By Marty Basch

The Green Hills are a North Conway area hike hidden in plain sight.

The rounded peaks stand out on the east side of outlet-strewn Route 16 and take hikers high over the roofs of those clothing, shoes and apparel stores while providing a stage for glorious Mount Washington Valley mountains and water ways.

And the trailhead is almost right in town.

Hike from town

The 4,200-acre preserve overseen by The Nature Conservancy is a rigid dichotomy next to the town's daily life.

The screams of a siren and the toot of a tourist train are not entirely drowned out by the bountiful red pine forests. Hikers drawn to vistas with nary a house or road may be hard-pressed to ramble upon these glorious hills, but as the leaves fall and temperatures plummet the low-lying peaks are a simple outdoor escape with a commanding horizon that includes rugged Mount Chocorua, the Moats and its ridge line, the snaking Saco River, tiny Pudding Pond and oblong Conway Lake with its islands.

So if the wife wants to do some outlet shopping,  be supportive. Before parting ways, set up a comfortable rendezvous spot for lunch.

Then head for the hills.

Start trekking

The hills are a ridge of small mountains adjacent to the White Mountain National Forest. Two of the mountains are without trails—1,260 foot Redstone Ledge and 1,580 foot Rattlesnake Mountain. But two of the mountains have ledge-loaded summits that afford those valley views.

Peaked Mountain is the more popular of the two summits, its 1,783 foot top readily reached after some steep pitches while 1,857 foot high Middle Mountain takes a bit more effort to conquer.

So why choose? Do both in a moderately difficult 5.6 mile circuit (Peaked Mountain Trail, Middle Mountain Connector Trail, and Middle Mountain Trail), that also uses two out-and-back ventures to reach each peak. The trails are blazed in blue, white and red.

Unlike the national forest, a recreation pass is not needed to park in the Thompson Road trailhead near North Conway Village.

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At the onset of the hike be cognizant of mountain bikers in the area looking to access the trails along the power lines, a pump track and well-liked Sticks and Stones. An information kiosk contains a register and maps.  The wide at the onset Peaked Mountain Trail is a pathway that leads to the mountain summit following an 1,100 foot—sometimes steep—climb. Woodpeckers were active. The trail was loaded with down pine needles and mottled leaves. Yellow, orange, red and green leaves hung on the trees before their brief, final flight. There was a musty scent in the air.

At a second kiosk, the trail steepens for a climb up to the rocky ledges and those first valley views. Some respite is found at a collection of ledges that look out to some ski trails at Cranmore before another push up through the pines and some more steeps to a trail junction where the Peaked summit is reached in .2 miles.

Linger there and take in that vista that includes Middle Mountain, nearby Black Cap and the vast valley. To the north is Mount Washington. Look for U-shaped Crawford Notch. Conway is below with homes of Bartlett off in the distance.

Mountain in the middle

Middle Mountain is the next stop by returning to that junction which has a false summit and then following the Middle Mountain Connector down a sag with its beech and oak that had a couple of downed trees.

The Middle Mountain Trail then leads over a brook and up to Middle Mountain with its ledges. There are several paths leading to ledges for lingering. Many of the views are the same, but not of Conway Lake in the south. While on Peaked, Middle Mountain blocks the view, but on Middle one of the largest lakes in the White Mountains is on display along with Maine's rippling landscape.

The Middle Mountain Trail descends and follows a small stream for a spell in an enchanting tapered ravine with its hemlocks and soft footing at times. Too soon, familiar terrain is reached along with that first kiosk. That's okay though. By hiking in the Green Hills hikers can get a broader perspective on a valley below and beyond that famous strip of shopping.

One Tank Away

North Conway is

*195 miles from Greenvile, Maine

*179 miles from Greenfield, Mass.

*97 miles from Greensboro, Vt.