November 2015 – Virginia Trail Guide

Mount Monroe is the fourth tallest peak in New Hampshire’s Presidential range. You can hike to its summit from the valley floor – the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail is the most popular route – or you can make it an easy day hike by driving the auto road and starting from the summit of Mount Washington. This option makes a 3.8 mile hike with just 1,343 of climbing. It’s a laid back way to visit this area with minimal effort.

View the Full Album of Photos From This Hike

Mount Monroe Summit — Clouds cleared as we stood on the Mount Monroe summit. From the top of Monroe we could see the weather towers atop Washington.

Adam Says…

We hiked just about every day on our vacation, and hiking in the Adirondacks and the White Mountains usually involves tough climbs along granite-filled pathways. We wanted to do one of the mountains in the Presidential Range in New Hampshire, but our bodies were asking something easy. So, we decided to drive up to Mount Washington and hike down and over to Mount Monroe.

We got an early start to try and beat the traffic and crowds on the slow-going Mount Washington Auto Road. The drive up can be a harrowing experience. As you are skirting the edges of precipitous drops, you are praying that another car isn’t coming down the mountain (another reason to get an early start). The views are breathtaking on a clear day, but the driver may have to focus on the road more than the scenery.

Descending the Crawford Path — We made our way down the Crawford Path/AT from Mt. Washington. You can see the area is extremely popular on pleasant summer days. Below: Adam at the Crawford Path; One of the Lakes of the Clouds Croo members carries supplies; MWOBS equipment in the fog.

We found our way to the weather observatory building and found the white blaze which signified the Appalachian Trail (here called the Crawford Path). The fog was thick on the mountain as it often is. We made our way descending on the Crawford Path, following the cairns that guided us down a path off the summit. There are people that have gotten lost and died on this mountain and I can understand why. With limited visibility a person could easily miss a cairn. Add the high winds and quick weather changes and this can truly be a dangerous place. We had enough visibility to see the next cairn ahead and once we were off the highest parts of the mountains, we had better visibility of the trail. At .2 miles, we came to a sign that showed that we had 1.4 miles to the Lakes of the Clouds hut, one of several huts maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club.

The descent was very rocky and slow-going, but we managed to make it to Lakes of the Clouds fairly quickly. The fog had us completely socked in and we couldn’t even see Mount Monroe when we arrived. Lakes of the Clouds is probably our favorite of the huts in the White Mountains. The remoteness of the hut, the serenity of the mountain-top lakes, and the views of the valley and Mount Washington make this such an amazing experience. We ate some lunch inside the hut and decided to wait a while. We eventually got some glimpses of Mount Monroe from inside the hut. The clouds started to blow off somewhat. At one point, I told Christine that I thought we should make an attempt to reach the summit. My thought was if the clouds continued to blow, we may get a glimpse of views from the summit. So, we gathered our gear and hiked up in the fog. The wind had picked up, but we were hoping this was a good thing as it would carry some fog off with it.

Hut Comes into View — The hut comes into view. Below: Lakes of the Clouds Hut with Mount Monroe looming in the background; Christine arrives at the hut; Inside the hut… it was surprisingly uncrowded!

The hike up Mount Monroe was steep but only a short few tenths of a mile. We got to the top (the summit marker is only a small metal nub sticking up from a rock) and within minutes the clouds began to part and we got gorgeous views down below. We timed our trip perfectly and there was only two other people at the top. Our ability to see views for a while seemed to rotate in patches around the mountain as clouds continued to pass. It eventually opened up all around us and we were glad we made the break for it when we did. After taking an ample number of photos, we descended back to Lakes of the Clouds and then back up to Mount Washington. The fog got thicker again as we made our way back to the summit of Mount Washington. We posed for our ceremonious summit photo and then got back to our car to descend back down the mountain.

Christine Says…

Many people think a hike only counts if you start from the bottom of the mountain. Call me a cheater, but I don’t care! This summer, we took the auto road to the top of Mount Washington so we could enjoy exploring the alpine zone without doing all the work. In 2013, we hiked up the Ammonoosuc Ravine and on to the summit of Washington. On that trip, we skipped summiting Mount Monroe due to time constrictions. This trip gave us a chance to make up for what we missed!

Climbing Mt. Monroe — Adam makes his way up Mt. Monroe. Below: Climbing the mountainside; Tiny people perched on an outcropping; Christine near the summit.

All week long, we had been checking the MWOBS higher summits forecast. Thursday, August 7 looked like it would be the best chance – with clearing skies, calm winds, and warm temperatures. We paid our toll and made our way to the top. The auto road has been open since 1861 and climbs 4,618 feet over 7.6 miles. It’s a beautiful drive with great views for much of the way – only problem… we were in the clouds! Our clear day turned out to be not-so-clear at all! Every now and then, the veil would thin enough that we could make out the hulking shapes of Clay, Adams and Madison across the gulf.

We were both a little disappointed with the clouds, but you never know how the weather is going to change on Mount Washington. We pushed forward with hopes for clearing skies.

From the summit buildings, we looked for white blazes and found our way to the marker for the Crawford Path (which is also the Appalachian Trail in this part of the state). From there, we hiked 1.5 miles to Lakes of the Clouds Hut. The trail is all rocks and is marked with a combination of cairns and blazes. The clouds were so thick it was almost like walking through white cotton candy. The oddest part was the warmth and utter windlessness of the day. I’ve never been in the Presidentials on a dead calm day. I think the lack of a breeze was a big part of the reason the clouds were able to linger on the summits for such a long time.

Even in full cloud cover, the terrain of the mountain is incredibly beautiful! It feels almost other-worldly. Eventually, the clouds cleared enough that we could make out Lakes of the Clouds Hut in the distance. There were many, many people scrambling both up and down the mountain. It’s definitely earned the nickname ‘Lakes of the Crowds’. Adam and I decided to hang out in the hut for a while and see if we could outlast the clouds -they did seem to be thinning.

Lakes of the Clouds — The lake was even prettier on the hike back. Below: Climbing back up Mount Washington with Monroe in the background; Christine takes a final look back; The cog tracks at the Washington summit.

As we sat at one of the long tables, we saw the side of Mount Monroe emerge from the clouds. If we were going to get a view, our time was now! We made the short half-mile climb to the top of Monroe. Although the mountain is a short, easy climb from Lakes of the Clouds, it’s still New Hampshire’s fourth tallest peak at 5,384 feet. The summit was still in the clouds when we got to the top. But as we sat on the summit, a breeze picked up and within a matter of five minutes the view had completely opened.

We could see Mount Washington with the observatory towers on top. We saw Franklin and Pierce off in the distance. We could see the cog station and the grand Mount Washington Hotel. We could even see tiny hikers walking the Appalachian Trail below the summit. It was breathtaking!

After a while, the clouds started to filter back in. I was so grateful they opened for the briefest few minutes for us to enjoy! We made our way back down to the hut, which had emptied out of the crowds from just 45 minutes earlier. I guess everyone took advantage of the same opening in the weather! We snacked on cake made by the Croo and then set out to climb back up Mt. Washington.

On the way back up the mountain, the cotton candy clouds dropped over us once again. By the time we reached the top of Washington, they had partially cleared off again. We had our photo taken at the summit marker. We spent a little time in the summit building, too. Over the summer, they completely renovated the weather observatory museum. It’s really nice and spacious, but they took away a few of our favorite exhibits – including the funny video of people trying to eat breakfast in famous Mount Washington winds.

The high summits went in and out of the clouds all day, but I still think we chose the best day of the week to visit. Other days had thunderstorms and hail. Compared to that, passing cloud cover is no problem! All in all, we ended up hiking about 4 miles with 1,350 feet of climbing. It was a fun and easy way to visit a challenging mountain.

Trail Notes

Distance – 3.8 miles
(Check out the stats from Map My Hike)*
Elevation Change – 1343 feet
Difficulty – 3. The elevation isn’t too tough, but the rockiness of the terrain adds to the difficulty.
Trail Conditions – 2. Very rocky and many of the rocks are quite loose. You have to always watch your feet.
Views – 5. On a clear day, they are quite spectacular.
Waterfalls/streams – 0. Non-existent.
Wildlife – 1. You won’t see any wildlife above treeline here other than a few birds.
Ease to Navigate – 2.5. Marked down because you have to follow cairns and occasional blazes. This can be extremely tough in foggy or bad weather. On a clear day, this will be much easier.
Solitude – 2. In the summer, you will always find people along the trail. Mount Washington always attracts a lot of people. You will likely also find many people in Lakes of the Clouds.

Download a trail map (PDF)

Directions to trailhead: From Gorham, NH head south on NH-16 for 7.8 miles. Take a right to get on to the Mount Washington Auto Road. Pay at the gate (in 2015 was $28 per car and $8 for each additional passenger) and follow the road to the parking lot at the top. Coordinates: 44.269644, -71.302659

* MapMyHike is not necessarily accurate, as the GPS signal fades in and out – but it still provides some fun and interesting information.

Hedgehog Mountain (NH)

November 9, 2015September 4, 2018Leave a comment

Introductory Guide to Visiting the White Mountains

Hedgehog Mountain is tiny compared to most of its neighbors, but this 5-mile hike still packs in tons of scenery and great views. The ledges are also a super place to stuff your face with wild blueberries!

View the Full Album of Photos From This Hike

Christine Says…

After arriving in New Hampshire and hiking Mt. Major, we took a couple days off hiking to relax and spend time with family. The combination of daily hikes in New York paired with not sleeping or eating enough really wore me out. So we took it easy and did other fun things like exploring Franconia Notch State Park, paddling kayaks across quiet ponds, sampling craft beer at Schilling (Littleton, NH) and Long Trail (Bridgewater Corners, VT), and stuffing our faces with Cabot cheese and pastries from King Arthur Baking Company. By Wednesday, we were ready to hike again. Our second hike in New Hampshire was a repeat trip to visit beautiful Lonesome Lake. Our third hike was something entirely new – Hedgehog Mountain. It’s the most diminutive of New Hampshire’s ’52 With a View’ – a collection of the state’s nicest view hikes on mountains under 4,000 feet.

We started out the morning with a big breakfast at Polly’s Pancake Parlor. Then I went for a short paddle with my dad across and around Echo Lake. By 10:00 a.m., Adam and I were on our way across the mountains on the scenic Kancamagas Highway. We parked at the Downes Brook parking area and paid our $3 parking fee. The summit of Hedgehog is accessed by the UNH Loop Trail. The trail gets its name from an old University of New Hampshire forestry camp that operated at the mountain’s base from the mid-1940s until 1964.

Old Railroad Grade — A railroad used to run along this section of wide, flat, open trail. Below: Early in the hike we passed this clearing. The clearing work looked recent, but we’re not sure what’s planned for the land; Pretty forest along the trail; Everything was so shady and green.

There were just a few cars in the lot, so we knew we would have a relatively quiet hike. We decided to hike the loop clockwise, allowing a more gradual ascent followed by views of the Presidentials on the way down. The hike starts off along a lovely pine-shaded trail following the route of the old Swift River Railroad. The hike climbs gradually, passes a clearing, and soon reaches a sign indicating the beginning of the loop portion. We chose to turn left and cross the east ledges before reaching the summit.

For 1.2 miles we walked through a peaceful pine forest. The climb was steady, but quite gentle. There were roots and rocks, but they were always padded by fallen pine needles. As we hiked on, the route became steeper and rockier and eventually opened onto bare cliffsides and ledges with magnificent views of so many big mountains – the Tripyramids, Carrigain, Chocorua, and Passaconaway. Most of the ledges were wide and generous, but one section in particular was narrow and precipitous. There were blueberries growing everywhere! From the ledge, we could also see the last steep section of trail we had to climb to reach the summit. The ledges were definitely my favorite part of the hike!

The last bit of climbing to the Hedgehog summit was steep – definitely more challenging than I expected on this loop! At first we passed through a tangle of roots and boulders. The higher we climbed, the roots gave way to smooth granite slabs and boulders that required scrambling. I told Adam at one point that I was very tired of putting my knees down on granite! Granite gives me so many bruises. The actual summit had nice views, but (in my opinion) the view from the lower ledges had been nicer.

UNH Trail Rocks and Roots — The trail became more covered with rocks and roots as it climbed. Below: Christine climbs toward the ledges; Towering pines; Adam finally clears the woods to get our first views of the day.

Leaving the summit, we spied glimpses of the Presidentials off in the distance. Evidently, on clear days one can even see the weather observatory atop Mount Washington. We weren’t that lucky. The descent was much rougher and steeper than the climb up. I was really glad we had gone clockwise! On the way down, we took the short spur trail to Allen’s Ledge. The rocky outcropping offers a chance to take in a final sweeping view of many of the area’s bigger mountains. From Allen’s Ledge, the rest of the hike was a moderate descent back to the old railroad grade.

Over the course of the day, we only saw three small hiking groups. That’s great solitude for a nice summer day in the White Mountains! We would definitely recommend this hike if you’re looking for great views and don’t feel like tackling a 4,000-footer.

After the hike, we decided to drive into North Conway and look around the shops and have an early dinner at one of our favorite stops – Moat Mountain. They brew a nice selection of beers and have fantastic food. It was so tasty; I think I finished an entire half pound burger and all my fries!

Nice Views from the Ledges — Christine enjoys nice views from the ledges. Below: There were lots of slab of granite to traverse; In one place, the trail across the ledge was quite narrow; Walking across the ledges, you can see the rocky summit of Hedgehog Mountain.

Adam Says…

As Christine mentioned, we started our day off a little later than normal. It was a gloomy morning, with fog settled in. Since Polly’s Pancake Parlor and Echo Lake were quite a distance from our home base, we decided to take a separate car from her parents and take off on our hike after we had done our morning activities with them. When Christine and her dad went paddling earlier on Echo Lake, it was cold and there was a little bit of drizzle. I can’t swim so I don’t like being on a canoe or kayak. I was quite content to watch Christine and her dad go out paddling on the peaceful, yet foggy waters.

We were worried it wouldn’t warm up or be able to see the sun on our hike. Two things that hiking in New England has taught me is to be patient and be an opportunist. There have been a lot of hikes that we have done in the White Mountains that if you wait a few minutes, clouds may break. So, we took our time that morning knowing that our best chance of seeing views would be a little later in the day.

Wild Blueberries — The ledges of Hedgehog Mountain were covered with wild blueberries. Below: There was a wooded saddle between the ledges and the summit; The last bit of climbing to the summit was very steep and slick.

The trail started off very flat through a tunnel of pine trees. After a short distance, it takes a sharp right and begins to ascend. Within a few tenths of a mile, the trail crosses over with a clearing, but stay straight on the trail. The trail continues on an ascent, but the terrain wasn’t too difficult. With the morning activity of paddling, Christine bonked a bit so we paused to eat an energy bar before continuing onward. The trail became a little steeper and more narrow as we navigated through some interesting terrain with pine trees and granite steps. There were a few obstructed views along the way. The woods were so quiet it was eerie – we felt a bear would jump out at any minute in this deep wilderness. Eventually the trail became quite steep and rocky, leading to larger granite steps. The trail soon popped up to some gorgeous cliffside panoramic views. Not reading about this on trail reviews we found online we were quite surprised. We navigated the cliffsides, going back into woods for a short time before coming out onto a large shelf of granite. We spotted the summit above us, but below us were tons of blueberries. We picked a few and enjoyed the gorgeous mountain and valley views around us.

View from the Hedgehog Mountain Summit — The summit view was not as nice as the view from the ledges. Below: On the way down, we could see a glimpse of the Presidentials.

The trail ducks back into the woods and descends a short bit through some thick forest. There were blowdowns across the trail and the cobwebs were thick in places, making me think that many people don’t come on this section of trail to make it a loop. The trail then began to ascend again through some very steep and rocky sections, requiring us to pull ourselves up with our hands in a few areas. We finally reached the summit. We ate a snack, talking with a woman who had done much hiking in the Whites while enjoying some obstructed views from the summit. We both agreed that the views from below were more exceptional than the summit views.

As we were making a loop hike, we continued on and found another obstructed viewpoint to give you views of many of the Whites. As Christine mentioned, we couldn’t see the summit of Mount Washington but we could spot a few of the Presidential range in the distance. The return trip was quite steep and we were treated to a few views on the climb down, which you would likely miss if you did the loop in the opposite direction. On our descent, we found a small side trail that led to Allen’s Ledge. Allen’s Ledge also had some nicer views than the summit. We relaxed at this spot for a few minutes before rejoining the UNH trail and making our way back down the mountain. Before too long we had rejoined the loop where it split and returned to the parking area.

Steep Descent of Hedgehog Mountain — The descent of Hedgehog was quite a bit steeper than the climb up. Below: Allen’s Ledge; Eventually the descent leveled out.

While it isn’t as popular as some other hikes in the area, if you want some seclusion with great views, check out Hedgehog Mountain. We were pleasantly surprised at how gorgeous the views were and the interesting terrain along the trail makes this a rewarding hike.

Trail Notes

Distance – 5 miles
Elevation Change – 1312 feet
Difficulty – 3.5. There are a few steep, rocky sections, but most of the trail is gentle.
Trail Conditions – 3.5. The trail is adequately maintained, but expect lots of rocks and roots.
Views – 4. In Virginia, these views would warrant a 5, but there are even grander views in this area.
Waterfalls/streams – 0. None.
Wildlife – 2. Other than birds and squirrels, we didn’t see wildlife.
Ease to Navigate – 3. There were a couple tricky spots, like the clearing early on the trail, but generally this was an easy route to follow.
Solitude – 4. By White Mountains standards on a nice summer day, we enjoyed quite a bit of solitude on this hike

Download a trail map (PDF)

Directions to trailhead: From Interstate 93, take exit 32 (NH-112E). Follow NH-112E for 22 miles. Parking is on the right in the Downes Brook – Mount Potash lot. Parking Coordinates: 43.9960876,-71.3688126

Month: November 2015

Mount Monroe (NH)

Trail Notes

Download a trail map (PDF)

Hedgehog Mountain (NH)

Trail Notes

Download a trail map (PDF)