QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 200 acres
- Trail Mileage: ~5.7 miles in network
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: moderate to challenging
- Sights: views!
The bump that makes up the 1,238-foot Mount Cutler rises over Hiram like a watchful sentry. This is a wonderful hike that can be varied — either short (and steep!), or longish (like two to three hours). I think the best time to hike here is at the height of fall foliage. Standing on the ledges, looking over town is like looking into a candy bowl of autumn colors. But this hike is really worth doing in any season.
Note: While the mountain is small, some of its trails have steep sections, with the steepest trail being the eroded Barnes Trail, which leaves from Mountain View Avenue, to the Front Ledges. The elevation gain is about 310 feet (and 570 feet if you continue to South View Ledge Trail.)
For the best hike, I recommend you start at the main parking lot off Hiram Hill Road, taking the North Trail to the Ridge Walk Trail, which follows a beautiful ridge with views of the Presidential Range. When North Trail meets Ridge Walk, turn east (go left), to the gorgeous South View Ledge, followed by the Front Ledges. Then you can cut back along White Flag Trail and return to the parking area. This is roughly 1.7 miles, according to my GPS.
For a longer hike, you can keep hiking west on the Ridge Walk trail, swinging below the true summit, which is on private land, and then head back toward town along the Saco Ridge Trail.
If you don’t have much time, you could start from the smaller of the two parking lots, off Mountain View Avenue. You’ll be confronted with a very steep but quick ascent up the Barnes Trail, which brings you to the closest of the viewpoints at Front Ledges, in about 0.4 miles.
Directions: There are two parking lots. The bigger of the two is off Hiram Hill Road, which also means you will skip the steepest of the trails on this mountain! From the Saco River Bridge in Hiram, turn right and drive 0.6 mile north on Route 113/5 (Pequawket Trail) to Hiram Hill Road on the left. After 0.2 miles, you’ll see the parking lot for Mount Cutler on the left. The secondary parking area is off Mountain View Avenue. To find it, take a left off the bridge, and then a right onto Mountain View Ave. After passing a couple of houses, the road turns left and you’ll see a small parking lot on the side of the railroad tracks.
Check out the summit pic (final one in the gallery below) by photographer Marc Beaulac! Among other subjects, he’s interested in capturing the beauty of mountain summits.
