If the little town of Stark, NH, is known for anything, it’s probably the fact that it was the location of a POW camp holding German soldiers during World War II. But if you’re ever in the area, you might consider two short devils-of-a-hike nearby.
Stark NH from Devil’s Slide
Looking east from Devil’s Slide
The first is Devil’s Slide, a cliff overlooking the town. The site is protected by the SPNHF in the Kauffmann Forest Preserve. Here’s a map to guide your way. From the map you can see that the trail is quite short, but it’s also pretty steep. The parking area is pretty hard to find – it’s south of the houses on Northside Road but the blazed trail is barely visible from the road. You’re really on your own here because there’s no guide rail, which of course makes it all the more exciting! But it’s not a hike for small kids.
The next is Devil’s Hopyard, a NH biodiversity site protected within the White Mountain National Forest. For some better photos and more about the biodiversity, click here. Access is by another short hike, this time from the South Pond Recreation Area, located just east of town. South Pond is a beautiful destination all in itself, but that’s another story.
Beach at South Pond Recreation Area
For Devil’s Hopyard just look for the trail at the south end of the beach. It’s 0.7 miles to the Hopyard trail and then another half mile or so to where the trail deadends. So figure 2.5 miles total if you go to the very end and back.
Inside Devil’s Hopyard – Yep! That’s the trail!
The Hopyard is one of those amazing boulder-filled ravines, similar to Ice Gulch in Randolph. In this case it’s quite wet and mossy, although nowhere near as challenging as Ice Gulch to hike.
There’s a stream below you as you hike, sometimes you see it, other times you can just hear it under the boulders. Finally you come to a spot where one wall of the ravine is a vertical cliff, where the trail eventually ends.
Near the end of Devil’s Hopyard
All in all, both Devil’s Slide and Devil’s Hopyard are fun hikes. Happy travels!
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