Blueberries and a quick path to a view are the hiker's reward
Lake Winnipesaukee is the view during blueberry picking at the Morse Preserve in Alton. Photo by Brenda Charpentier.
If you like blueberries, solitude, and hikes that are somewhat off the beaten path, then you’ll like the Morse Preserve in Alton, N.H. I say solitude because on the day that I visited it, there were cars all over the parking area for Mount Major, but almost none in the one for the Morse Preserve, more formally known as the Evelyn H. and Albert D. Morse Preserve.
Maybe this is because the Morse Preserve’s hike is, well, tiny compared to that of Mount Major. It’s not a challenging hike, and I’d recommend it to almost anyone. It starts off with a walk 200 feet from the parking area, at which point the hike gradually begins to get steeper as you walk through a field then find yourself on the bald, rocky top of Pine Mountain. The incline on the hike is negligible - nothing to truly be considered exhausting, but still noticeable.
I would recommend this as a perfect family activity for a few simple reasons. First, the hill is small enough that children should be able to scale it with ease. Second, the mountain comes with its own snacks. Namely, blueberries. Delicious, delicious blueberries. When you get to the top, I can’t recommend enough that you stop to pick blueberries. The trick to finding the best blueberries at the top is to look somewhat off the beaten path - if you’re lucky and look hard enough, you can find blueberries almost the size that you could find in the supermarket. Which is pretty impressive.
Overall, it’s a genuinely fun but incredibly short hike. You'll find directions and more information about the Morse Preserve here. Enjoy!
Blogger Isaac Rader of Conway is an English major at Mercyhurst University in Pennsylvania. He is volunteering for the Forest Society's communications department this summer.