Hiking the Lone Oak Trail (Bath, NH)

In mid-March 2016, I did a hike to the exceptionally pleasant views that are available from the overlook at the end of the Lone Oak Trail.  This trail is just a stone's throw from the village center of Woodsville, NH.  But technically speaking, it's located on the outskirts of Bath, NH at the southern end of the long ridgeline of Gardner Mountain.

To provide a better idea as to this trail's course and its whereabouts, my GPS track for this hike is superimposed on the map shown below.

Although the Lone Oak Trail is only 0.8 mile (one way), there is a respectable elevation gain of about 700 feet over that short distance.  The trail is very well blazed, but you need to be mindful of a few abrupt turns along the route.  If you stop seeing blue blazing, then you might have strayed off the trail, and should consider backtracking.

This trail was made possible through a land conservation arrangement involving the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT) and the Lackie family who owns the land. The family decided to permanently protect this trail to ensure that the public would always be able to venture out to enjoy the spectacular views and serenity from the ledges high above the river valley.  Trail maintenance is being done by UVLT staff and volunteers.

There is limited parking at the trailhead.  It would be a tight squeeze for two cars.  However, about 0.2 mile east of the trailhead on Abbott Avenue, there is additional parking at a gravel pull-off on the south side of the road (GPScoordinates: 44.1565580, -72.0293620).

If this parking option is needed, it would involve a short roadwalk along lightly used Abbott Avenue, and would add 0.4 mile to the overall hike.

Seen below is a composite photo showing the map posted at trailhead (left panel), and the trailhead itself (right panel).

And so with no further ado, here are some snapshots taken on my hike.

The overlook at the end of the Lone Oak Trail provides a an expansive view overlooking Woodsville, NH, and onward down the Connecticut River valley with several notable mountains in the background such as Piermont, Cube, Smarts, Moose, etc.

From the overlook,  there is also a view of Mt. Moosilauke (upper left side of photo seen below).

At the time of year I did this hike, the leaves were still off the trees, and so there were also "seasonal views" of Mt. Moosilauke, as seen in the next photo.

Despite being mid-March in northern NH, conditions were definitely spring-like on the day of my hike. There wasn't a trace of ice or snow at any point along the route.

In keeping with the namesake for this destination, there is indeed a lone oak at the overlook where the Lone Oak Trail ends!

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