Peaked Hill Pond: A Hidden Gem in the Whites

Small on crowds, big on serenity

On the last day of our anniversary trip in the Whites, my wife and I decided to do a hike that was on the road literally right next to where we staying at the Valley Brook Cottages in Thornton: Peaked Hill Pond. This little known trail is usually looked over by everyone skimming a map of the White Mountains, as it is out of the way of all the other main hiking areas in the notches. However, as we learned after our hike, if you happen to be in the area, this is one that's well worth the trip.

The trailhead was at the end of the aptly named Peaked Hill Pond Road. Since we were in an AWD SUV we were able to drive all the way to the metal gate that marks the start of the trail and park on the left-hand side. There was a parking area a little before where we parked for cars that can't handle the sandy, rough road at the end. It only adds a short bit to the hike and no real elevation gain at all.

From the gate we there were two paths to take, but thanks to the White Mountain Guide we knew to take the larger, more eroded/collapsed road on the left into the woods. This was the only part of the trail where we had to double check our heading, as the rest of the turns along the way were well marked, either by signs clearly stating "Peaked Hill Pond" with an arrow pointing onward or with diamond-shaped yellow signs with large arrows sending us the right way.

The trail was wide, dry and leaf covered the whole way. Aside from a couple stretches of elevation gain tending to the easy side of moderate, this trail was more of a walk in the woods than a hike. It was mostly flat with good footing the whole way to the pond.

Unnamed waterfall below the trail

After passing the first "Peaked Hill Pond" sign with an arrow, we heard the roar of a brook in the gorge-like area of the forest below us off to our right. Through the trees, we could see what looked like a pretty sizeable waterfall, so we ventured off trail, tumbled down into the rougher stuff, and came upon a magical cascade. There were two side-by-side that looked to be 15-20 ft. tall, making for an awesome off trail discovery. We were even more surprised to not see this waterfall listed in our insanely thorough New England Waterfalls book when we got home. It made us feel like grand explorers, discovering such a spot, haha!

As "Fall in New England" as fall in New England can get

We arrived at the pond to find a serene view of Peaked Hill over its namesake pond. The pond was still, peaceful, and quiet. The hill was at peak autumn color, and with a rich blue sky full of white puffy clouds behind it, it made for a quintessential New England setting. We were actually surprised to see two canoes on the shores when we arrived, which I found later are possibly used by adventure groups that make regular trips out to the pond. Other than that, it was a wonderful natural setting

If you are ever in the Thornton area, or want to find a trip to add on to other adventures to and from the Whites, I highly recommend this hike. It's a simple stroll that'll take you to a place where you can feel miles away from everything else. I can definitely see this being an add-on hike to one of my trips in the future.