Adventures on Mt. Avalon in Crawford Notch

I have now hiked up to Mt. Avalon twice. Once in early spring with snow still three feet high and now in early summer. Both have been enjoyable, though this time I didn't have to worry so much about ice in the steep parts. The trail to hike in the Avalon Trail and it trails up 1.3 miles before turning left another .5 miles to Mt. Avalon.
 The view is amazing! You can see Mt. Washington in the distance and on the other side the valley of Crawford Notch. I was very happy it was a sunny day and could see all over. There are boulders to sit and eat lunch as you glance around. Hiking was a round trip of about five hours with time to eat lunch and take pictures. If you haven't hiked Mt. Avalon, I would say put it on your To-do list for hikes in the White Mountains. Park below near the Crawford Depot.

Here are a few pictures of the adventure:

Mt. Washington in the distance

Crawford Notch Valley

Climbing up the boulders we ate on at the top

A small acquaintance we hiked into a long the path

Happy Hiking and enjoy the views this summer!!!

Trail Report: Avalon Tr, A-Z Tr, Mt. Tom, Crawford Notch

The starting point of the first trail is at the Crawford Deport in Crawford Notch. When we arrived at the parking it was full. During this time of year, this is a very popular place to hike so parking is limited. You can park on the edge of the road which we did. The great park though of coming later is the train that arrives at the station from North Conway bringing visitors.

I was on the trail side when taking this picture of the train when it stopped at the station. We headed up the trail which is called Avalon Trail. My stepson and I had hiked this trail to Mt. Avalon in the early spring. Great views from Avalon. As you travel up the path you will come across a sign that says Beecher and Pearl Cascades. You can take that trail around and it will lead you back to the main trail. There you will see two cascades.

After hiking up Avalon trial for 1.3 miles, we connected onto A-Z trail which brought us up to Mt. Tom Spur Trail. We had traveled 1.0 up on A-Z trail before connecting onto Mt. Tom Spur. At that point my stepson wanted a break, so we had a snack. That spot was a great resting stop, had a few logs to sit on and it was shady. Then we hiked up Mt. Tom Spur to see the view. There are two places to view the mountains around. Here are a few pictures I took:

There were some short trees to have to take pictures over, but I stood on the highest point. I have to say that it wasn't the best views but I still got some nice pictures. The hike all together was 5.6 miles. We hiked for about five hours, stopping a few times. Mt. Tom is 4051 feet, making it a 4000 footer!
Happy Hiking!

Trail Report: Hiking up Mt. Avalon

This past weekend was beautiful. The weather was in the 70's and there was a cool breeze! My stepson, Stitch and I decided we wanted to go hiking. I thought it would be a great idea to hike a trail we have never hiked before, so I check my map and decided on Mt. Avalon. Mt. Avalon is located in Crawford Notch. You can find the starting trail on route 302 near the Crawford Depot. You just park and walk over the tracks to the starting trail called Avalon Trail.
The trail was not to bad this time of year. The snow was still about four feet deep in most places but in the middle of the trail it was well packed down. The Trail in about 1.8 miles up to Mt. Avalon and the view was amazing! You can see all over. I loved the view of Mt. Washington from up on Mt. Avalon. On the way up or down you can also view Pearl Cascade and Beecher Cascade on a side trail loop. If you were to continue up Avalon Trail another 1.0 miles you would be at Mt. Field. I hope that I come to this spot again this summer and continue up to that Mountain. Here are some pics of the view and beauty of Mt. Avalon.

Cascade Beecher

This sign means you are very close at seeing beautiful views

The View from Mt. Avalon

The view of Mt. Washington from Mt. Avalon

Did you know that Mt. Avalon Trail was named by Moses F. Swetser, who thought the area's beauty rivaled that of King Arthur's fabled residence. I wonder if I start searching on the trail if I will find my own Sword and the Stone:)


Happy Hiking! Enjoy the Spring Hiking!