Moxham Mountain
Located in Minerva, the trailhead leading to Moxham Mountain begins out of a small parking area off of 14th Road and continues 2.7 miles to the 2,418 foot summit. The recently established trail up Moxham Mountain was laid out to minimize the steep uphills while trekking up the 1,152 ft. gain and optimize the scenic views along the way. From the summit, hikers can expect spectacular views of the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest as well as Gore Mountain standing front and center.
From the small parking lot (the Moxham Mountain sign is easy to spot), the trail immediately begins with an incline to the first overlook at the 0.6 mile point, a rocky area coated with moss that makes for a great first break spot. From here, the trail descends through a beautiful stand of birch and beech. The leaves that blanketed the ground painted the woods with a pretty yellow hue that made the white birches truly stand out. At the 1.0 mile point, the path crosses a small babbling stream peppered with moss-covered rocks. The stream flows from an old beaver pond that is easily spotted when there are no leaves on the trees.
Continuing upward, the trail winds through the woods with some large boulders. Soon after, the overlooks become more frequent and the trail follows the ridgeline, leading hikers across some exposed bedrock and at the 2.3 mile mark, to one of the best overlooks before reaching the summit. It is at this point that hikers first get great views of the Moxham Mountain cliffs. Following the ridgeline further toward the summit, the scenic views continue. Upon reaching the summit, hikers will find open rocks perfect for a picnic and taking in the views of Gore Mountain in front of them. We lucked out and had the summit to ourselves - a rare treasure. The sun came out and took a bit of the chill off of the day. Overall, the hike up Moxham Mountain is incredibly pleasant and not overly steep.
