Mt. Hersey | 7/28/25

Isn't it great when you can combine a real-life event with a hike that's "on the way?" Yesterday I went to a friend's graduation party in Bristol and made a day out of it with a short hike. Hersey has made a name for itself as one of the mostly trailed 500 highest peaks with a view- rare for that list! Liz told me about it a few months ago, where it stayed in the back of my mind until I was looking for a way to wait out Sunday's I-93 traffic.

The 3.5-mile hike is somewhat trail-like in the way that it travels a class 6 road, grassy snowmobile trail, and then a real trail. While it tends to be clear where you should go, the blazes do not begin until halfway in at the New England Forestry Foundation property line on my map. That said, if you're bad at following a footpath, keep a GPS app handy!

Oh hi

I parked at the end of Carter Notch road at a small pull-off before the road goes Class 6. It seemed like people had driven it, but I'm glad I didn't, as there wouldn't have been anywhere to park where the route leaves the road around half a mile in. As the "trail" leaves the road, the brush is mighty high, and I began to understand why many of the prior reports I read were from the winter months. I got my shoes super wet on the brush and tripped over some branches right away. Thankfully, I ducked back into the woods shortly thereafter and travelled a wide snowmobile (?) path up until a big hill to the right where blazes begin at the lookers left. Either path goes up to the same point.

Space between the brush and the blazed

On the way up, I took a straight shot up the hill but opted for the blazed and switchbacked route coming down. From the top of the hill on, the real climb started. The yellow blazes ascended pleasant switchbacks and had a mostly dirt footpath, minus one quick cross of a rockfall.

Summit

Once I crested the summit, I took a look around the cabin, fire pit, and viewless view. Super cool up there! I hope to return for this quick hike in the winter months- already looking forward to no bugs and not needing to drink electrolytes 24/7.

Stats: 3.5 miles, 969 feet