Littleton: Discover Art, History and Trails

Littleton offers a variety of ways to plan your trip, from public art and local history to riverside trails and loop routes. The options vary in theme, length and trail conditions. You can decide whether you would rather pair your stay with a museum visit, a walk or a seasonal event.

Art and Local History

The Pollyanna sculpture is a lively bronze sculpture honoring Eleanor H. Porter, an author from Littleton. Downtown, you can take a selfie near the sculpture. The Littleton Gallery of the League of NH Craftsmen offers another way to experience art, displaying handcrafted items by craftspeople selected by the League. The sculpture brings a single literary reference to life; the gallery focuses on a selection of handcrafted works.

Local history is also on display at specific sites and in exhibitions. The Littleton Area Historical Society is located in the basement of the Historic Opera House/Town Building. Its museum features exhibits about the Saranac Glove Company and the Norton Pike abrasives factory, as well as war memorabilia and toys from earlier times. The topics range from businesses and factories to memorabilia and everyday objects.

The Littleton Area Historical Museum is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; additional opening hours may be available by appointment. Check the hours before your visit. This makes it easy to plan a museum visit, while the Historical Society’s collection offers its own perspective on the local history topics mentioned above.

Loop Trails, Riverwalk and Rail Trail

The Dells is a short, easy loop around Dells Pond. It has several picnic tables and grills. The Pine Hill Trails have a primary one-mile loop as well as several access points and spur trails. Comparing the options reveals different types of routes: a short loop around the pond or a designated main loop with additional spurs.

The Ammonoosuc Rail Trail is 19 miles long and runs between Woodsville and Littleton. Its terminus in Littleton is on Industrial Park Road. There is a parking lot for the trail there, south of Riverside Drive. It is considerably longer than the short loops around Dells Pond and the one-mile main loop of the Pine Hill Trails. Check for seasonal updates to parking information before planning your visit.

The Littleton Riverwalk features a gravel path with views of the Ammonoosuc River. On the Mill Street side, there is also a paved path and stopping points with river views. The Riverwalk therefore includes both a gravel path and a paved section with viewpoints. At Harmony Park, visitors can try the outdoor musical instruments, adding another outdoor activity to the trails and museum offerings.

Seasonal Offerings and Nearby Trails

On Sunday mornings from June through October, vendors at the Littleton Farmers Market sell fresh vegetables and fruit, locally produced organic meat, cheese, bread and baked goods. If the market is relevant to your trip planning, confirm the dates locally. At the Gathering of the Jack O’Lanterns, hundreds of carved pumpkins are placed on rocks in the Ammonoosuc River and along its banks and lit up one evening shortly before Halloween. Confirm the specific dates locally for this event as well.

The PRKR MTN Trails are located near Littleton. This community-built trail network includes more than 25 miles of trails, open year-round across 1,000 acres of land. Mountain biking, hiking, skiing and trail running are available there, along with groomed winter loops. These trails and activities add a larger network of trails near Littleton to the range of options in town. Whether you are interested in local history, river views, short loops or seasonal offerings, these topics provide different ways to plan your stay in Littleton.

Discover more destinations: Lebanon, Waterville Valley, Franconia, Ashland, Alexandria, Canaan, Bethlehem, Lyme.

For the broader travel overview: Grafton.