The Wantastiquet-Monadnock Trail is one of the newest and lesser-known long distance trails in the Northeast, having only been completed in 2018.
But this 50-mile trail running from the border of Brattleboro, Vermont, all the way to Mount Monadnock, New Hampshire, features beautiful scenery and overnight shelters, and it’s sure to become a treasured trail among New England hikers.
The trail connects two prominent mountains in southwestern New Hampshire, beginning at the base of 1,368-foot Mount Wantastiquet in Hinsdale, New Hampshire and ending at Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.
Along the way, the Wantastiquet-Monadnock Trail passes through such scenic areas as Bear Mountain, Pisgah State Park, the Horatio Colony Preserve, the Cheshire Rail Trail, Gap Mountain Reservation and Madame Sherri Forest.
Hikers at the Dort Shelter on the Wantastiquet-Monadnock Trail. (WMT Coalition Photo)
The trail currently has three overnight shelters. The Dort Shelter is next to the Davis Hill Trail just outside the boundary of Pisgah State Park. It’s a three-sided Adirondack shelter that sleeps six to eight people, and it has an outhouse.
Another shelter, the Draper Campsite, is a short distance from the east side of Pisgah State Park. A third place to stay is the Troy Campsite, which is near High Street in Troy. Three tent sites are located here, and a privy is nearby.