The Mountain Pond Loop Trail is a popular day hike located outside of Jackson, NH near the Maine/New Hampshire border. The site of a large pond, it’s popular with families as well as fisherman.
Just 2.7 miles long, the trail around Mountain Pond runs past one of the few remaining wooden lean-tos in the White Mountain National Forest. The gaps between the boards in this shelter are filled with oakum, a preparation of tarred fibre that was used to pack the joints in wooden vessels and timber planks. You can still see the fiber ropes between the interior walls of the shelter if you look closely.
Located in an area frequented by moose and bear, there’s a good chance that you’ll see wildlife at Mountain Pond, particularly in the early morning. Unlike other areas in the Whites, the forest around Mountain Pond is quite undeveloped with few hiking trails and no paved roads, making it a major wildlife transect for animals passing from the Wild River Wilderness to the Evans Notch Area and western Maine.
The home of trout and rainbow smelt, a New Hampshire fishing license is required to fish at the pond, which has a limited season that ends shortly after Columbus Day and lasts into April. Fisherman can fish anywhere on the pond or its outlet stream, which empties into nearby Slippery Brook, but motorized watercraft are not permitted.
While rocky and full of roots, the trail around the lake is easy to follow, although the outlet stream can be difficult to cross in high water. The best time to visit if you like great views is autumn, when the leaves are falling or down, and the views of the nearby Doubleheads or South Baldface open up. These peaks can only be clearly observed at certain locations on the far shores of the pond, but provide ample motivation for completing these delightful loop hike.
Total Distance: 2.7 miles with 50′ of elevation gain.
Recommended Guidebooks and Maps:
- Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain Guide, 31st ed.
- AMC White Mountain National Forest Map Set
- White Mountains Map: New Hampshire and Maine
About the author
I walked around a puddle in my back yard, there’s a sort of lean to next to a storage shed and I had sightings of a large, white, furry dog… but somehow it just wasn’t the same!
Looks like an easy walk. The thing that appeals to me about the location is that it’s a gateway to a large expanse of national forest without any trails. There are a bunch of interesting mountains though and streams, so a good place to explore with a fishing rod and compass!
Seems like a fantastic winter overnight destination. Does Slippery Brook Road close in winter or become a snow machine route?
Snowmobile access. This areas been closed since Irene and was just reopened this fall. A real gem.
Do you know if it is one of the Cold River Camp hikes?
It’s kind of out of the way for a CRC hike, requiring a long car shuttle since it’s about an 8 mile hike to the pond from camp. The camp likes to go to Province Pond instead which also has a shelter and is an easy drive from Evans Notch.
Of course, you can always ask one of the CRC hiking leaders to lead a trip there. I’ll be there week 3 of next season and would certainly consider it if you expressed an interest.
How far passed the gate on slippery brook trail is the pond? I see the road gets closed in the Winter. Could be a nice Winter hike, as someone else mentioned, if its not too far.
Me too! Please answer….
How far passed the gate on slippery brook trail is the pond? I see the road gets closed in the Winter. Could be a nice Winter hike, as someone else mentioned, if its not too far.
It’s 3.2 miles past the gate. The road was covered in ice (over some long-ish uphill stretches) in a few areas, so it took us a bit over an hour to reach the trailhead from the gate. It’ll be a gorgeous walk once the melt gets over with…shouldn’t be too long now.
Planning to walk around Mountain Pond later this month with a family group. Can anyone tell me the parking situation and how to find the trailhead starting from the Chatham end?
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whitemountain/recarea/?recid=74891
google is an amazing thing.
Any room for tents near the shelter mid-week? I prefer tents during black fly season (now).. Thanks.
I’m pretty sure the area is closed this summer for logging. Check with the forest service.