New England covers six different states and over 600 miles, safe to say there is a lot to see in this geographical region of the United States. I grew up in upstate New York, around the capital region, which I think is an honorary member of New England. However, many people would disagree with me. After looking on a map, I can see how people don’t agree with New York being a part of New England. Whereas, the other New England states truly are situated altogether in their own little space, that makes up a majority of the northeast.

Since I grew up with New England being my neighbor, I have traveled to all the 6 states a part of New England. Some I have been to for hiking, skiing, beaching, and city exploring. I will say, except for Mount Greylock, Massachusetts is best for beaches and relaxing, and city exploring in Boston. In addition, Connecticut and Rhode Island are great for beaches and city exploring in Westport, Newport and Providence. Lastly, Vermont is BEST for skiing/snowboarding. However, I would not recommend Vermont for hiking. The only hikes in my opinion, that are wroth hiking in Vermont are the Vermont 4,000 footers, along with some ski resort summit hikes. The Green Mountains just don’t have the views (apart from the Vermont 4,000 footers) that the White Mountains have.

Now, if you want GOOD hiking, go to New Hampshire and Maine in the White Mountains. Maine also has Acadia National Park, but those are more beginner hikes/nature walks. Thus, your BEST and most intense hiking will be in New Hampshire and the 14ers in Maine and Baxter State Park. This whole article will be about the best New England hikes, specifically in Maine and New Hampshire, because I think they have the best views and most worth while hikes.

In this article, you will read about New England hikes, New England hiking trails, New England hiking bucket list, New England hiking conditions, New England hikes with kids, New England hikes with a view, New England hikes scratch off, New England hiking groups, best New England hikes, best day hikes in New England, New England hiking trail conditions, New England hiking lists, New England hiking challenges, places to hike in New England, and more.

This article is all about New England hikes.

New England Hikes:

New England Hiking Conditions

The northeast is similar to the northwest pacific area in the US in terms of rain and mud. In the summers we can get a lot or a little rain depending on the year. The mountainous areas tend to see more rain. Which makes very muddy hiking trails. Also, depending on the hike and elevation gain, the base of the mountain can be sunny and warm while the summit can be experiencing snow. Thus, bringing layers is the best way to prepare when hiking these more difficult peaks. Also, New England sees a lot of humidity, so 75 degrees with high humidity can feel more like 90 degrees. Bringing a lot of water and water filters to refill when needed and bringing electrolight packets will help combat this. We also have a lot of bugs in the mountains, so deet s pray will be your best friend. I like to use these deet spray towels to combat the buggies.

On the flip side, in winter, we typically have very wet weather. It might be snow, it might be rain, it might be a mix, regardless, we get it all in the winter time. You really have to prepare for everything in the winter. Buying clothing with Gore-Tex will be your best friend and NOT purchasing or wearing ANY cotton clothing. If you are going to hike higher mountains in the winter make sure you have the appropriate gear, equipment with you, and experience. Things like snowshoes, micro spikes, crampons (for very high elevations with thick ice), ice picks, ski goggles (if negative degrees), snow pants, Gore-Tex hiking boots, Gore-Tex jacket, ski gloves, hat, balaclava, layers, extra layers, emergency blankets, and anything more that you will find here.

The Best Beginner Trails in New England

Finally, let’s get into the meat of this article, the best New England hikes. As the title of this section mentions, I will first list the best New England hikes for beginners. All of these hikes are good for children of any age and are dog friendly. Many of these hikes are located in either Acadia National Park or the White Mountains in New Hampshire. A good town to stay near Acadia National Park is Bar Harbor. However, I would stay in an AirBnB as all the hotels look quite expensive. Also, Lincoln is a great central location if hiking anywhere in New Hampshire.

Grand Falls – Dead River Township, ME
The Bubbles – Acadia National Park, ME
Beech Mountain – Acadia National Park, ME
Ocean Path Trail – Acadia National Park, ME
Jordan Pond Path – Acadia National Park, ME
Gorham Mountain – Acadia National Park, ME
Table Rock Trail Loop – Grafton Notch State Park, ME
Tower Hill Pond Loop – Candia, NH
Stonehouse Pond Overlook, Ledges & Lock Loop – Barrington, NH
The Rapids via Purgatory Brook Trail – Lyndeborough, NH
West Rattlesnake – West Rattlesnake Natural Area, NH
Artist Bluff – Franconia Notch State Park, NH
Franconia Falls Trail – Lincoln, NH
Mount Pemigewasset – Lincoln, NH
Magalloway Mountain – Pittsburg, NH

The Best Intermediate Hiking in New England

After, you complete some of the beginner hikes listed above and you enjoy them, I suggest hiking some hiking challenges. A good hiking challenge to start in New Hampshire is the 52 with a View hiking challenge. This is a great way to get in shape for the New Hampshire 48 Challenge (if interested). Most of these hikes are dog friendly, however, I would not bring any children under the age of 10 on any of these hikes because they are much longer in distance and have much higher elevation gains than the beginner hikes listed above. Here you can find where dogs are permitted in New Hampshire. Again, Lincoln is the best town to stay in New Hampshire for hiking. While, Bridgton, Bethel, and Kingfield are good hiking towns to stay in for hiking in Maine. You can find other great intermediate hikes in New Hampshire here and Maine hikes here.

Cadillac Mountain – Acadia National Park, ME (can also drive up this road, need reservations for, any age plus dog friendly)
Mount Greylock – Berkshires, MA (child and dog friendly)
Mount Kineo – Mount Kineo State Park, Greenville, ME (child and dog friendly)
Eagle Rock – Greenville, ME
Mount Willard – NH (good winter hike too, child and dog friendly))
Mount Cardigan – Orange, NH (child and dog friendly)
Mount Morgan – Squam Lakes Association Trail System, NH
Welch-Dickey Loop – White Mountain National Forest, NH
Potash Mountain – White Mountains National Forest, NH
Mount Avalon – White Mountains National Forest, NH
Mount Crawford – Presidential Range, NH
North & Middle Sugarloaf Trail – Jefferson, NH
Black Mountain – Bretton Woods, NH
Eyebrow Loop – Grafton Notch State Park, ME
Big Moose Mountain – Greenville, ME
Baldpate Mountain via Appalachian Trail – Grafton Notch State Park, ME
Mount Chocorua – White Mountains National Forest, NH
Jennings Peak – White Mountains National Forest, NH
Mount Osceola and East Osceola – Lincoln, NH

The Most Difficult New England Hikes

Most of these hikes listed below are located in either Baxter State Park or apart of the NH 48 Challenge. I will say, Baxter State Park takes a long time to drive to. Even from Portland, Maine, it’s about a 4 and a half hour drive. From Boston it’s about 6 and a half hours without traffic. If coming from New York, it will take about 10 hours without traffic. Thus, if you plan on hiking here, make it at least a week long trip because it will probably take you anywhere from 10-5 hours to get there. You can find even more difficult Maine hiking trails under the Baxter State Park section here. If you plan on hiking Mount Katahdin, in Baxter State Park, you will need to make a reservation.

On the other hand, New Hampshire is much more manageable of a drive. From Boston, most hikes in New Hampshire are at most 2 hours away. Thus, most of the hikes in New Hampshire make a great day hike from Boston. However, if coming from New York, it will take about 5 and a half hours without traffic to get to Lincoln. Again, I would take a couple days to stay in Lincoln if wanting to hike in New Hampshire. Lastly, none of these hikes are good for children under the age of 13 (if an experienced hiker) or dogs.

Spaulding Mountain – Carrabassett Valley, ME
Saddleback Mountain and the Horn – Rangeley, ME
Mount Abraham – Kingfield, ME
North & South Brother – Baxter State Park, ME
Baxter Peak – Baxter State Park, ME
Pamola via Helon Taylor Trail – Baxter State Park – ME
Hamlin Peak – Baxter State Park, ME
Katahdin – Baxter State Park, ME
Cannon Mountain & the Kinsmans – Franconia Notch State Park, NH
Tripyramids – White Mountains National Forest, NH
Mount Lafayette with Liberty, Flume, and Lincoln – Franconia Notch State Park, NH
Mount Zealand (can hike with Hale if completing the 48) – Pemigewassett Wilderness, NH
Pierce & Eisenhower – NH
Mount Isolation via Glen Boulder Trail – White Mountain National Forest, NH
Presidential Range – here is the best way to split it up, White Mountains National Forest, NH
Pemi Loop (includes the whole Lafayette peaks along with Mount Garfield, South Twin, Bond, and Bondcliff) – White Mountains National Forest, NH
Mount Bond, West Bond, and the Cliffs – White Mountains National Forest, NH

New England Hiking Challenges

There are many different hiking challenges within in New England. After you do some of the beginner hikes listed above, I would do some of the easier hikes a part of the New Hampshire’s 52 with a View challenge. This challenge is a great way to get into hiking shape and prepare (if interested) for the New Hampshire 48.

After you complete 52 with a View and the 48 4,000 Peaks, you can move on to even cooler and more intense challenges such as, the Terrifying 25, New England 67, New England 100 Highest, and the Northeast 115.

In addition, two really cool challenges in Maine are the Maine 4,000 footers and the Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit. The New England 67 also encompasses Maine peaks along with the New England 100 highest and the Northeast 115.

New England Hiking Groups

Lastly, if you plan on completing any of these challenges, you probably want some company along the way. Hiking groups and your local mountain club events are great ways to meet new people while hiking. Most mountain clubs have events for different day and thru hikes. The Appalachian Mountain Club, the White Mountain Chapter, creates many different group hikes that you can sign up for throughout the entire year, even in the winter. The Green Mountains have a similar club to this, the Green Mountain Club, where again, they plan events in the winter and summer that are not all hiking related.

You can also find some great hiking groups on Facebook, such as the NH 48 Hiking Buddies and many different women only hiking groups in the northeast, New Hampshire, and Maine. In addition, some other great Maine groups are Maine Outdoor Adventure Club, Women Who Hike, and more that you can find here. For New Hampshire, the Appalachian Mountain Club, the White Mountain Chapter, again, is great. Also, Meetup has some great groups such as, NH Hiking Group, and more that you can find here.

In Conclusion

And that wraps up our article about different New England hikes. I truly love hiking in the White Mountains and I hope if you hike any of the mountains listed above, you will understand why. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you get to hike some of these stunning mountains!

51 of the Best New England Hikes in the US