QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 800,000 acres, White Mountain Forest
- Trail Mileage: ~6.9 miles in network
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: moderate
- Sights: old mine, views, Lord Hill summit is 1,257 ft; Pine Hill is 1,250 ft.
The trail systems of Lord and Pine Hills are in blue; the neighboring preserve trails are in green.
This is a nifty trail network with two smallish summits with nice views. You can hike both of them via a satisfying 5-mile loop. Or, you can do just one. I think — and this is purely subjective! — that if you were to choose one, the Lord Hill hike is nicer than Pine Hill: better views, an interesting mine, a slightly easier hike. Pine Hill has some pretty steep trudges.
Lord Hill: From Shell Pond Road to the north (the road is closed in winter), the Horseshoe Pond Trail to the summit of Lord Hill is ~1.2 miles one way, with an elevation gain of 770 feet. From Old Deer Hill Road, it’s 2.2 miles one way, elevation gain 826 feet. Be sure to check out the old mine, about 0.1 miles from the summit. If you wanted to extend your walk, you could continue along the outer loop around the Lord Hill summit and back down to Shell Pond Road, a total mileage of about 4.3 miles.
Pine Hill: Starting from the west, from Old Deer Head Road, the trail is about 1.8 miles to the Pine Hill summit (1,252 feet, elevation gain 694 feet). The loop, if you skip Lord Hill, is about 4.1 miles.
Note: On Pine Tree trail, I marked on my map where it’s a bit easy to head down the wrong way.
Trails at a neighboring preserve, Bishop Cardinal, connect with the mountain trail network.
Directions: There are two trailheads — one for Lord Hill, the other for Pine Hill. To get to the one closer to Pine Hill, follow Route 113 either 16.8 miles north from Fryeburg or 13.2 miles south from Gilead. Turn onto Deer Hill Road, which is .7 miles south of the Baldface Circle Trailhead on the eastern side of the road. Take Deer Hill Road 1.5 miles (becomes Shell Pond Road/Evergreen Valley Road) and take a right (soon after the trailhead sign for Big Deer Hill on the left) onto a short connecting road, followed by a quick left. Park to the side of the road. From here, the hike begins by continuing down the road (which also leads to some houses).
To get to the Lord Hill trailhead, follow the directions above but continue along Shell Pond Road 3.1 miles to the trailhead on the right. It’s near Horseshoe Pond. Alternatively, from the east, take the West Stoneham Road from Route 5. Continue on Adams Road (becomes Shell Pond Road) for about 3.2 miles to reach the trailhead on the left.
