Trail Report: Cannon Mt, Kinsman Ridge Trail

Want to see views from the top of Cannon Mt. in Franconia Notch but don't want to take them tram? You can always hike the trail near by called Kinsman Ridge Trail which is a 2.0 miles to the top of the mountain. The trail starts at the Base Parking, you walk down a small construction road until you see a sign. The trail is not a rocky trail at first. It is mostly made of crushed small rocks, dirt, which can make the trail slippery on the way down. I fell once sliding, my stepson thought it was a fun ride! You hike past the slippery part to a more rocky area which then you can see the Echo Lake. The view is beautiful. Here are a few pictures of the start of the hike:

The starting sign for the trail

The trail on the way up, gravel rocks

The view of Echo Lake

Once you are about a little over half way to the top of Cannon Mt. there is a OUTLOOK, which you will see a sign for. There are some beautiful views. You are near cliffs so be safe when walking along them. I really enjoyed walking around and taking pictures. I am a bit of a daredevil so I did get as close as I could to any edge for pictures which made my party nervous for me. 
Here are some pictures taken on the Outlook:

The view at the Outllook

The view was so breathtaking that it was hard to leave!

Looking down at Highway 93 curving through the Notch!

Where I was standing at the Outlook to where my stepson and husband were, I was the closest to the edge

We continued up to the Lookout Tower after on Cannon Mt. There you will mix with travelers and people who came up on the tram. It gets a little crowded. You will also get some great views up there and see other views. I will say that it was a wonderful hike. My stepson gave it a 6 out of ten. He left it was a steep hike from the start for him. He wasn't into it as much as other hikes. He did enjoy the trail between the Outlook and the Rim Trail on top. You are out in the open more and you can see views along the way. The hike all together was 4.0 miles. It took about four and half hours for us to do and enjoy the views. Cannon Mt. was also a 4000 footer, being 4077'
Hope you enjoyed the pictures and HAPPY HIKING!

Franconia Notch Mountains in Winter

I love taking adventures in Franconia Notch. This is such a great place to explore in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As my stepson and I ended one of our adventures through some trails in the Notch, we took a few pictures of the mountains on our way up the highway. Here are a few of the mountains saw along the way:

Cannon Mountain

Eagle Cliff/ Eagle Pass

 When you see this Cliff, many say it looks like a dog laying down.

There is a trail off of Ex 34B which I hope to do this summer

One of My Favorites: Mt Lincoln

Happy Hiking this Winter

...soon muddy Spring hiking will be here!:)

Franconia Notch: Basin and Cannon Mt.

So, after the snow storm New England had a few weeks ago, I went to see how Franconia Notch held up beginning of last week. I love snow, and it seemed that Franconia Notch got some, about 4 to 6 inches in some places. I decided to take my dog for a walk down to the Basin, which surprisingly didn't have as much snow as I thought. The trail was snowy but the water was flowing as normal. Here are a few pictures I took when I went to check out the Basin:

 See, water is flowing

 The Basin

our path was snowy and slushy,

matched my dog!:)

Then I wanted to see Mt. Cannon, so we drive up, parked on the other side, and I took

this shot. I have to say that I love it, the shadows and the snow, 

the way the trees where on both sides on the mountain. So beautiful.

This mountain is one that I want to hike next summer, 

It's about two miles up on the Kinsman Ridge Trail.
I want to see the view near Cannon Cliff.
I bet the views are beautiful from the trail!

Happy Hiking:)

The Franconia Ridge -BucketList- crossed off Part1

The Franconia Ridge

I have always wanted to hike the Ridge for years. I think my first hike up one of the mountains (Little Haystack) back in 2004 and saw the ridge. From then on, I wanted to hike across this beautiful ridge, but I didn't want to go alone. This year I made friends with someone who wanted to hike this Ridge as well, and we had planned for a month now that we were going to hike this ridge before winter set in. On Oct. 10th, we we set to this adventure in the white mountains. I was so excited that I missed Lafayette Place parking, I had to go all the way around to try again, this time not missing the turn. 

We headed up a path that lead to this sign:

This sign is at the head of the Trail we started up .2miles which then splits by a small bridge. We went up the Old Bridle Path to get to GreenLeaf Hut. GreenLeaf Hut was 2.7 miles after the split near a small bridge.

Heading up the Old Bridge Path was easy at the start for about a mile or so, then after you make the corner near the Walker Cascades it starts to become a steeper hike. Though I would say that I found this trail to be a nice trail to hike up, very open and not rocky. After another .7 miles is when we could start seeing views. There were many stops along the way to the Hut where we found ourselves stopping and taking pictures. Here are a few of those pictures:

 Our first view on the Trail...I loved seeing the clouds roll over the mountains

 I had to take a picture of the Ridge we were going up,
the green arrow is the way

we are going to get to the Hut

 The view of Cannon Mountain (Cliff) from the Trail

I love this picture. This group was always near us along our adventure.

We called them the sixteen candles,
for the group had sixteen people and theblasted through the trails.
What a great view to stop and take a break at though:)

After trailing the Old Bridle Path for more then two hours, we came upon the GreenLeaf Hut. It was near a lake called Eagle Lake. This is the hut as we came upon it:

Happy Hiking

Next Blog: The GreenLeaf Hut, Greenleaf Trail and Mt. Lafayette

Four AMC Huts I would like to stay at in the White Mountains

Four AMC Huts that I would love to stay at 

in the White Mountains

1. The first AMC Hut I would love to stay at next summer would have to be the Lakes of the Clouds AMC Hut. When I hike up to Mt. Washington I enjoy taking the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail so that I hike right up to this AMC Hut first. This wonderful AMC Hut is right by the two Lakes of the Clouds and have a beautiful view of the Mount. Washington Valley. I would love to wake up to a lovely sunrise at the Hut. I bet it is so beautiful. The Hut is right near Mt. Monroe and only about a mile from Mt. Washington. In side the Hut is a lovely eating area, rooms with bunk beds, and restrooms. Here is a picture of what the hut looks like and location:

2. Lonesome Lake AMC Hut would be another great place I would love to stay in when I hike next summer. It's right by Lonesome lake and you can see a beautiful mountain view of Cannon Mt. I also love that the bunk beds are in another building where there are separate rooms. The restroom is also in another building away from the sleeping rooms, and the place to grab some food is in another building a little higher up where you can see outside at the view. Then there is a place to eat and relax down by the lake. Last time I can up this Hut was packed, and many were swimming at the lake. Here is a picture of this hut:

3. One AMC Hut that I want to stay at, but never had a chance to see yet, would be Greenleaf Hut. This is right near Mt. Lafayette and the Franconia Ridge. I have only heard such great reviews about this hut and how wonderful it is to stay at in the summer months. I would be able to stay and do the Ridge which I want to do. I want to hike all the five Mountains in one day. It would be a great way to do all five. 

4. The Madison AMC Hut would be the other great hut to stay at in the White Mountains. It's was just remodeled this year and when I up to check it out, it was wonderful inside. The restrooms were clean, the eating area was big and the sleeping area is located on the other side. I love how this hut is right near Mt. Madison and also not far from Mt. Adams. Plus it is near lake Star which is a very nice small lake. 

Here is a picture of this Hut:

These huts are prefect for families, couples, groups and individuals. You will need to call for reservations in order to stay at these huts. The number to call is 800-262-4455. Enjoy your stay:)

Bald Mt and Artist's Bluff in Franconia Notch

Bald Mt and Artist's Bluff 

For my Stepson's School Project, he wanted to do a hiking trip where he took the pictures. We checked out the maps and decided to go on the Bald Mt. and Artist's Bluff Adventure. If you want to do the Loop it's about 1 and 1/2 mile. We went back the way we came so it took us a little longer, about 2 miles in all. To get to this adventure, you need to get off Exit 34C in Franconia Notch, there are two different places to park on the side of the road on Route 18. We started near Bald Mt. We hiked up it first which was about .4 from where we started, the hike was easy, there were some steep parts when you get closer to the top. Young children should be very careful. Here is some pictures my stepson took:

This would be the steepest part of the hike up Bald Mt. 

Of course, our dog Stitch had the easiest time getting up there!

 Here we can see some of Franconia Notch and Cannon Mt.

Looking this way, we could see Mittersill Alpine Village and beautiful valley

After we had a snack, we headed back down. We then followed Bald Mt Artist's Bluff Path over to Artist's Bluff. This trail is easy and about .6 miles long. There is also a boulder that you can climb to see a view on the trail which my stepson loved. He loves to climb! I also climbed up it to see the view with Stitch our dog. 

Here is picture my stepson took when we made it over to Artist's Bluff:

You can see the Eagle's Cliff and the Highway 93 

Here is a picture I took of my stepson with a view behind him:

Behind him is Echo Lake and Cannon Mtn. 

After we stayed and look at the views around us, we went back the same way we came up. The adventure took us about three hours to do, and was very enjoyable. If you are up this way, you should check out this really easy and fun loop. Great for children and dogs!

Happy Hiking:)