Marjory Swope Park, Concord NH
• 4-star hikes
• 1.7 to 4.9 mile options
• Easy difficulty | Gain 300 to 580 feet
• Concord, NH | Merrimack Region
• Driving Directions: Swope, Winant
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.
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.
Swope,
Winant to Swope, 
Other Marjory Swope Park 4★1.7 mi, Loop, Easy, Gain 300 ft | A circuitous route of the park that takes in all the greatest hits, including viewpoints and summit.
Trailspotting Map: AllTrails
Winant Connector & Marjory Swope 4★4.9 mi, Part-loop, Easy, Gain 580 ft | 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.
Trailspotting Map: AllTrails
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.
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.
Typical trail around Jerry Hill in Marjory Swope Park.
Reflections of Jerry Hill from Little Pond Road.
Tangents:
• Trail Links: Official (PDF), Public Maps at AllTrails
• Facebook Group: Comment on this article
Nearby Trails:
• 2 miles away: Winant Park (3★ trails, 1.6 to 2.8 miles)
• Show on map: All nearby trails
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