Beyond the town of Gorham, N.H., the Androscoggin River flows eastward toward the Maine border. Along this corridor, a series of low mountains rise above the river’s north shore.

A 7-mile system of trails connects Mount Crag, Mount Cabot and Crow’s Nest, offering a day’s worth of easy hiking with scenic views over the wide river valley to the high peaks of the northern White Mountains.

Part of the fun of hiking these mountains is getting there.

I recommend driving up through Evans Notch or Pinkham Notch; either route lands you on Route 2. Follow it and cross the Androscoggin River at one of three points to get on North Road.

The trails are accessed from three trailheads along this road: Next to Philbrook Farm, Austin Brook and Gates Brook Road.

On my visit, I struck out from Austin Brook, which provides easy access to both Mount Crag and Mount Cabot.

Look for the small parking area directly across from a white rail fence and turnstile.

Pass through the turnstile on the Austin Brook Trail and follow blue blazes past a small pond and waterfall. At a four-way intersection, turn left onto the Yellow Trail, marked by, yes, yellow blazes.

After a dark hemlock grove, the path opens up into a pretty hardwood forest.

The trail climbs and swings around the north side of the hill, revealing views of Mount Success and the Mahoosuc Range.

Turning back to the south, the path tops out on the summit outcrop of Mount Crag (1,412 feet), with broad views up and down the river, and to Caribou and Speckled mountains and the Carter-Moriah Range.

The Presidential Range was obscured by clouds on my hike, but perhaps you’ll have better luck.

Retrace your steps back to the trail junction and head east to Mount Cabot, with more yellow blazes marking the way. Austin Brook and several woods roads are crossed en route. At a three-way junction, bear left on the Blue Trail. From here blue blazes guide you to an area of many paths and old roads.

Use care in this section, as blazing is infrequent.

Beyond, climb steadily on an old road. At a boundary marker painted blue and yellow, turn steeply uphill.

Just below the top, there are views to the east. The summit of Cabot (1,512 feet) is heavily wooded, but there is a wide, flat rock just right for a picnic lunch. And there’s an interesting stone wall enclosure as well.

The Red Trail descends steeply before leveling out for a good stretch of nice striding. Soon after, the Red and Yellow Trails merge and lead to the orange-blazed Wiggins Trail.

I passed up the side trail to the views at Wiggins Rock and Crow’s Nest — you may want to add them to your itinerary — opting instead to continue on the half-mile to North Road, where it was a quick 20-minute walk back to the car.

There are many other great short hikes in the area, like Mount Hayes, Dream Lake, Dryad Falls, Mount Surprise and the Roost; enough for an entire weekend of hiking and then some.

The only off-season camping option in this region of the White Mountain National Forest is at Barnes Field, just off Route 16 on Dolly Copp Road, 6 miles south of Gorham.

The campground is first-come, first-served and has 11 group sites, outhouses and water.

A $10 fee per car is charged, payable at the self-pay station.

On the way to Barnes Field is the Androscoggin Ranger District office, where you can get a wealth of useful information, like trail conditions, weather forecasts and the like. It’s open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Or call the office at 603-466-2713.

A gentle safety reminder: Hikers need to exercise extra caution on the late-season hiking trail.

“It gets dark earlier now, so get an early morning start,” said Tiffany Benna, national forest public affairs officer. “And be sure to carry a flashlight and extra food, water and warm clothing.”

Benna further advises hikers to watch their footing, keep an eye on the weather and let someone responsible know where you’re going and when you plan to return.

And now is a good time to review the hiker responsibility code and hike planning information at www.hikesafe.com,

a great resource developed by the White Mountain National Forest and New Hampshire Fish and Game.

 

Carey Kish of Bowdoin is a freelance writer and avid hiker. Send comments and hike suggestions to: MaineOutdoors@aol.com