Visited Arethusa Falls and the Willey House over the weekend

Hiked up to Arethusa Falls this weekend. It was beautiful as always. Its an easy hike. The road if off route 302 for parking. The trail is 1.5 miles to the falls. There is a side trail if you want to see Fawn Pool, Bemis Falls and Colliseum Falls. The side trail is called Bemis Brook Trail, it hooks back on to the main trail to see Arethusa Falls. Arethusa Falls is the tallest in NH, 176ft. This time of year there are many visitors.The Falls was crowded. It only takes about 45 mins to an hour to reach the top. The trail is well taken care of. If you want more of an adventure, after the Falls you could always hike over to Frankenstein Cliffs, which is another 1.5 miles away. There you can see a view of the Mountains. Here are a few pictures below.

If you look closely on the Xlarge picture of the Falls, you will notice a person on top. He hiked around the Falls and went on top. Not the safest thing to do but if you are daring and have no fear of heights, then you ca take a chance, I prefer to enjoy the Falls from below!

Then I went and had ice cream at the Willey House which is also located in Crawford Notch, up the road from the Falls. There is a pond on the other side of the road which has trails to follow and a pond. Here are a few pictures. After a great day hiking, a stop for ice cream is always a great idea!

The pond

The house with ice cream and gift shop

The baby fox that lives near by. He didn't mind his picture being taken.

Happy Hiking and enjoy some yummy ice cream when you can!!! :)

Arethusa Falls Crawford Notch, White Mountains

A Half Frozen Arethusa Falls

 Arethusa Falls, 1.5 miles up the trail off of Route 302. Great place for a starter hike to kick off my hiking season. The fall was beautiful peaking through the snow.

A Close Up to the Falls, the water was hitting me as I snapped the picture.

 Loved how close up I was able to get with the snow still packed on the ground and the thick ice underneath. Probably won't be like that much longer with the nice weather coming up.

 This picture is of my friend close to the falls. She went to get a picture of water rushing down under the snow, in the small open section. You can see her in the distance. It was awesome on how close one could get to the fall this time of year. In the summer, I can only get to the log that is going across at the bottom of the picture.

MT. WASHINGTON with snow on a bright sunny spring day!

Mt. Washington And Hotel

Closer picture of Mt. Washington

The Mt. Washington Hotel is getting a face lift right now. They have been working on the outside of the hotel and heard also fixing some of the inside as well.

Happy Hiking!

Trail Report: Ripley Falls - Crawford Notch

This trail report leaves off of my last blog on Monday with the Frankenstein Cliffs, we headed down the path to the a sign that was on The Arethusa Ripley Falls Trail and we had two ways to go...Arethusa Falls or Ripley Falls. I had seen Arethusa Falls last year so I wanted to head to Ripley Falls. From the sign it was 1.2 miles over to Ripley Falls. The trail was mostly flat, about .7 miles of the way ,but then it was a descend to get to Ripley Falls. Now Ripley Falls is the second largest waterfall in NH (approx. 100 ft). The fall was beautiful and worth the hike over to see it.
Here are my pictures of the Falls:

The sign to help you decide which way to hike

The top of Ripley Falls when coming down the trail

Ripley Falls from below near the pool

After the falls you can go back up the trail over to Arethusa Falls, and that will be 2.3 miles over, or you can take the Ripley Falls Trail and head over to Route 302 and walk the road. We decided to walk the road back to our car, which was 2.5 miles. Over all great hike!

The tracks you cross when going to the parking lot

Enjoy your hike in the White Mountains...Happy hiking!:)

Trail Report: Frankenstien Cliffs - Crawford Notch

Yesterday was Mother's Day and so I decided that for the day, I wanted to hike up Frankenstein Cliffs. I have always been very curious about the cliffs and why they were called Frankenstein Cliffs in the first place. It was named after an artist. There is a sign below in the valley that is on the Frankenstein Trestle. I have been to the parking area before for it's the same place you would park if you were hiking up to see the Arethusa Falls. This time we took the trail to the left instead of the trail up the road to the right.
This trail is .6 miles over to the Frankenstein Trestle. You cross under the tracks and then hike up the cliffs. The trail to the over cliffs is .7 miles and in some parts very steep. The cliffs you are hiking near are beautiful and very high. Once you hike up a ways you get to relax at the lower cliffs. There are some beautiful views of the Crawford Notch valley and mountains. The awesome part is that you can see the top of Arethusa Falls from the lower cliffs.
Then we headed up the trail to the Falcon Cliffs, but it was another .7 miles in and we decided to pass by the trail. If you do take that trail, it is said that you will have a great view of Mt. Washington. We headed to the top pf Frankenstein Cliffs where we were to see Mt. Washington and you can see it if you stand on a rock a little ways from the sign. I was a bit disappointed because the trees are grown so you can't see the view anymore. That trail was .8 miles and the elevation was 2531'.
Here are some pictures of the views and signs on the trail.

 The sign to follow to the Cliffs

 Frankenstein Trestle

 On the Tracks

The Cliffs when hiking up

 The view from lower cliffs

 The sign on top of Frankenstein Cliffs with no view

Next post will be Ripley Falls

Happy Hiking

Favorite Relax/Snack Spots in the White Mountains

While hiking, I can across many amazing spots this summer. I found them to be relaxing and I great place to take a break while hiking in the White Mountains. These spots where not just in one place but, I found a few is different sections of the White Mountains. I wanted to share a few of them with my hiking readers, so if you are hiking up a trail, you would know a place to enjoy a snack and relax for a few.

1. Shining Rock: this rock is found in Franconia Notch. This summer I found myself twice going out on it and relaxing as I enjoyed a beautiful view. The first time, my friend and I came across this place, many hikers where enjoying it. There is a few streams that come down the rock, which makes it shine in the sun. It is a great place to relax and enjoy a snack. You can find the Shining Rock off Falling Waters Trail.

Shining Rock

2. Cascades on Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail: These cascades are so beautiful. They are off the trail, of about .1 miles down but worth going to see. I just loved seeing them. There were a few places to sit and just watch the water flow down mountain. My friend and I, were very happy we took the time to see these cascades. These cascades are found in the Presidential Range, hiking up Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail.

The Cascades

3. If you are on your way to see Arethusa Falls, don't forget to check out Coliseum and Bemis Falls as well. I took my mom up to see the tallest waterfall in NH, but at the same time, we went on Bemis Brk. Tr. to see the other falls and loved them. It was also great for my dog, for he got to drink water and relax along the way. They are so amazing to see, I loved the rock formations. It was like someone put slate down to make an ancient site. Next time you are in Crawford Notch, it's a must see and wonderful place to relax and take a break at!

Bemis Falls

4. The Air Line Trail is wonderful. I love it every time I hike up to Mt. Madison. When you get up past the trees, all you have an views! Lots of them. They are all around you and so amazing to look at. I always stop to take pictures and rest. So, if you are ever on the Air Line, take your time, enjoy the views around you and stop to take a break. It's worth it! Can hike the Air Line off of Route 2.

On the Air Line

5. Lake of the Clouds: These are two lakes up near Mt. Washington. They are right next to the Lakes of the Clouds Hut between Mt. Monroe and Mt. Washington. When I have hiked up Mt. Washington, I enjoy seeing these Lakes. They are very beautiful and still. Very relaxing to sit next to and enjoy the view of the valley below. The second lake on the way up has the most beautiful view of Mt. Washington and Ammonoosuc Ravine. 

Lakes of the Clouds..lake 2

6. One other place I enjoy relaxing by is Lonesome lake. This lake is so beautiful and has some wonderful views of the mountains near by. I have seen hikers also swimming in the lake and have a spot with tables to eat at. There are five different trails that lead to Lonesome lake so it's a great resting spot. Can find this lake in Franconia Notch.

Lonesome Lake

Well, here is just a few spots I enjoy relaxing at while hiking

in the White Mountains.

Happy Hiking:)

Arethusa Falls in Crawford Notch

Arethusa Falls

Arethusa Falls is the highest waterfall in New Hampshire. It's approx. height is 176ft. There are a few way to get to the falls. I was with my mother on this hiking trip, so you got off of Route 302 at the parking near Arethusa Falls Trail. At the parking site they do ask for donations, you just put the amount you

would like to give in an envelope. 

Now when you start the trail you can head straight up to the Arethusa Falls, or you can take a small side trail called Bemis Brook Trail. This trail will then meet up again with Arethusa Falls Trail. On this small trail you can see the Fawn Pool, Bemis Falls, and Coliseum Falls. Then its a straight up hill hike to meet with Arethusa Falls. The trail itself was not to hard, you can tell that many people hike this trail to see the falls. There are a few small foot bridges and foot path is wide. It's about 1.5 miles to get to Arethusa Falls, but it is worth the hike. It's so beautiful. I just loved the pictures I took along the way to the falls and the fall itself.

 The Trail sign that lets you know which way to go, 

Bemis Brook Trail or to the Arethusa Falls

 This was the Bemis falls, I loved it! The place looked like ancient ruins.

 The rocks where like slate and went in a curve with the water

flowing in the middle. It was beautiful.

This picture just didn't do the place justice at all. It is amazing 

close up. This is the Bemis Falls.

 This is Coliseum Falls. Again slate walls, and pools...beautiful!

 Arethusa Falls Trail has nice small walk bridges and stairs in some places.

This is Arethusa Falls. So breathtaking when you are up close and

can see it with your own eyes. I would recommend that if you have

sometime and near the Crawford Notch area, check this Fall out!

Can we say "Muddy Trail...."

Happy Hiking:)