountain.

The more picturesque of the creeks on the longer Lincoln Trail.

More panoramic views from the summit.
Tangents:
• Trail Links: Rollins State Park | Winslow State Park
• AllTrails Public: Winslow O&B | Winslow-Barlow | Lincoln-Rollins | Longer Lincoln
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