kjoyce4
Our Top Tips:
- Very Dog Friendly!
- Can be really crowded on weekends. Get there early to get a parking spot!
- Gradual and mostly shaded. There aren’t any scrambles that would be too tough for most pups.
Hike Basics
Length: 6.1 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,070ft.
Dog Friendly? Yes
Off Leash Friendly? Yes. Dogs must be under physical or voice command.
Look out for: An easier hike among the New Hampshire 48, but that can be deceiving. Make sure you and your dog are up for a 4+ hour hike.
Mount Osceola was Chloe and my first big hike in New Hampshire. With COVID and our recent move, we had only hiked a couple smaller mountains closer to out new home base.
This moderate 4,000 footer took us about 4-5 hours round trip. It had a moderate incline for most of the hike, with a couple steeper spots.
This was also the first hike we’ve done in White Mountain National forest, and while we’ve done plenty of off leash hikes, this was one of the best experiences I’ve had so far. Everyone was friendly and it really helped that Chloe was so excited to be outside that she was on her best behavior. We ran into one dog a couple times and as soon as the owner saw me, she asked if I could put Chloe on her leash because her dog was weird around other pups. I was so glad for the warning and more than happy to leash Chloe. I can not emphasize how much I appreciated a dog owner being up front about how their dog reacts to others. I would rather leash my dog than ever take a chance because I know Chloe’s trademark lab friendliness can be very overwhelming for other animals (and many small humans).
Overall, if you’re looking for a moderate hike and an easy 4,000 footer to check off you list, I would recommend this hike.
