Hiking Mount Prospect and Visiting Weeks State Park in New Hampshire
Mount Prospect is a part of Weeks State Park in Lancaster, NH. This mountain is a great day hike because it provides the option to either hike or drive to the summit. The landscape around the park is beautiful and the summit of Mount Prospect has a fire tower and museum for visitors to enjoy.
Continue reading this post about Mount Prospect for:
- Directions
- Parking
- Hiking
- Driving up the Mountain
- Summit
- John Wingate Weeks House Museum
- More about Weeks State Park
To read about other nearby activities in the area, including the brewery associated with this Views and Brews hike, check out my post 7 Things to do in Northern NH in One Weekend!
Directions to Mount Prospect
Mount Prospect is in northern New Hampshire in Lancaster, NH. To reach this mountain (or Weeks State Park in general) there are a couple different addresses you can put in:
304 Prospect Street
Lancaster, NH 03584
or
44.46135, -71.56949
Route 3 stems off of 93 which you will likely be driving on if you are driving north through the White Mountains. Route 3 then passes right through Whitefield and heads north towards Lancaster. If you are driving north on Route 3, the turn into the park will be on your right before you reach the town of Lancaster.
Passing the park entrance there is additional parking further down Route 3 (also on your right if you are driving north) at which you can access the Around the Mountain Loop Trail. Even further, you can turn right onto Reed Road and park to access both the Heritage Trail and the Old Carriage Road.
Parking for Mount Prospect
Immediately after turning into Weeks State Park there will be a parking option on your right. This is a small lot that a few cars can park in if visitors decide to hike in Weeks State Park or hike up to Mount Prospect rather than driving to the top.
The parking at the lower level is hard to miss and can be reached by following the same directions as provided above.
If you choose to drive up Mount Prospect to enjoy the summit views or visit the John Wingate Weeks House Museum, turn off of Route 3 and continue down the road (known as the Mount Prospect Scenic Byway) until reaching the top of the mountain. There is a large parking lot on top for guests to use and the ability to drive or hike up the mountain makes this park a great option for all skill levels.
There is additional parking at various viewpoints along the road to the summit as well. On a busy day visitors may have to park using one of these options and walk to the summit instead.
Hiking Mount Prospect
The common trail taken up to Mount Prospect is called the Around the Mountain Loop. There are a couple offshoots along this loop that bring you back to the road or direct you to the summit but for the most part the loop is the trail you will be walking on.
Around the Mountain Loop
The Around the Mountain Loop begins at the lower parking lot right inside the entrance to Weeks State Park. It it just about 3 miles long and goes around the base of Mount Prospect. There is very little elevation change, maybe a few hundred feet or so.
Overall this loop is a very nice walk through the woods in Weeks State Park. In fall and winter the trail is less defined due to the fallen leaves or snow on the ground but it is still easy to follow. This is an easy walking trail that fully loops back to the parking lot you started at.
The three junctions you will pass walking around the base of Mount Prospect are for Old Carriage Path, Davidge Path, and New Hampshire’s Heritage Trail.
Old Carriage Path
The Old Carriage Path, or Old Carriage Road as it also appears on the map, connects the Around the Mountain Loop to the summit of Mount Prospect. It connects to the auto road slightly below the summit so you will still have to walk up the road a bit, but this is the primary trail used to reach the summit if you are hiking on the loop.
The Old Carriage Path is 0.4 miles long and has an elevation change of around 380 ft which is much steeper than any portion of the trails you would have walked so far and was a little unexpected for my group. If you are hiking the Around the Mountain Loop counter-clockwise from the park entrance, the junction will appear after walking for about 2.2 miles. Hiking counter-clockwise and reaching the junction, you will turn left (head south) to reach Mount Prospect’s summit.
If you turn right at the junction and head north you will still be on the Old Carriage Road for 0.3 miles before reaching Reed Road, another area you can park at to enter Weeks State Park.
Davidge Path
The Davidge Path is a very short trail that connects the Around the Mountain Loop to the auto road. If hiking the Around the Mountain Loop counter-clockwise from the park entrance it is reached about 1 mile into the hike.
The Davide Path is only 0.25 miles long and has an elevation gain of about 150 feet. This is a quick ascent if you decide you don’t want to hike Mount Prospect through the woods or vice versa if you start by walking up the road and decide you’d rather finish the hike through the forest. There is also a viewpoint right near the junction in the woods so visitors walking up the road may decide to briefly descend into the woods to see the Franconia and Kinsman mountain ranges.
New Hampshire Heritage Trail
A small 1.3 mile portion of the New Hampshire Heritage Trail passes through Weeks State Park. The entire Heritage Trail is actually 230 miles and spans from Massachusetts to Canada. I could not actually find much online about the whole Heritage Trail but reading about it in Weeks State Park has certainly peaked my interest!
The New Hampshire Heritage Trail does not bring visitors to the summit of Mount Prospect but actually passes through the western side of Weeks State Park. From the north it can first be reached off of Reeds Road, but there are additional access points at the parking off Route 3 and the park entrance if hikers are trying to find this path.
There is a sign for the Heritage Trail on Reeds Road and this trail heads south into Weeks State Park following the Old Carriage Road. After 0.3 miles and 200+ ft elevation gain you will reach the junction with the Around the Mountain Loop. Turn right (head west) if you are coming south from Reeds Road to stay on the Heritage Trail.
The trail follows the Around the Mountain Loop for another 0.8 miles or so, passing by the parking off Route 3 and the parking at the park entrance. After just 0.1 miles past the park entrance, the Heritage Trail breaks off and continues going west, crossing Route 3.
Trail Stats:
Starting at the lower parking lot, walking the Around the Mountain Loop to the Old Carriage Road, and up to the summit, the trail stats are estimated below. I did not personally record these this time so numbers are based on reading the park map:
Mileage: 2.6mi
Elevation Gain: ~800ft
Date Hiked: October 3, 2020
Moving Time: ~1-1.5h
Parking:
304 Prospect St, Lancaster, NH 03584 or
44.46135, -71.56949
Your options after reaching the summit include hiking back the same way, hiking 0.4 miles down the Old Carriage Path and finishing the last 0.7 miles of the Around the Mountain Loop, or walking down the Mount Prospect Scenic Byway back to your car (which is about 1.5 miles). When I hiked Mount Prospect we chose to walk back down the auto road because it was easiest for my group and we got to enjoy the additional viewpoints along the way. The road itself was a gorgeous walk, especially in the fall, and I highly recommend.
To read about another short hike in New Hampshire with amazing views, check out the Neville Peak Loop trail in my post about Epsom, NH here!
Driving Up Mount Prospect
Taking the scenic byway to explore Weeks State Park is the quickest way to reach Mount Prospect’s summit. This is also the easiest route as anyone unable to complete the hike can still enjoy everything Weeks State Park has to offer. The auto road is open seasonally from June through October.
As one drives up the Mount Prospect Scenic Byway, there are both western and eastern viewpoints to pause and enjoy on the way to the summit. I recommend checking out each overlook since they face opposite directions and you will get to see completely different views at both.
If you drive up Mount Prospect, there will be a large parking lot on your right at the summit. You can’t miss it. The road to the summit is paved, well marked, and has signs so while it is a little bit windy it is a very easy drive.
Summit of Mount Prospect
Out of the car the summit of Mount Prospect is very open and easy to explore. If you hike up the Old Carriage Path, the trail will actually spit you out slightly below the summit and you will finish the hike on the road.
With the sweeping 360 views of mountains and lakes you will definitely want to make some time to relax on top of Mount Prospect. You can climb the firetower (which looks so cool and a little spooky!), explore the John Wingate Weeks House Museum, or walk the quarter mile nature trail loop. There are views in front of and behind the museum but the best are definitely at the top of the firetower.
Unfortunately the firetower wasn’t open to climb when I’ve visited but I’ve heard the views are amazing, possibly some of the best in northern NH. You can see parts of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, Vermont’s Green Mountains, and overlook the Connecticut River. The firetower looks like a cobblestone road that was turned into a building and I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before.
John Wingate Weeks House Museum
The John Wingate Weeks House Museum and surrounding area at the summit of Mount Prospect is a historic site in New Hampshire. John Wingate Weeks was a political figure in the early 1900’s and his children donated the 446 acre estate to New Hampshire in 1941. Weeks helped pass conservation legislation that has protected millions of acres of watersheds and forests.
The museum has information about the political history of John Wingate Weeks as well as Weeks family history. There is also an exhibit in the museum for the USS John W. Weeks (DD-701), a naval destroyer, for which most of the items displayed were donated from men who served on the ship. The museum offers tours to the public during its operating season from June through October.
More about Weeks State Park
Weeks State Park is primarily visited for people to enjoy the views and museum on Mount Prospect, but there are other activities to enjoy in the park as well. There are occasional nature programs, geo-caching, wildlife watching, and you can schedule group events as well.
The trails are also popular for snowmobilers, cross country skiers, and mountain bikers. Check the trails you’re interested in before heading out though as not all trails are compatible with all activities.
For more information about the operating schedule and fees in Weeks State Park, the history of the park, and to download a map of the trails in the park, visit the NH State Parks website here.
Thank you for reading and feel free to contact me with any questions! To check out all posts I’ve written about New Hampshire, click here.
