Great Hill Hike
Trail Names
Betty Steele Loop Trail, Peg King Spur Trail, Easy Walkers Trail, Great Hill Fire Tower
Location
Route 113A, Hemenway State Forest, Tamworth NH
Permitted Uses
Pedestrian use only, Hiking, Nature Study
Prohibited Uses
No Fires, No Camping, no motor vehicles
Hours
no posted hours, open year round
Fees and Parking
There is no fee to park or use the trails. There is no parking lot. Visitors must park alongside the road.
Pets
There are no posted prohibitions against dogs on the trails.
Accessibility
The trails are not wheelchair accessible.
Hiker Amenities
There are no restrooms, or trash bins at the trailhead or along the trail. There is no information Kiosk, but there is a mailbox installed at the beginning of the hike that is supposed to be where hikers can get a map. Unfortunately for us, there were no maps available during our visit. There is a map posted on a tree at the beginning of the hike, but it was badly damaged and of no use.
Length and Trail Information
This hike was done as a loop. It was about 2.4 miles in length and was easy to moderate. There is a sturdy bridge that crosses over the Swift River that runs by part of the Betty Steele Trail. The Betty Steele Trail is marked by a yellow trail blaze and the trail has quite a bit of roots and rocks, so watch your step. The moderate part of the hike is the trail to the Great Hill Fire Tower where hikers will find some rock scrambles and steep terrain to navigate. The trails are well marked and easy to follow and there is adequate signage at junctions. These trails are part of the Hemenway State Forest and are maintained by the Tamworth Conservation Commission, a downloadable map can be found on their website by following the link below:
http://www.tamworthconservationcommission.org/managed-lands-trails
There were several hikers enjoying the trails during our visit including families with small children and hikers with dogs. If you bring a dog, please keep it on a leash and clean dog poo. Do not leave dog poo in bags on the trail. The highlight of the hike for us, was the visit to the 35’ tall Great Hill Fire Tower which was built in 1934 by a local Civilian Conservation Corp. The Great Hill Fire Tower has been listed on the National Historic Lookout Register since May of 2007. In 1938 the Great Hill Fire Tower was incorporated and was part of the World War II Aircraft Warning system. The Tower now offers visitors a panoramic view of Tamworth and the Sandwich Range and Ossipee Mountains. At the top of the tower, there are two information plaques that have been installed that show visitors the names of the mountains they are observing. Besides the official information plaques, you will enjoy some funky artwork left by previous visitors. Big Pines Natural Area lives up to its name as there are many very large pine trees in this forest. In fact this forest is home to a NH State Champion Pine tree. The tree is reported to be 150’ tall and having a circumference of 15 feet . The Champion Pine grows next to the trail and has a plaque installed near it to make it easy to find.
