The Denmark Mountain Hikers climbed Mt. Roberts in Moultonborough, New Hampshire on Friday, February 27, 2026. Seven hikers gathered at the trailhead parking lot. Hiking today were Greg Moulton, Robin Marciello, Laura Sullivan, Pat Marchetti, Janet Arens, Linda Seiler, and Trudy Dunn with Willow, the energetic hiking dog.
Greg went to the Denmark church in the morning, but no one else showed up there. So, at 8:35 AM, he hit the road and picked up Robin enroute. At the trailhead parking lot, we met up with those who had driven directly there. We received a trail report from other hikers, indicating that the trail was well-packed, and would not require snowshoes. This was accurate, and we were fine with microspikes.
Temperatures were in the high teens at the beginning, rapidly rising into the 20s and 30s by the end of the hike. The sky was sunny, deep blue and virtually cloudless, a true “bluebird” hiking day. Later a few clouds filtered in, but it was still near-perfect winter hiking weather.
At 10:05 AM, we started out with a road walk from the parking lot to the start of the trail. Some of our group knew of a shortcut across a field, which we gratefully took before joining the Mt. Roberts Trail. The trail was indeed well-packed snow, though if you stepped off the trail, you could sink up to your knees. (Ask me how I know.) The first mile or so is mostly level or gradual. After that, there are gradual stretches interspersed with steeper sections. Nothing really tricky or treacherous, but enough to cause huffing and puffing for some of us. The trail ascends through open woods, including an interesting scrub oak forest. There were nice views south from open ledges, and views of surrounding hills through the bare trees.
At 12:00 noon, we reached the highest open ledge, with a beautiful view to the south, over Lake Winnipesaukee. This seems like the summit, though actually is 0.4 miles short of the true summit. At this point, three of us decided we were content with the view, and started back down. Four intrepid hikers, and Willow, headed for the summit.
Around 1:05 PM, we regrouped at one of the ledge viewpoints partway down, and were once again a gang of seven (plus Willow). The summit crew reported that there was a view north from the summit, including Mt. Washington and Chocorua, though restricted due to trees growing up. We all headed down at a good pace. On the way we took a short spur to a viewpoint to the west. There was a nice view of Red Hill, which many of us have climbed with the group in recent years. We continued down and arrived at the parking lot around 2:10 PM. A great hike on a beautiful day.
Next Week’s Hike:
March 6 Singlepole MT Paris, ME
Two trails ascend Singepole Mountain from opposite sides and meet just below the summit at an old granite quarry. The trail from Brett Hill follows a multi-use jeep road to the top, offering moderate grades and a wide sandy surface. The trail from Hall’s Pond is a narrow foot trail which travels around the pond and then switchbacks up the steep south face of Singepole, offering a more interesting and challenging climb. More details will follow later in the week as we check trail conditions and decide which route to take. There is a old quarry on top and in the summer there is opportunity for rock collectors to dig about but probably not in the winter.
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