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Family-Friendly Hikes near Manchester

The directory currently contains 116 quality-checked routes matching this guide near Manchester. Their average mapped distance is 2.0 km and average recorded ascent is 24 m (79 ft); the longest route in the set is 6.4 km.

This subset represents 73% of the 159 quality-checked routes near Manchester. Its average distance is 2.0 km, compared with 3.2 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 24 m (79 ft), versus 51 m (167 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set has the kid-friendly field set to true. Age, experience and current terrain still need an individual assessment. Within this set, 116 routes (100%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 22 (19%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

0.5 km

Summit Loop

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

0 m

Blue Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

2 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Wapack National Wildlife Refuge. Credit: Matt Poole/USFWS. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/USFWSNortheast Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/USFWSNortheast
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
10 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
26 m
Typical duration
36 min
  • River
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
57 min
  • River
  • Forest
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
10 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Typical duration
13 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Typical duration
14 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
6.4 km
/ 4.0 mi
Elevation gain
48 m
Typical duration
1 hr 24 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Typical duration
7 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
3.6 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
80 m
Typical duration
53 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
63 m
Typical duration
36 min
  • Mountain
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
11 m
Typical duration
7 min
  • Mountain
Horse Island
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
32 min
  • Waymarked route
Horse Island
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
42 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
15 m
Typical duration
23 min
  • Lake
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
47 m
Typical duration
24 min
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
29 m
Typical duration
57 min
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
29 m
Typical duration
39 min
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Typical duration
24 min
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
4.1 km
/ 2.5 mi
Typical duration
51 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
29 m
Typical duration
14 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
28 m
Typical duration
40 min
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Typical duration
25 min
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
3.5 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
20 m
Typical duration
45 min
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
22 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
10 m
Typical duration
15 min
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
97 m
Typical duration
25 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
22 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
37 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
17 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Typical duration
8 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
25 m
Typical duration
14 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
13 m
Typical duration
15 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
20 m
Typical duration
10 min
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
8 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
0.4 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
15 m
Typical duration
7 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
16 min
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Typical duration
14 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
9 min
Easy

New Hampshire · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Typical duration
7 min
Easy

Massachusetts · United States

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
58 min
  • Forest

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Summit LoopNew Hampshire0.5 km35 m10 minEasyApril to October
Little River TrailNew Hampshire2.7 km26 m36 minEasyApril to October
Sabine Woods LoopMassachusetts4.3 km35 m57 minEasyApril to October
Beech LoopNew Hampshire0.8 km9 m10 minEasyApril to October
Blue TrailNew Hampshire1.1 km0 m13 minEasyApril to October
Stadium TrailNew Hampshire1.1 km0 m14 minEasyApril to October
Sweet TrailNew Hampshire6.4 km48 m1 hr 24 minEasyApril to October
Falls TrailNew Hampshire0.5 km0 m7 minEasyApril to October
Yellow LoopMassachusetts3.6 km80 m53 minEasyApril to October
Groton Town Forest Race 3.4 Mile LoopMassachusetts5.2 km31 m1 hr 7 minEasyApril to October

Summit Loop, Little River Trail, Blue Trail currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

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