10 Summer Hikes to do at Ski Areas in New England

As the summer winds down and we turn to winter, its time for us to take a look back at one of our favorite activities to do at ski areas in the summer: hiking! Over the summer we have visited various resorts and experienced the different hiking terrain at each one. Here are our ten favorites!

1.       Stowe via Hasselton Trail

We’ll count this as Stowe but it’s technically Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont. The Hasselton Trail may be a little hard to find at the start but it takes you through the woods past some creeks where you eventually end up on the Nosedive trail. From there you connect with the Auto Road and then go right across the top of the mountain range following the Long Trail to the summit. The views off the summit are second to none offering Lake Champlain off the west side of the mountain and views of the valley and ski area off the east side. It is a longer hike so be prepared and enjoy the views on the way up. Sometimes there may even be snow at the top in October too!

2.       Killington via Trails C and J

With the building of the Superstar Express this is really the only way up to the summit. You will start in the Snowden Area of the mountain and work your way up on Great Northern trail to the catwalk. There are a ton of views of the ski area side on the way up but then once you get to J Trail you will be able to see all the way to Rutland and Pico’s summit.

3.       Wildcat via Polecat and Lynx Trails

This trail takes you up the ski trails Polecat and Lynx the entire way to the top. There is a section where you cross under the Tomcat Lift and the walk-up Lynx Lair gets a little steep but it’s not a long steep part. The views of Mount Washington are the best in the area and if you want to continue up past the ski trail, there is another viewing platform higher in the mountains.

4.       Loon via Brookway, Bear Claw, Sunset Loop Trails

Another one where the entire hike is on the ski trails, this is not really a steep one at all and at the top of the gondola there are a lot of amenities like bathrooms and viewing platforms. Once you get past that it is not far to the summit where you get a great view of Whaleback Mountain (not the ski area).

5.       Pleasant Mountain via Bald Peak Trail and Sue’s Way

Due to construction on the mountain, you can not hike directly up Pleasant Mountain but you can take the back way in. The trail is very rocky and gets skinny around Sue’s Way so be prepared for that and the views at the top are worth it. If you want to go see Mount Washington on a clear day walk to the top of Haggett’s (very close to the open area at the top) and take in the view from there instead of venturing around the ski trails.

6.       Jordan Peak at Sunday River via Beechnut Loop, Jordan Loop, B Trail

There is a lot of options here at Sunday River for hiking but we did Jordan Peak and it did not disappoint. Once you get out of the woods you end up on Lollapalooza and have stunning views of the surrounding area before reaching the top where you can will be next to the top terminal of the Jordan 8. We then walked a little into the Aurora Peak area and got to see more of the mountain which was nice before heading back down.

7.       Cranmore via Black Cap Trail, Cranmore Trail

For this hike, we did not start at the base of Cranmore. Instead, we went to the Black Cap Mountain trailhead which gave us the ability to hit two peaks that day but we will focus on Cranmore right now. The trails are very well kept and after you take the right to Cranmore you will be in a mountain biking area that is more active on weekends before reaching Cranmore’s summit. You can get great views of downtown North Conway and Moat Mountains from the deck of the Meister Hut or by going down just below it.

8.       Gunstock via Mount Rowe, Ridge Trail

This hike is a shorter one but still a fun one! Going up the Mount Rowe side first will be a little steep but once you reach that summit, it is more of a leisurely walk to the top of Gunstock where you will find viewing platforms where you get great views of Lake Winnipesaukee. If you want to change it up on the way down you can either keep doing the loop down the other side of the mountain or head down the Trigger trails.

9.       Sunapee via Summit Trail

This is a similar hike to Gunstock with great views of the lake and viewing platforms on the mountain. We typically like to go down Wingding a little where there are less people gathering and the view is still great. Just keep following the gravel trail to get there. There is also a restaurant at the summit that has bathrooms and you can even see Okemo in the distance.

10.   Okemo via Moose Treck Trail

First off, parking for this one is a little confusing. Usually, we park around the base of the Sunburst Six which is next to the trailhead. The hike is not a hard uphill one but it is pretty long and towards the top you do get to see some views. At the top you can either stay near the summit lodge which has food and viewing platforms go venture on down Buckhorn and Sundog to reach the firetower which offers great 360 views.