Little Deer and Big Deer Hills, White Mountain National Forest

At this 4.5-mile trail network, you can do a moderate hike over the peaks of two Deer Hills for varied, beautiful views and terrain. Though there was visible logging work along the trail from Shell Pond Road to Big Deer Hill in 2024, overall this is a fabulous hike that appears to get very little hiking traffic. Of the two summits, Little Deer Hill (1,090 feet) has the more dramatic western-facing views. But Big Deer Hill (1,367 feet) offers views, too, and together, along with vistas from other open sections of trail, the hills expose you to a lot of beauty!

There are three trailheads for this system (I’ve only hiked two, which are marked on my map). The western trailhead can be found at the parking area for the Baldface loop, on Route 113 (which is closed in the winter). Scour the edge of the parking lot to find the trail and a yellow blaze on a tree. Additionally, you can start at a south trailhead that leaves from Shell Pond Road. (This road is also closed in the winter, according to Google maps. For access year-round, you can take a 1.2.mile connector trail, Leach Link Trail, which leaves Stone House Road.)

From the southern trailhead on Shell Pond Road: As of 2024, the 1.3-mile trail from Shell Pond Road to Big Deer Hill goes through an area of fairly intensive logging. The trail is still easy to follow, however. At 0.6 mile from the trailhead, you’ll reach a 0.1-mile spur on your right to Deer Hills Spring, a bubbling artesianal spring with a sandy bottom. From here you’ll hike steadily uphill before arriving at a little open ledge with a view. Carry on along the trail, which alternates between open ledge with views and woodsy sections, to the summit Big Deer Hill, with far-reaching views that include Shell Pond and Pleasant Mountain. From this point, we highly recommend heading over to Little Deer on a well-made, 0.7-mile trail that dips down before heading up again. A large downed tree with the middle cut out for the trail acts as the gateway to the Little Deer summit, which has stunning westerly views of North and South Baldface from open ledge. This is the best spot for your picnic!

From Little Deer you can either head toward Route 113 and do a longer loop, or cut the loop short by taking the Deer Hills Bypass. If you do this, you’ll reach a point soon after leaving the Little Deer summit where the trail bisects, with signs for the Frost Trail on the left and the Ledges Trail on the right your right. A sign warns about the steepness of the Ledges Trail. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the Ledges Trail, so we didn’t mark it on our map!

From the western trailhead on Route 113: Follow the path to a funky river crossing over the Cold River and to some beautiful pools to cool off your feet (if they require this treatment). Be careful here in high water. A few feet from the river, you’ll see a post that marks the border between New Hampshire and Maine. Follow the sign to Little Deer Hill, and continue on the trail for 0.4 miles to an intersection. You can take the 0.8-mile Deer Hill Bypass on the right, or continue straight on Deer Hills Trail for another 0.7 miles to the summit, which I recommend, returning via the bypass. From Little Hill, you can also continue on to Big Deer Hill.

Directions: Follow Route 113 either 17.5 miles north from Fryeburg or 12.5 miles south from Gilead, and look for the Baldface Circle Trailhead on the eastern side of the road. From here, the Deer Hill Connector trail links the parking lot with the Deer Hills Trail. Look for a yellow blaze and a trail at the eastern edge of the lot, sorta close to the port-o-lets. Alternatively, you can start at the trailhead on Shell Pond Road (Evergreen Valley Road). To get here, take Deer Hill Road (off of Route 113, south of the Baldface Circle parking lot). Look for the trailhead sign about 1.3 miles on the left. The road is wide enough so you can pull over and park on the side.