Hike Pat’s Peak in Henniker, NH
Have you ever hiked your local ski area? We recently decide to hike Pat’s Peak, our local ski area, and it was wonderful! Back in May, we needed to escape the house, but wanted to stay local and avoid the more popular (and crowded) trails. We were driving by the mountain one day and I realized what better place to hike in a pandemic? The ski trails are wide and there are many of them, so we could certainly be distanced from other hikers; moreover, the wide trails allow the kids to explore and have space to run.
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Before we hiked, I sent an email to Pat’s making sure that it was okay for us to hike. I suggest verifying that it is okay to hike your ski mountain before embarking on your adventure!
Pat’s is a smaller ski mountain, so it was a doable hike for Little Man’s first “big” hike out of the Osprey carrier. He was so excited to hike on his own!
We started off up the big grassy hill in front of the lodge, on our way to the trail shown on AllTrails.
We easily found the trail; it’s a wide dirt road that I am sure is used for maintenance vehicles in the off-season months.
Along the way, we got to investigate a snow gun; the kiddos (and Dad!) thought it was pretty cool to see one up close!
After walking for a bit on the road, we decided to hike up one of the ski trails. The kids were so excited because there was still snow on the hill!
Of course they had to hike up through the snow! L made it up just fine, but Little Man needed a little assistance from Dad. Thank goodness for waterproof hiking boots!
During our hike up, we saw a few toads and even a little snake near the summit! That definitely made me jump when I almost stepped on it!
Once we got to the summit, the kiddos checked out the ski trail sign to figure out which trail we hiked. It turned out that we did a blue square that L had skied a few times during her lessons!
We then took our obligatory summit pictures,
then found some rocks to sit on to enjoy our snacks and the view!
We decided to hike down using some green circle trails and enjoyed exploring the wood line.
L even found a little waterfall!
We found a little more snow to play in, as well.
Have I mentioned how much we loved hiking on the wide trails?
(How cute is L’s new backpack? She finally grew out of her old one, so we found her this great North Face Recon that she loves! Check it out here!)
We ended our hike over by the beginner hill, where Little Man and I spent a lot of time this winter. He thought it was so cool to see it without snow!
Check out this video to see what it looks like in winter and why we love the Pat’s Peak beginner area!
I am so happy that we decided to hike Pat’s Peak. It is a great, kid friendly, hike that wasn’t too busy. It is certainly going on our repeat list, especially since we can take different routes up and down the mountain.
Do you have any favorite ski mountains that you hike? Let me know in the comments!
I hope that your next adventure brings lots of smiles!
34 Comments
Taquia
How fun! We’re always looking for new things to do, especially in a pandemic. What a great idea!
Melissa
Thanks! We are always looking for new things to do, as well… we are definitely being more creative these days!
Jennifer
Looks like a fun family hiking activity. And, walk in the snow.
Melissa
The snow definitely made the hike even more fun!
Stacey Billingsley
What a cool idea! I’m not really by any ski mountains, but I know there are many hiking trails around me I haven’t done. I’m inspired to check some out. Your family is so adorable!
Melissa
Thank you!! 🙂 I hope you get the chance to hike on some of your local trails!
Leeanne
This is great. We love to hike up ski mountains too. We hiked and skied Killington. But I guess we need to do more. I love that you found snow.
Melissa
Good to know that you can hike Killington; we will have to try that one!
Tricia Snow
Hiking is where it is at this summer. I am glad to see people getting out and this looks like a cool spot! Thanks for the tip!
Melissa
Hiking definitely is the thing to do! We are avoiding some of our usual areas because they are so crowded, so this was a great option for us.
kmf
Such a perfect outdoor activity during these times. We have a ski hill close by and it’s used as a mountain bike trail and a synthetic snow slope.
Melissa
As I’ve looked into some of the other ski mountains, I’m seeing that quite a few have mountain bike trails. A synthetic snow slope is new though; that must be cool!
Sara
I love kid-friendly hikes. Looks like you guys had a great time.
Melissa
It was fun and a great hike for our 4 year old!
Leigh
What a cool idea! I never would have thought of hiking a ski trail during the summer. Brilliant idea and looks beautiful!
Melissa
Thank you!! It was luck that I thought of it as we drove by the mountain!
Carey
I love the view from the top of the mountain. We really enjoyed hiking as a family so I like to see easy hiking trails for kids.
Melissa
I was really fun to see the summer view from the top, especially since we always see it in winter!
Lisa Manderino
It is so cool to see snow in the summer. We love hiking in the mountains too!
Melissa
I have to say that the snow may have been the best part…
Missy
Yes, there is a local ski area in Flagstaff, Arizona that we like to hike. That snake did not look little. LOL Very cool that there was some snow to walk through.
Melissa
That sounds fun! I would love to hike out in AZ; your views are so different than ours!
Eva Keller
This looks like a great hike! I would’ve died being that close to a snake!
Melissa
It definitely made me jump at first! Luckily, we don’t have any poisonous snakes up here, so that helps make it less traumatic when you almost step on one!
Cindy
What a fun idea, to hike ski slopes! I don’t have any in my area but I’d love doing that too.
Melissa
Hopefully you will get the chance some day on a trip!
Barbara
I bet that view from the top was spectacular!
Melissa
It was really nice and also fun to see in a different season!
Cindy Mailhot
What great views! Looks like a great hike during a great time of year-between winter and spring!
Melissa
It was a great time – not too many bugs and not too much mud!
Michele
I have never thought about hiking a ski trail but that sounds like fun!
Melissa
It’s certainly a different option, but still a great adventure!
heather J jandrue
Great idea to use the ski resort for hiking. It looks like a great day.
Melissa
It is a perfect hike for social distancing and it’s always great to burn some energy outside!