Great Hill Fire Tower
by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer
Great Hill certainly lives up to its name. The panorama vista from the Great Hill Fire Tower is one of the finest. The Sandwich Range winds around Great Hill, from Sandwich Mountain all the way to Mount Chocorua, the mountaintops will fill your eyes.
Steve Smith, author, editor of the AMC White Mountain Guide and owner of the Mountain Wanderer Map & Book Store in Lincoln told me that it may have the best single view of the Sandwich Range. We totally agree with him.
The first time I visited the lookout tower was many years ago when I was out bicycling with a friend and we started in Tamworth and pedaled up Great Hill Road. At the junction of Hemenway Road we ditched our bikes and hiked up the old road to reach the tower. It’s a short hike, just half a mile to the tower.
Becca and I wanted a not so long hike but one with a big vista and we decided on a return to Great Hill would be perfect. The trip from Great Hill Road was less of a hike than we wanted but on the other side there are more hiking trails maintained by the Tamworth Conservation Commission.
Starting from Route 113A, right under the large Big Pines Natural Area sign is the path to the Betty Steel Loop Trail and the Peg King Spur Trail.
Following these trails the trip up to the summit is just over a mile through the wonderful Hemenway State Forest.
After crossing the bridge over the Swift River, really a large brook here, there is a map kiosk. We decided to go left to start the loop for no particular reason and we climbed a short steep section out of the drainage and enjoyed a pleasant walk to the intersection of the Peg King Spur Trail. The trails are well marked and easy to follow.
Just before reaching the tower the trail does get a bit steep and requires a little scrambling. The tower’s stairway starts out steep too before it switches back and forth to reach the cabin.
Inside the tower are wood signs below each window that are the silhouettes of the vista that point out the names of each mountain. Sandwich, Whiteface, Passaconaway, Paugus and Chocorua we didn’t need the help to identify some of the smaller and distance peaks the viewfinder was a great help.
On our return we took the other part of the loop down and we passed by some very large pine and hemlock trees.
When we recrossed the bridge we turned right and followed the Easy Walker Nature Trail, its less than a quarter mile and rejoins the path on our way back to the car. The footpath wasn’t as well worn as the other trails but there are red arrows that point the way. At the TamworthConservationCommision.Org website you can find maps for these trails and more and the key for the Easy Walker Nature Trail.
Fall is coming and the trees in the swamps have already turned red. Great Hill would be a fine place to enjoy the foliage.
Have Fun.
Amy Patenaude is an avid skier/outdoor enthusiast from Henniker, N.H. Readers are welcome to send comments or suggestions to her at: amy@weirs.com.
