Cole Pond Winter Hike – New Hampshire

We’ve taken our 11-month old dog Baxter on the Cole Pond Trail multiple times over the past few months to get him used to hiking on a relatively short, easy (dog-friendly) trail. He’s probably still too young to take on the 4,000 footers of the White Mountains, so the hike to Cole Pond is a good way to give him some practice in the meantime. Last weekend, we took him on his first winter hike to the pond, and while he obviously couldn’t go for a swim like he’s accustomed to, the frozen pond was both scenic and highly entertaining.

Trail Summary

Distance: 1.8 miles (out and back)

Elevation Gain: 364 feet

Difficulty: Easy

Recommended Gear: Microspikes (snowshoes if there was a recent heavy snowfall)

Trail Map: AllTrails

Trailhead

Getting There

The trailhead is located on Bog Road in Enfield, NH. If you’re coming from Southern NH/Massachusetts, you’ll take Route 89-North before getting of on George’s Mill Road. You’ll then take 114 through West Springfield where you’ll bear right onto George Hill Road (not to be confused with George’s Mill). This will eventually take you to Bog Road where the trailhead is clearly marked on your left. If you’re coming from the Hanover, NH area you’ll take 89-South to Route 4A. Bog Road will be on your right and then the trailhead will be on your right on Bog Road. There is a small parking area near the trailhead but you can also very easily park along the road. The trail is located in the Henry Laramie Wildlife Management Area (called the Enfield Wildlife Management Area until 2011).

The Hike

The hike begins by immediately crossing over a stream via a small footbridge. In mid-December, the stream was partially frozen

Stream crossing at the trailhead

After crossing the footbridge, the trail winds through the woods, crossing a few more small streams and gaining 364 feet of elevation before reaching Cole Pond. On this particular day, the trail was covered in over 6 inches of well-packed snow and ice. The conditions were ideal for micro spikes and we definitely did not need snow shoes. Hiking in bare boots would have been fine for most of the trail except for some small stretches that were covered in a thick sheet of ice. You should expect the hike to take anywhere from 30 minutes – 1 hour one-way before reaching the pond. While there is a trail that goes most of the way around the perimeter of the pond, it quickly becomes overgrown and difficult to navigate through the dense bushes so we wouldn’t recommend attempting to complete the full lap around the pond.

Read More: Best Winter Hikes in New Hampshire

One of the stream crossings along the trail

When you get to the pond, you can follow the trail to the left along the shore before reaching the old chimney. Based on how cold it had been over the prior days and weeks, the ice was thick enough to walk on, and Baxter was in puppy heaven sliding around on the frozen surface. It should go without saying that you should always be certain that the ice is thick enough before venturing out onto the pond.

In his element

We love winter hiking because a hike you’ve done countless times in the summer takes on an entirely new character when blanketed in snow. Cole Pond is a nice easy winter hike for those who aren’t ready for anything more intense or for people like us with a puppy who’s just getting his winter hiking legs under him.

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