Wapack Trail to Pack Monadnock

Wapack Trail to Pack Monadnock

The Wapack Trail to Pack Monadnock at Miller State Park in Peterborough, New Hampshire is a moderate 3-mile out-and-back trail that leads along the southern portion of the Wapack Trail to the summit of Pack Monadnock.

Trail Name: Wapack Trail.

Location: Miller State Park, 13 Miller Park Road, Peterborough, NH in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire.

Allowed activities: walking, hiking, birding, geocaching, picnicking with tables and grills, snowshoeing, scenic auto road to the summit.

Forbidden activities: no camping, no fireworks, no horseback riding (unless written permission has been obtained in advance), no bicycles, no ATV’s, no trailbikes, no snowmobiles (unless on an established snow mobile trail sanctioned by the Bureau of Trails for OHRV), no picking endangered or threatened plants or flowers, no removing or damaging any structure, plant or natural feature of the park.

Hours: The park is always open but the ranger station is staffed and open on the following schedule:

4/12-5/24: 9am-5pm,

5/25-9/2: Weekdays 9am-6pm and Weekends 9am-7pm

9/3-10/31: 9am-5pm

11/1-11/11: 9am-4pm

Hours may be changed when weather conditions require altered hours. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead for hours on Holidays: 603-927-3672

Parking and fees: There is plenty of room for parking at the base of Pack Monadnock and limited parking at the summit. There is fee to park and use the trails. Admission is $4 for adults; $2 for children ages 6-11; children ages 5 and under and NH residents age 65 and over are admitted free. Season passes are available. Group rates are also available with advanced reservations only.  When park is unstaffed, visitors are encouraged to use the metal self-pay station and the envelopes provided.

Pets: Dogs are allowed on the trails as long as they are leashed, and as long as the owner complies with NH state law, making sure the leash does not exceed 6 feet in length. All animal waste must be carried out with the hiker and bags are provided at the trail head and summit areas.

Accessibility:  Hikers will experience a very rocky, uneven ascent on this trail along with multiple tree roots, leaf litter, and rock scrambles.

Sanitation: Restrooms are available to visitors in the main parking area of the park. There are no trash bins and visitors are encouraged to carry in and carry out all trash. There are an additional two restrooms at the summit. There is a small store at the summit and water is available for filling water bottles or water for dogs.  Please carry out any trash.

Trail information:  There is a Trail board with posted maps and information at the trail head parking area. There is an additional trail board with similar information at the trail head. There is a staffed ranger station in the parking area.  The ranger station is staffed full time from April 12th to November 12th.  The trail blaze on the Wapack trail is a yellow triangle. Toward the summit, The Red Spot tail intersects the Wapack trail and has a Red Dot as its trail blaze marker.

Hikers can also print a map before heading out by going to the link below:

https://www.nhstateparks.org/getmedia/76e1735a-a06e-4cec-b96f-944d56bea96c/Miller-Hiking-Map_1.pdf

Miller State Park is open unless closed or restricted by posting. During off hours and the off-season the park is typically not staffed, so there is no guarantee that restrooms will be available to visitors. Gates may also be locked.

Length and features:  This hike on this small section of the Wapack Trail is a moderate 3-mile journey that was done as an out and back hike. The highlights of this hike are the views of Mount Monadnock, the Fire tower at the summit that visitors can climb, and views of surrounding nearby mountains.

On a clear day, visitors lucky enough may be able to see as far as the Boston, Massachusetts skyline. The summit has lots of picnic tables and is a very popular spot on the weekends. This is a dog friendly park, many visitors and hikers alike have their canine companions with them. There is a short loop trail around the summit, with a wide gravely substrate. The Wapack Trail terrain is very rocky, with lots of scrambles. Although the trail is not extremely steep, it does have some areas where care needs to be taken. The incline on the trail is pretty steady from the base right up to the summit.

For visitors unable to hike, the summit can be reached via an auto road. The auto road has: two way traffic, a 15 mph speed limit and is open from 9:00am to 7:00pm. Times are subject to weather conditions and seasonal changes. A sign with times of gate opening and closures is posted at the beginning of the auto road. The Auto road will be open until 11:00pm on July 4th 2019 so that visitors can watch firework displays of surrounding towns from the summit.

When the ranger station is staffed, the store at the summit is also staffed and visitors can purchase water, snacks, gear and souvenirs’. Cash and credit cards are accepted.