Honey Hill

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Length: 3.0 miles out-and-back

Difficulty (click for info): Easy

Elevation Gain: 460 feet (+90 feet on return)

Rating (click for info): 4/10

Elevation: 864'

Prominence: 247'

Driving Directions:
Trailhead and parking area are on Rt. 32 in Swanzey, NH. Look for a small pull-off on the west side of the road 1.9 miles south of the rotary in the center of town and 6.9 miles north of the junction with Rt. 111 in Richmond. The parking is between houses 975 and 981-983. House 975 is fairly new, and the trail skirts the edge of its side yard, formerly a large open field. A couple small signs will point the way to the trail. Click here for a Google map.

About the Hike:
This small round hill rises on the east side of Swanzey Lake, a recreational hub in a quiet and charming Monadnock Region town. Partially enclosed with town conservation property, Honey Hill attracts visitors with an easy mile and a half hiking trail leading to a summit with a nice view of Mt. Monadnock from a wide open clearing. It's an out-of-the-way place and offers a pleasant stroll through the woods in addition to the view. From the parking, walk uphill along the left edge of the lawn and bear left into the woods partway up at a sign. Follow the blue blazes uphill along a wide old road. The hike is uneventful for the first half mile as you follow the path underneath a dark hemlock canopy. As it reaches its height-of-land on the northern peak of Honey Hill, it veers left off of the old road and passes a sign indicating that you are now on private property, open to public recreation. It descends quite gradually, crossing one little seasonal stream, reaching a low point at the base of the main summit of Honey Hill after 0.4 miles. Just 0.1 miles, a sign indicates where the blue and yellow trails split. Bear left to stay on the blue trail, which is more direct and generally easier. The trail cuts across the slope, rising gradually for 0.2 miles, then makes a sharp switchback to the left. Climbing a bit more, it makes one more switchback and rejoins the yellow trail after another 0.1 miles. The trail makes another switchback, then meanders across a patchwork of bedrock until it arrives in the clearing on top of the hill after another 0.1 miles. The opening is filled with grasses and mosses, and a single wooden bench is perched in front of the best view. There are openings on all sides where you can peek through the trees, but the clearest view is to the east, where Mt. Monadnock is the only feature rising above the flat landscape.

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