Trout Pond Trail

To find the trailhead, use GPS to find "Hardscrabble Lane" in Lyme, NH. You'll drive down the dirt road past houses/driveways. At the last set of driveways, the road will turn from a maintained dirt road into an unmaintained jeep road/doubletrack. Small sedans may have issues with this road due to emerging boulders. Keep going about 0.25 miles and there will be a parking lot/clearing with a blue sign that says "Trout Pond Forest". Park here and continue down the jeep road about 100 paces. The trail to Trout Pond will fit the bill if you are looking for an hour or two of solitude. The approximately one mile trail leads you through forests in between Demmick Hill to the south and an unnamed ridge to the north. The trail will be on your right after the parking area, marked by a 4ft wide boulder with "Trout Pond" painted on it. After passing the boulder and a boggy section with ferns, the trail becomes obvious (in summer). There are some muddy areas but no water crossings. It is mostly shaded, traveling through beautiful, quiet, wooded areas. It is an easy trail with little change in elevation, but the footing has lots of roots and small to medium rocks in places, making it a bit more difficult than it might seem. Toward the end of the trail, when you can see the pond through the trees, there is an area with lots of small boulders and the trail seems to disappear. Look for a small orange metal trail marker on a tree straight across the boulders. Other than a few more of these markers, the trail is not officially marked, but is easy to follow (in non-snow conditions). Once you reach the rocky shore, be sure to admire the views. Smarts Mountain looms large to the east, making this a scenic stop.