Concord-Manchester Area

Overview of the Concord-Manchester Metro Area Summits.

With all of the popularity of the White Mountains and Mount Monadnock it is often that this region is overlooked. Despite having small mountains and rock and hills that barely exceed 1200 feet at highest. There are some unique treasures in this region. Many of these peaks have unique views of the cities of Concord, Manchester or neighboring towns that sorround the region.

Rock Climbing and Bouldering

For Rock climbing Rock Rimmon is a great place. The Main Wall features climbs that vary from 5.5 to 5.12 and the granite on this rock make for decent hold. the eastern rocks away from the main summit make a great scrambling area. Thought the climbs are very small these scrambles make for great training on hard terrain. Rock Rimmon is also located in the heart of Manchester's west side and summit as well as the wall features dominating views of downtown Manchester and the Uncanoonucs.

Hiking

There a number of good summits in which to hike to in this metropolitan area. Oak Hill located just outside the Concord city limits offer great hiking opportunities with views on the western side toward Ragged Mountain and Mount Kearsarge to the north. There a fire tower on top of Oak Hill which is usually open from April to October during the weekday.

Catamount and Hall Mountain are also good summits in the area. Both are located in Bear Brook State Park. Views from these two summits are moderate and there is a fee to park by Catamount Hill but it would be hard to believe that you are within 20 miles of downtown Manchester. Out of the two mountains Catamount Hill has the better views.

Finally there are the Uncanoonacs, the largest summit in the region. These mountains greatly contrast each other with South Uncanoonac with all of the radio towers and North Uncanoonac being a much more natural summit. These mountains often are busy with hikers carrying large backpacks that are training for future expiditions. The trails here are the most challenging in the region which is great for training on off days or days with less time than normal to hike. Both Uncanoonacs have great views of downtown and can't be missed.

Mountains in the Region

The following is table of the summits in the Concord-Manchester Area.

North Uncanoonuc	1324
South Uncanoonuc	1317
Oak Hill	970
Hall Mountain	941
Catamount Hill	741
Federal Hill	690
Weston Observatory	540
Hooksett Pinnacle**	485
Rock Rimmon	450

Weather Links

Here are link to weather and Manchester with links to sourrounding areas.










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Weather Conditions and Gear

Weather Conditions is this region vary widely throughout the year. There is a saying in New England that if "you don't like the weather wait a minute". That can't be more in this region as well as most of New Hampshire. Weather is unpredictable. About the only thing you can depend on is that there not be snow in July and August and not be 100F temperatures in January and February. That saying, most weather is predictable and easy to judge if you looking at the weather forecast for the region.

In summer, spring and fall this region is easy to dress for, especially if you taking one of the many dayhikes in the region. Only essential hiking gear is needed with sturdy shoes and a jacket. Bug repellent is a must in this region due to the spread of the deadly Triple E and the West Nile Viruses in the region. In very early summer it is also Black Fly season. Black Flys bite with a vengance and can leave scars on your body for weeks unless you used a strong bug repellent. After the first frost bugs become less of a problem. Mud season is worst in the Uncanoonacs and Oak Hill where most areas are only minorly affected.

Winter in this region is the most unpredictable. On many of the smaller hikes you can get away without any snowshoes or crampons. However on Oak Hill, snowshoes become very useful after a heavy snowfall and with the Uncanoonucs it is advisable to bring either snowshoes, crampons or yaltraks. Check conditions prior to ascent before putting on the gear.

Under Construction

Right now I am in the beginning stages of set up this group page. I am open to any ideas onto improve this page. This is one of my first group pages so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much

-EK

Images

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