Mount Major State Forest - Nature preserve in Alton Bay - Mt. Major Rock Fortress, USA

This is absolutely a spot you don't want to miss for family trail hiking. It's about 2 to 2.5 hours for a round trip if you pick the blue route. Personally, I would suggest the blue route rather than the yellow one. The blue route has a steeper ascending but shorter distance. Trail conditions are the same for both on sunny days. It's not recommended to pick the blue route on wet trail condition. We began our hiking at 7:30a and finished around 10:00a. You might encounter finding a parking spot if you come after 10:00a on a sunny weekend. The scenery on the top is really magnificent!! A++..

I had a great time with my friends. So much fun while walking. Well maintenance the route sign.

Took a hike on a Sunday afternoon with my 2 yr old dog, 6 yr old daughter, 10 yr old son, fiancé and myself- I am a smoker who walks approximately 3 miles daily. It took us about 5 hours, taking our time on the blue trail (straight up vs. Yellow trail which is longer due to winding around.) Blueberries were in season and covered the top! I recommend the yellow trail for beginners. Blue wasn't extreme but still challenging.

Other than a twisted ankle on the way down, lovely. Do not climb on foggy day. You will miss the spectacular view of the islands.

One of the best short hike views in the state of NH in my estimation. Family friendly and a quick back and forth in a couple of hours

Great visit as always. This is a great park and a great, family friendly hike. If you don't like steep, take the yellow and blue trail all the way around the side. If you want to get there quick, take the orange trail. This was my first visit in the winter and it was awesome. The trail was hard packed snow the whole way and was an easy climb with some spikes and poles. It's really different to see it in winter.

This was the fist mountain I hiked as a small child and have been coming back ever since. Yes, it's small. Yes, it's easy. You can be to the top in under 45 minutes easily while still stopping to enjoy some view points. It has a beautiful view from the top looking down at the lake and islands. Any time I was to test some new gear out in a close and easy well know place I come here. It can be over crowded so I recommend doing a sunrise hike to beat the crowds.

I do realize that Mount Major is the most visited Mountain in the Belknap range. And even though it has nice views from the top, I only give it a 4 because it's usually too crowded. Some of the trails are becoming quite eroded, not just due to weather but to the extreme amount of people that hike Mount Major on a daily basis. On this visit to the summit of Mount Major, it wasn't busy when I got to the top because it was raining and people were already on their way down. I went up the Boulder Loop Trail, which is blazed in Orange, and I came down the Jesus Valley Road - Beaver Pond Trail. That one is blazed in red and is not very heavily traveled. There is a parking lot at the end of the Jesus Valley Road Trail which I would have to rate as the easiest way to the summit, because it's a snowmobile trail most of the way. The Orange Trail requires some rock scrambling on eroded rocks, and gets quite slippery when it's wet. Mount Major State Forest consists of more than just the summit of Mount Major. For anyone wanting to explore the area at self, I would recommend taking some of the less traveled trails, like the Jesus Valley Road - Beaver Pond Trail. You will see things along those trails that you would not see from the more popular trails. Both trails are accessible from Mount Major parking lot, as the Beaver Pond section of the Red Trail intersects with Orange Trail. You can do a pretty decent loop hiking up the Orange Trail and down the Red Trail if you are not in a hurry, because taking the Red Trail all the way back to Mount Major parking lot is the long way around.