Gap Mountain Trail

The Gap Mountain Trail at the Gap Mountain Reservation in Troy, New Hampshire is a moderate 2.8-mile out-and-back hike to the summit of Gap Mountain.

Trail name: This trail is an off shoot of the Metacomet-Monadnock (M-M) Trail. The New Hampshire section of the M-M Trail is an 18-mile hiking trail that goes from the Massachusetts/New Hampshire state line to Mt. Monadnock in Jaffrey, NH.

Location: Gap Mountain, South Parking lot access trail.  265 Upper Gap Mountain Road, Troy NH

Allowed activities: walking, hiking, geocaching, birdwatching, snow shoeing, blueberry picking. Overnight parking for “through hikers” is available; however permission must be obtained in advance.

Forbidden activities: No camping or fires, No wheeled vehicles, including mountain bikes. No buses in the trailhead parking area. No trucks, no dirt bikes and no ATVs

Hours: The hiking trails are open daily from dawn to dusk.

Fees: Payment is not required for parking or use of the trail. However, donations are appreciated and there is a self-pay box at the trailhead kiosk. There is a donation suggestion list posted. There is small colorful box to the right of the donation posting, intended to house envelopes for donations. The box was in disrepair and stuffed with trash and animal waste.

Parking: There is plenty of parking at the parking area at base of the trailhead.

Pets: Gap Mountain Reservation is leased to the State of NH and is managed as part of Monadnock State Park. Pets are not permitted in the Monadnock State Park, but they ARE allowed on Gap Mountain. Dogs must be on a leash and waste must be carried out with the hiker. This was confirmed by Land agent Robert Spoerl of State of NH Forests & Lands. Tel: (603) 271-2765 email:robert.spoerl@dncr.nh.gov 

Accessibility: The trail is not wheelchair accessible. Winter access cannot be guaranteed.

Sanitation: There is a port-a-potty in the parking area. It was posted as being “out of service” but was not locked and was useable. There are no trash bins so please carry out your trash. If you are bringing your dog along, and you bag their waste, please do not leave the bag of poo along the trail or at the trailhead.

Length:  The unnamed trail that goes up to the summit, is a moderate to strenuous 2.8 (round trip) mile trail that goes out and back.

Trail information:  There is an information Kiosk at the start of the trail that has a posted map of the trail system. At the time of our hike there were no maps for hikers to use. The trail is marked by White rectangle blaze markers on trees along the trail. The trail is very well maintained and volunteers from the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forest keep sections of the slopes cleared so that the blueberries that lure so many people here, can flourish . Besides trail blaze markers, markers with arrows or trail information can be found. Markers are posted high enough to see in winter snow pack.  Hikers can print a map before heading out by going to the link below.

https://forestsociety.org/sites/default/files/018_map.png

Gap Mountain’s claims to fame are the amazing views of Mt. Monadnock and the  high- and low-bush blueberries that can be found on the ledges around and on top of summit in season.