Updated June 8, 2026
Milage: Varies depending on trail.
Difficulty: Easy
Cathedral of the Pines is located at 10 Hale Hill Road in Rindge, New Hampshire and is known for its open air cathedral and beautiful views of Mt. Monadnock. What many do not realize is there is so much more to Cathedral of the Pines.
There are several hiking trails and I have had the opportunity to explore a few of them. If you are planning on hiking I highly recommended looking at the trail map. From the parking lot there are two options to start on the trails. You can walk to the right of the cathedral and start on the trail to Grassy Pond. You can go to the left and go towards Produnk Trail or connect to another part of the Grassy Pond Trail.
The Podunk Trail starts to the left of the parking lot and continues going left until you cross the road and go into the woods following the blue trail blazers. This trail goes through the woods and along Emerson Pond. In the winter/spring months this trail can be muddy and wet.
Grassy Pond
The trail is pretty easy to follow and there are options to connect with other trails for a longer hike. When I did this hike it was about two miles.
Emerson Pond
When I walked the Grassy Pond Trail, I got a little off the trail. I started out to the right of the cathedral and followed the blue diamond trail markers through the woods. There was a couple splits in the trail and I thought I was following the map. The trail we were on came out to an old tote road. We took a left and followed it for about a quarter of a mile. We could see blue trail makers in the woods to our left so we climbed over the rock wall to walk the trail. From here the trail was easy to follow.
You walk along Grassy Pond. There is a spot with a two picnic tables is you wanted to pack a lunch to enjoy on the trail.
After the picnic tables to you continue to walk along the shore and then up into the woods. If you have children that like dinosaurs make sure you check out out the dinosaur egg rock. There are signs directing you towards it.
From here we walked back up to the cathedral. There is a little incline when heading back to the trailhead. This trail was a little over a mile and half.
In addition to the hiking trails there is a beautiful memorial garden area with an array of wildflowers, benches, a fountain and memorials.
The best part of Cathedral of the Pines is the amazing sunsets over Mt. Monadnock.
I have yet to attend a church service here, but it is on my to do list. Cathedral of the Pines is a great placed to visit for amazing views, beautiful gardens and easy and rewarding hiking trails. If you are looking for lunch while in the area check out Hireath Place in Rindge, their Ravenloaf Wrap is my favorite.
