New Hampshire from Winslow State Park one of two state parks on its flanks

Mount Monadnock (3,165 feet) in southwestern New Hampshire has repeatedly been called "the second most climbed mountain in the world," which may be true or not (likely not), but it sounds good. But it is true that Monadnock sees a lot of climbers, especially on a sunny weekend in prime foliage season. (The web addresses for information on individual NH state parks are unwieldy, so go to www.nhstateparks.org. Most of the parks sites have a downloadable/printable hiking map.

Monadnock is popular for a couple of reasons. First it's a climb that most reasonably-fit people can do—yet still enough of a challenge that you feel like you've really accomplished something when you reach the summit.

Second, the summit is wide open, with 360-degree views that takes in all six New England states. Monadnock is really a lovely place. But there are many, many other, mountains to hike. Most of them are quieter than Monadnock. And many of them have rocky, bald summits which make great overlooks to see fall foliage from on high.

My son Justin and I recently climbed Mount Kearsarge in New Hampshire from Winslow State Park one of two state parks on its flanks. The other is Rollins State Park. From Rollins, it's a half-mile stroll to the summit. From Winslow, you have two trails to choose from: the Winslow trail which is pretty steep and 1.1 miles long, and the Barlow, more gentle but 1.8 miles long. Together they make a nice loop. There's also the 4.6 mile long Lincoln trail which starts on Kearsarge Valley Road near the golf course.