Hiking the Belknap Range in NH’s Lakes Region

“It’s a range, not a ridge,” I reminded my friend Hilary as we sat on a rock, resting for a few minutes on our marathon 12.2-mile traverse of the Belknap Range in Gilford/Gilmanton, NH.

Hilary had just used the word “ridge” to reference our hike on this humid day in early June —a definite misnomer, even though sections did follow ridges. When we decided to undertake this adventure, I too had been thinking of the Belknap Range as a “ridge hike,” a long but fairly easy traverse over eight low summits. We could leave the Seacoast at 6 a.m., and be back in Portsmouth for a 6 p.m. dinner at Moxy and the outdoor concert at the Music Hall. Easy-peasy, especially since the Lakes Region is just over an hour away.

I soon learned, however, that viewing the Belknap Range trek as a walk on ridge underestimates the challenge of climbing up and over eight mountains in 12.2 miles, even if Gunstock, the tallest of them, measures only 2,445 feet.

But the effort involved in tromping up, down, and over eight low mountains was definitely worth the sweat and sore feet. The Belknap Range trail crosses an incredible diversity of terrain, offering a day of wonders: mountain views, mossy woods, wildflowers, critters and more. For a detailed description of the hike, see the the Belknap Range Trail description at BelknapRangeTrails.com, an excellent guide to all trails in the range. Although the Belknap Range hike is much easier to follow these days, thanks to markers placed along the trail, we frequently consulted the trail description during our hike, as we did not want to add more mileage by taking a wrong turn and backtracking.

After meeting up at the Mount Major parking lot in Gilmanton, we headed over to Gunstock Ski Area in Gilford, where we parked, and picked up the trail to the right of the ski lodge.

Mt. Klem summit, about 100 yards off the trail. Next, we headed down, and then up, and down and up, to the summit of Mack, about 7 miles in. I was feeling the distance by now, with some “hot spots” on my toes. But there was no turning back now, and we hiked on to Mount Anna, 8.5 miles in. By this time it was 3 o’clock, so I called Moxy to cancel my dinner reservation. But I was still feeling optimistic about making the concert!

We arrived at the parking lot around 5:45 pm, beat up but satisfied with our long day in the Belknap Range. I rested on the 15-minute drive to Gunstock, where I picked up my car, changed my shoes, and threw on a clean t-shirt and a shift dress. My husband was waiting in Portsmouth with a beer and a rice bowl. The concert, with Erin McKeon, had been moved indoors due to the threat of thunder showers. I nestled into my cushiony seat to enjoy my first live music experience since the start of the pandemic, and I didn’t fall asleep — success!