Garrison Hill Tower
| Date: | 11-27-2024 |
| Location: | Dover, NH |
| Distance: | .61 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 130′ |
| Total Time: | 34 min |
| Parking: | 10+ cars |
Turkey Day Eve. It was shaping up to be a beautiful afternoon. The low sun this time of year allows for some early golden light. I decided to take a drive and visit a couple of fire towers. So I started heading east toward Garrison Tower.
This is an easy tower to access. It is located at Garrison Hill Park in Dover, NH. You can also drive up to the tower. I saw there was a foot path so I choose to do the short walk up.
Parking was easy to find and there was tons of muddy room to park 10+ cars. There was a gate that said trail closed but that was meant for motorized vehicles.
As I walked in I saw another sign that said foot traffic stay to the right but the GPS said there was a trail a little further up. I realized afterwords this is also a winter sledding hill. And that sign was meant for the sledders. I may have to come back and try this hill. It looks fun.
I stared up the hill. It’s not long but very steady. As I climbed, I noticed several mountain bike trails. When I got to the top, I was surprised to see the trail ended at a guard rail I had to hop over.
I had reached the park, there was a nice community garden that was up there and as I walked a bit I saw a bunch of cell towers. I walked a little further and saw Garrison Tower. A beautiful green metal structure.
One thing that was unique about this tower is there is a look out deck halfway up the tower. Once at the top I soaked in the views and took some pictures. I’ve read that on a clear day you can see the Isles of Sholes and Mount Washington.
Neither was possible on this day but I could see out to Pawtuckaway State Park and up to the Belknap Mountains in the Lakes region and I could also see the Piscataqua River Bridge that takes you into Maine.
A few more pics and I made my way down. I started back toward the car, the same way I came up. This is a beautiful and unique tower. If it’s a nice day and you find yourself in Dover this is a fun place to check out.
