West & East Rattlesnake Mountains Hike
Trail names: Old Bridle Path, Ridge Trail, East Rattlesnake Trail, Five Finger Point Trail, Pasture Trail
Location: West Rattlesnake Mountain Trailhead, Squam Lake Road, Route 113 Center Sandwich, NH
Permitted uses: Hiking, research and education, birding,
Prohibited uses: No Camping or fires are allowed. Hikers are encouraged to stay on established trails. Hiking parties must be kept to under 20 persons.
Hours: There are no posted hours.
Fees and Parking: There is no fee to park or use the trail system here. There is ample parking available for well over a dozen vehicles. Additional parking can be found across the street at the Mt. Morgan trailhead.
Pets: Dogs are allowed on the trails but must be picked up after and in the owners control at all times.
Accessibility: The trails are not wheelchair accessible.
Hiker amenities: There is an information Kiosk at the trailhead. There were two porta potty restrooms at the parking area. There were no trash bins or water for hikers. Hikers are encouraged to register their hike with the University of New Hampshire, a phone number and email are posted at the information kiosk.
Length and Trail information: This hike was done as a double loop hike, which was moderate to hard and was approximately 6.7 miles in length. There were several different trails involved in our hike and each trail had its own colored trail blaze. The trails were well marked with engraved wooden signs at most junctions. The trail system is maintained by the Squam Lakes Conservation Society. The Old Bridle trail is marked by a yellow blaze and ascends up West Rattlesnake Mountain. The trail has several sections of well maintained steps bringing hikers through the mixed forest to a rocky ledge outcropping. The rock ledge is quite large and offers hikers a gorgeous panoramic view of Squam Lake below and Lake Winnipesaukee in the distance. The trail is a popular hike and many visitors do only this part as an out and back hike.
After enjoying the views and a short water break at the ledge we headed onto the Ridge trail. The Ridge Trail has a green trail blaze. This trail connects between the peaks of West and East Rattlesnake Mountains, so there is a descent down West Rattlesnake and then another ascent up East Rattlesnake. On East Rattlesnake we were able to enjoy another view of Squam Lake from another smaller rocky outcropping. We continued on to the East Rattlesnake Trail and headed toward the Five Finger Point Trail Loop. The descent was long and fairly steep, so your thighs will get a good workout and your big toes will be sore if you don't have the proper footwear. The trail was easy to follow and brought us to the Five Finger Point Loop Trail where we were able to rest and have lunch while enjoying the boat activity on the lakeshore. This area is a popular spot for boaters to pull in off of the lake. We saw several boaters pull into the cove, tie up to shore and enjoy some shore activities like swimming and fishing or just having a calm spot to have lunch away from other boat traffic.
After enjoying our visit to the Five Finger Point Natural Area, we headed around the loop, enjoying views of the lake and wishing we had worn bathing suits. We hiked toward the Pasture Trail which is short, but also very steep…a great cardio workout. The Pasture Trail connected us back to the Old Bridle Trail where we closed the second loop of our hike and headed back down the mountain to the parking lot.
This was a strenuous hike, but it had lots of beautiful views and was well worth the effort. Expect to have a lot of company on the popular trails. Bring lots of water and be prepared for some fun.
