Kearsarge South Sunset

After a few reschedules, I was able to meet up my friends Larua and Corey and their dogs for a sunset hike up Kearsarge South. We met up at Winslow State Park. There is plenty of parking at the trail head. When we arrived, there was no fee to enter but if you go during the day, there might be a charge.

Once we all got situated, we started up the Winslow trail. This is a short direct trail that goes up to the summit. It is only 1.1 miles long, but you climb over 1000’ feet in elevation. We kept a slow but steady pace going up.

Soon we got to the halfway rock on the trail. We deiced to take a few pics. We also noticed several small trail reroutes going up.

We kept climbing and got to the first viewpoint on the trail. There were some clouds off in the distance that looked a little dark, but the sun was out for now. So we took a few more pictures and continued up the rest of the trail. From here to the summit the elevation levels off a bit and there are a lot more granite slabs to climb.

At the summit there were a few other people up there for the sunset. We found a spot to take out packs off and have a snack. We took a few pictures. The temperature started to drop and there was a breeze, so I was glad I had my jacket with me.

I also had to fix my headlamp before the walk down. Fortunately, I had a fresh set of batteries in my first aid kit. After the sun went behind the clouds we started to make our way down. This time down the Barlow Trail.

This trail is a bit longer but more gradual going down. It also offers some beautiful views on the way down. It is nice to see the glowing lights from the houses below. Once we got back into the trees, I needed to take my jacket off again.

We continued down taking a break here and there when there was an opening with a view. Soon we were down to the lower level of the mountain and trail was fully in the woods. After a bit more hiking we made it to a small foot bridge across a stream. From here I knew we were close to the lot. After another 10 min we were back at the cars.

This hike will always be one of my favorite sunset hikes.