How to Spend One Day in Epsom, NH

Epsom, NH is one of the many small towns in southern New Hampshire. With a population of just under 5,000 residents, Epsom, NH is a short 30 minute drive east of Concord or 45 minutes to an hour drive northeast of Manchester. The area makes for an easy day trip if you are coming from one of New Hampshire’s bigger cities.

Get Outside in Epsom, NH

There is a wonderful town forest in Epsom, NH that I recommend everyone take a few hours to visit. From the parking lot I suggest taking one of the foot trails up to Neville Peak, over to Mill Pond, or both! While these are two great loops to check out, the town forest has other trails as well.

Parking

When I visited I chose to do the Neville Peak Loop and Mill Pond Trail in the Epsom, NH Town Forest. As it was mid-March, when I arrived the road was closed to the normal parking lot for the trail so I had to park back a ways on Mountain Road in alternative Town Forest Parking. The address to this parking lot is 76 Mountain Road Epsom, NH, or if you prefer coordinates: 43.20759, -71.30961.

The alternative parking site is very close (maybe a quarter mile) to the original parking so don’t be concerned about the added mileage to your hike.  The summer lot has many parking spots though whereas the winter lot only has about four or five. On this day in mid-March I almost didn’t get a spot due to the piled snow banks from the plows and others arriving earlier in the day.

Getting to the Trail

To reach the trail, turn right out of the town forest parking lot and continue down Mountain Road, passing a farm and some houses, until you reach a fork. Veer left (you will be walking right by someone’s driveway) and continue down the less maintained Tarleton Road until you get to the trailhead. There is a little mailbox at the trailhead with maps of the Epsom, NH Town Forest as well which I appreciated.

Neville Peak Loop consists of the Neville Ridge Scout Trail, the Neville Peak Trail, and some walking on Tarleton Road. To check out Mill Pond I also did the Mill Pond Trail and finished with the Mill Sluice Foot Trail to get back to Tarleton Road and then to my car.

See the route I took on my AllTrails recording here. Read about other hikes I’ve done this year on my Hiking page.

The Trail- Neville Peak Loop

I chose to do the loop clockwise and I would highly recommend this direction! The hardest part was at the beginning as this was pretty much all your elevation gain and the trail was less maintained. Starting up Neville Peak Loop there was a lot of blowdown from the winter so the route was actually quite hard to follow and I felt like three different directions at one time could be the trail.

This was surprisingly probably the most I’d ever gotten turned around on a trail. I ended up checking AllTrails quite a few times to double check my route. I didn’t worry about truly getting lost in such a small forest, but I did want to stay on track.

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 Using AllTrails

Sidenote: People will always argue about whether or not you should use AllTrails to find your way back to the trail. I would say always do your research, have a map and compass, and know where you’re going beforehand so you don’t have to blindly trust AllTrails, but I’ve definitely used the app in multiple situations and it has been very helpful as a resource to quickly glance at. Mileage and elevation aren’t always accurate, but I’ve found the recorded trails to be useful indicators for where I am at on my route. 

Tip: Save a trail to your favorites (the “Plan” section) so you don’t have to search for it when you lose service at the trailhead. I’ve always been able to record my hike this way without the pro version of AllTrails.

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Up here there were sweeping views in front of me, perfectly framed by trees on the left and right, like a snapshot of the land below. I stood enjoying the sun and the breeze, just happy to be outside! There was a ton of space to walk around, sit, enjoy a snack if you wanted to (it was a little too chilly for me this day), and relax after your climb. 

The summit is at 1,191ft elevation and it was very windy so I recommend bringing a layer if you wish to spend some time at the top. With the sun and summit to myself I couldn’t stop smiling and taking photos. You can see a lot of the White Mountains in the distance but I didn’t know that was what I was looking at at the time!

The Trail- Mill Pond Loop

Leaving this fantastic clearing and continuing the loop down Tarleton Road, the trail was completely different- much easier and completely open. In the summer this would take no time at all but in winter it was still very icy and slippery. It was very doable without the microspikes but putting them on probably would have made the descent a little more stable and quicker. 

I was a little tired heading back but I decided to still do the Mill Pond Loop as I had originally intended and I am so glad I did! It was very quick and there was a beautiful pond lookout! Seeing it frozen over felt like such a unique view.

The trail itself was way more snowy here, flat, through open woods, and less icy. It was easy to follow and I was in such good spirits from the sun. The good vibes made the short loop extremely enjoyable and it was the perfect end to the hike!

Where to Eat in Epsom, NH

While I didn’t stop for lunch in Epsom, NH this time, below is a list of local restaurants you can check out if you’re craving some good food after your hike! Note this is not a complete list of restaurants in the area.

• Country Cook’n at the Circle: comfort food 
• Epsom House of Pizza: pizza, subs, pasta
• New Happy Family Chinese Restaurant: Chinese food

Have a Drink in Epsom, NH

Though in March it was still a little chilly to be standing outside, my friends and I did try a couple beers and hang out on the lawn. And for a chilly day there were still lots of customers stopping by too, either joining us on the lawn or just picking up growlers.

I also spotted a very cute dog in the brewery that I later found out was Charley, the official brewdog. How cute! I think all breweries should have an official brewdog now… 

The Beer Variety

While Blasty Bough Brewing Co is small, something that stuck out to me was the great variety on their beer list. There was a mix of everything, not just a bunch of one style. I enjoyed their ability to experiment with different flavors and ingredients.

I had the Sugarmaker’s Bourbon Maple Porter and it had so much flavor! My friends tried the Jigs ‘n Reels Red which we also enjoyed but we didn’t spend enough time at the brewery to try all the unique flavors unfortunately. The man serving us was extremely friendly and helpful though so good service combined with a fresh outdoor experience, a cute dog, and a wonderful selection made Blasty Bough Brewing Co a terrific find in Epsom, NH from the Views and Brews list! I will gladly return here!

Stay the Night in Epsom, NH

Getaway Cabins

For those looking for a unique experience, when I was parking in the Epsom, NH Town Forest winter lot (the address and coordinates are above at the end of the Get Outside in Epsom, NH section), I noticed the lot shared parking with a business called Getaway. Curious, I looked them up and was pleasantly surprised to find unique cabin rentals in the small town of Epsom, NH! There were a few next to each other on a loop right off Mountain Road.

These cabins looked like such a cute, fun place to stay! Getaway primarily markets to those living in cities, offering unique rentals for those that want to get out of the city and experience nature for a bit. I loved the designs and couldn’t believe how many locations they had across the country considering I hadn’t heard of them before!

Such a cool spot for those wanting a rental away from Boston, Manchester, or for anyone else in the area wanting to try something different. I can only imagine how gorgeous the woods must be in autumn.

See the Epsom, NH Getaway cabins here.

Campgrounds

For those that enjoy camping I also found some local campgrounds that would be great options:

• Epsom Valley Campground
• Circle 9 Ranch Campground
• Lazy River Family Campground

More to do in Epsom, NH

For those with more time or those who have an interest in exploring the area more, I recommend checking out the other trails in the Epsom, NH Town Forest or stopping by other local businesses. The town site for Epsom, NH has a great list of businesses that you can check out here.

I only took a day trip to visit Epsom, NH and am so excited by my new trail and brewery discoveries, but I would love to return to try some local pizza and spend a night in a cabin in the woods. The small towns in New Hampshire always provide a little bit of everything so anyone can enjoy their time visiting! If you are interested in where else I have visited in the United States, check out my page here.

Comment below if you are able to check out Epsom, NH and what your favorite finds were!