Iron Mountain Trail is a 2.8 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Jackson, New Hampshire that offers the chance to see wildlife and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, nature trips, and bird watching and is best used from May until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Users have reported that the road leading to the trailhead can be difficult for 2WD vehicles.
From NH Rt 16 in Jackson take Green Hill Road to a small parking area on the right.
February 6, 2021It's odd that none of the posts about winter hiking note that you can't drive up to the trailhead. There's a parking area about a mile down Iron Mtn Rd for Jackson XC. You need to park there, walk 1 mi up the snowy access road, and then you arrive at the trailhead. The trail itself was pretty, but too snowed in for us to make it very far. We started around 1pm, and made a 2.3 mi round trip in about 1 hr. I found some skin tracks, so maybe it's a fun psuedo backcountry spot
January 19, 2021Did this back in 2019 when it was on the "52 with a view" list-it has since been removed for some reason. The climb to the top is short, but in 2019 was in awful condition, with some crazy erosion. I think the trail was once some sort of jeep road. You need to hike a good ways past the summit to get the best. You descend steadily at first, then becomes an easy glide into the woods. More evidence of moose activity here than humans. Enjoy the wide open ledges at the end!
January 1, 2021December 28, 2020We parked at large pull-out on right about 1/4 mile before the official (but often full) parking lot. Stunning white mountain view at start of trail. There are ups and downs on the full trail but the final view is great (and different than the one on the bottom- it is south facing). We went on to the iron mine which was interesting. 9 year old loved that the iron ore there was magnetic when we got home and checked.
November 29, 2020Quiet Blue bird day can’t ask for more.
November 28, 2020Great winter hike!
November 28, 20203.3 miles. First 0.6 is a bit boring and muddy and steady incline. There is a small lookout on the right that has a great view of Mount Washington. The next half mile, to what I assume was a fire tower at one time, was great. Not much of and incline. There is no view from the summit. Keep going past for about 0.6 miles. This trail is very pretty and has carines that to follow. Opens to a beautiful, large, flat summit. Short, easy hike.
November 28, 2020Went on November 27th 2020. started out at 11am out at 3, all trails app said 2.8 miles round trip I clocked it as 5.62 miles round trip. It was well worth the views were amazing. Can't wait to do this trail again
November 24, 2020Windy cold, icy in some spots but sunny with tremendous views from the southern ledge on a crisp clear early winter afternoon.
November 22, 2020Great hike. A bit more challenging than I anticipated, but certainly doable. Views are amazing and definitely worth it! Others have written it here, but worth repeating... after you have reached the top, you need to continue down the mountain for another 20 mins or so to reach the amazing lookout.
November 12, 2020Definitely a beautiful view at the end. We got a little confused at the wooden structure but luckily found something online that said to keep going even though it appears you’re going back down the mountain. The sign that’s there is worn and we couldn’t tell what it said. Definitely not recommended for inactive people who just want to do a short hike. It’s steady incline for the majority of the hike. Me and hubby are powerlifters, not hikers, but we made it ok but kept joking that we are definitely not hikers. THE VIEW IS WORTH IT! Also, as others said, the parking is very limited, maybe 6 cars at most. We went Tuesday morning at 9ish and saw no one until we headed back. It was perfect.
November 7, 2020November 5, 2020Great panoramic view at the end!
October 27, 2020Made the mistake of trying this with a very eager dog. Muddy, wet, and slippery when we went, but a pretty walk! Expect incline (should go without saying, but...)
October 18, 2020It is hike in the woods, with not much marking but pretty easy to navigate. It is definitely steep for the first mile or so, gets easier after that. view was gorgeous, and since the trail was hardly crowded, we had the entire top to ourselves for most parts of our 30 min break at the top.
October 14, 2020October 11, 2020Good hike for Sunday morning if you don’t want to get into some thing too difficult. Nice views and not crowded at all for 8:30 on a Sunday morning. Started seeing ppl on the way down though.
October 10, 2020Ok - so definitely a beautiful vista at the end but moderate? Borderline difficult if you take into account scaling rocks. It was enjoyable. Parking lot is small go early.
October 10, 2020Really hard. Beware.
October 6, 2020October 5, 2020Don’t be a big dumb idiot, you’re not the only person to think to hike this on a weekend. small parking. did a Monday hike at around 8:30am and didn’t see a soul. gorgeous at the top, even better views on the way back if you didn’t look behind you in the field.
October 4, 2020Great views
September 30, 2020Majority of the hike was a steady incline. Once at the wooden man-made table structure, keep going. It is a decline like you are going back down the mountain which can be confusing... but this leads to a breathtaking panoramic view of surrounding mountains. The pathway to the summit is narrow which really made me feel connected to nature and truly in the beautiful wilderness. Highly recommend.
