Just to the west of Manchester, NH, lie two hills that you can’t help but notice as you pass through the east side of the city. Last night, at sunset, I found myself catching a wonderful view of them as I drove over roads sloping gently down to the west. In some spots, these bumps in the skyline were so perfectly framed by the surrounding buildings that I found myself tempted to keep driving towards them as they beckoned me out of the city. Fortunately, I got to do just that the day before.
The Bickford Trail on South Uncanoonuc
Unc 1 and Unc 2
These hills that I speak of are actually called mountains—the Uncanoonuc Mountains—rising up out of neighboring Goffstown. In the Manchester area, there’s not much in the way of anything to climb, but having these nearby is a great outlet when you don’t have time to tackle something bigger. And they deserve a little love. They’re good little mountains. Whenever I climb them, I almost feel a little sympathy for them—they seem like children who got left behind while their bigger cousins went up north to party.
The Native Americans who named them didn’t think of them as children, but as boobs. Coming from the Massachusett word kuncannowet, meaning “women’s breasts,” or “bosom,” it’s a funny and understandable reference when you see them from afar. As far as New Hampshire is concerned, it’s probably the most entertaining name of all the mountains, lakes, and towns retaining naming conventions assigned by America’s original inhabitants. Out of curiosity, I looked up how many places in New Hampshire have names inherited from Native American words, and I found this link. There are a lot of them, but honestly, it surprised me that the list wasn’t longer.
View of North Uncanoonuc descending South Uncanoonuc
South Uncanoonuc: Towers and Towers
Earlier this week I climbed South Uncanoonuc, which I don’t usually do. Its summit is covered in towers and doesn’t offer you much of a view during the summer and autumn months. You can get a little more of a view during the wintertime, but mostly you just see towers. Despite this, I felt like I’ve been neglecting South Uncanoonuc for too long and wanted to give it a look. (If you’re curious about what each tower is for, I found this blog that tells you about each one. You really can find anything on the internet!)
The Case of the Missing Mattress
Before setting out, I took a photo of the map at the trailhead, which is a customary step for me now. But the map did little to help. It didn’t align with the flow of the trails, and I found myself on a serpentine route along the Bickford Trail which didn’t seem to coincide with the map at all. But the trail was nice enough—for the most part. Early on, about .2 miles up the Link Trail, I did come to an intersection with a foam mattress lying off to the side of the trail, which was odd. I ran through the likely scenarios that would have brought it here and all of them seemed like too much work.
Maybe, I thought, someone wanted to throw it out but didn’t understand that the dump would take it for free. Or maybe someone was living out here for a while and they abandoned it. I also thought it entirely possible that some kids may have dragged it out here to do some flip work because they didn’t want their parents to know the dangerous routines they are up to (if you had a kid who can do a triple backflip on a trampoline, you’d understand this notion). The only other possibility I can think of, which I came up with just now, is that maybe someone was using it as a catch pad for some bouldering in the area. But I didn’t see any boulders that would be worth climbing, so I’m going with it either coming from someone living out there or some kids doing flip work.
I know I’m not selling the place by posting this, but you never know what you’re going to find out there!
North vs. South
But mattress aside, the trails are good. And if you are stuck in the city and can’t drive far, I appreciate that the Uncanoonucs give you quick access to nature. If you’re going to pick one mountain over the other, though, I’d go with North Uncanoonuc, which is where I typically hike when I’m over there. There’s a direct route up the White Dot Trail, located just a little farther down from the main parking lot on Mountain Road, and the views are much better. You can see South Uncanoonuc with all its towers in the distance—its summit eye level with the North’s summit—as well as the city of Manchester lying low in the valley to the east.
At only 1,328 feet, North Uncanoonuc is a great training hike for bigger adventures. While seeking bigger mountains is the dream, having spaces like this when you’re closer to a more urban environment is key for our health and happiness, and the Uncs are a couple of good ones to keep in mind for New Hampshire explorers that are biding their time for grander schemes.
These images from North Uncanoonuc show the views near the summit.
New Hampshire’s Mountains
On this site, I usually share pictures and stories from different mountains in New Hampshire. I’ll share climbs from other states as well, but I live in New Hampshire, so the home base gets most of the love. If you want to check out other places to explore within NH and beyond, you can head over to In the Mountains for more. Enjoy it out there!
The White Dot Trail in Spring—North Uncanoonuc