A Hike To Lonesome Lake in June! Franconia Notch

 This weekend I hiked with a friend to Lonesome Lake in Franconia Notch. It's around 2.7 miles to the Lake from the Basin on Highway 93. The trail is easy, yet there are two places where you cross through Cascade Brook. You start at the Basin and follow Basin Cascade Trail to connecting to Cascade Brook Trail to Lonesome Lake. The view from the Lake is amazing! Many hike to enjoy the view or even go for a swim in the lake. The hut (Lonesome Lake AMC Hut) has an wonderful view as well if you ever want to stay. The hike was around 7 hours because we enjoyed lunch at the hut and hiked around the Lake which was almost another mile. If you ever wanted to hike and want to start easy, this is a great trail to start. You don't even have to go all the way to the Lake, you can also just stop at the top of the cascades. The top is about 1.1 miles from the Basin. Here are some pictures to show you the views from the Lake and around the Lake. 

The View from the Hut (Mt. Lafayette, Mt.Lincoln, Little Haystack)

The View from the other side of the Lake where you see the Hut

Mt. Cannon from the Lake

View from the porch of the upper Hut

My friend, her dogs and me at the Hut!

Happy Hiking!!! :) Enjoy your summer...in the Mountains!

Trail Report: Basin Cascaeds Tr/ Cascade Brook Tr./ Lonesome Lake

We started our hike at The Basin in Franconia Notch. There is enough parking and you don't have to pay to park. There is also parking on the other side and you cross under the road to get to the trail. At the same time you can also check out the Basin which is so beautiful in the summer. We started to head up the Basin Cascades Trail which is 1.1 miles long. There are some beautiful Falls to see, the Kinsman Falls and the Rocky Glen Falls.

Kinsman Falls

Rocky Glen Falls

After we past the falls we can across where the bridge is out. Last year we had a lot of rain in the New England that washed out roads and bridges. This bridge is still out and there is a sign that leads you to some rocks to cross the brook. You then are hiking up the Cascades Brook Trail for another .5 miles until you see a sign that tells you that you have .8 miles until you reach Lonesome Lake. the trail is very muddy and water sometimes runs in the trail when you get closer to the lake. We had on our H2O Bass shoes we got for some summer hiking. The water just runs through them and they dry quickly.

The sign to lets you know you have .8 miles to go

our awesome H20 Bass shoes

When we reached the lake, there were many hikers and visitors around. Many people come up to swim in the lake which seemed very cold to me, but you do get used to the temp after awhile. We took a break and ate at the Lonesome Lake Hut. It seemed they added a new addition on with some rooms. The trees were cut which gave a great view of the mountains.

The view of the mountains from the Lake

The newest addition with the view

The rooms in the newest addition

After we ate at the Lonesome Lake Hut we hiked around the lake which was fun. The lake is huge and you mostly walk on wood boards they put together to make a path. Its about .9 all the way around the pond and my stepson loved seeing the fish swimming in the lake and the salamanders.

Walking the planks...lol

The view on the other side of the lake

 The hike all together was great. It was 5.6 miles all together. It wasn't a hard hike. Mostly moderate and a mostly wet trail. Great for children! Happy Hiking:)

Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch this Spring

I just visited both Notches this week...Check out the Basin and the trails near by with my Stepson and Foster child this weekend in Franconia Notch ...plus check out the Cascades in Crawford Notch with my foster child this past Monday. The Rivers and Streams are flowing...check out these beautiful pics!

Franconia Notch

Franconia Notch

Franconia Notch - Basin Trail

Franconia Notch - Baby Flume

Crawford Notch - Silver Cascades

Crawford Notch - Flume Cascades

Mt. Washington on Monday April 16th 2012

I hope you enjoyed the Rivers and Cascades ...Soon I will be staying at the Highland Center in Crawford Notch...hiking the trails and enjoying the weather. More pics will be coming soon of that adventure. Have a Great week and Happy Hiking!

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:)

For the Day Hiker

I have never slept over in one of the huts in the White Mountains. Though I do hope that one day I get the chance to go so, for I have the equipment for a night over. It would be so wonderful to walk up looking over the valleys and seeing beautiful views. But for now, I am a day hiker! I love hiking from morning until evening.
But sometimes during a travel, there is not enough time to do a long hike so it's fun to get out and stretch the legs on a walk. 
Here are some great day hikes that are very easy to do and wonderful things to see...

1. Glen Ellis Falls
When I was younger, my parents would stop here every summer to check out falls. This is a 64-foot waterfall and it's so beautiful. It's an easy hike for all ages, about .6 mile round trip. It could take you about 30 minutes but it's worth the stop. It's in Pinkham's Notch, near Wild Cat.

2. The Basin and The Basin-Cascades Trail
I love going here every year. My parents sometimes would take my sister and I here when we were younger. Great for kids and pets. It's located in Franconia Notch. It's about 2 and half miles round trip. It starts off easy but on the way up can get rocky. There are some great falls to see and the Basin is so beautiful. It's a great place to stop and check out.

3. Mt. Willard
This is not a large mountain to hike up. The elevation gain is about 900feet from where you start. It's about a moderate hike. Great for pets and children. The trail starts near the AMC Highland Center. The trip can be around 3 to 4 hours long. Great views! To find Mt. Willard travel to Crawford Notch!

4. Boulder Loop
I love boulders and so does my stepson. This trail has a few wonderful boulder spots to climb around. The loop itself is about 3 miles around and can take you about 2 to 3 hours. Though if you enjoy playing on the boulders, it can take even longer!  This wonderful trail can be found on the Kancamagus Highway!

Happy Hiking!:)

Lonesome lake

In Franconia Notch there is not just mountains that you can hike up to see views, but there are some lovely lakes to see. One is right off the highway near Exit 34C called Echo Lake. Any visitors love coming to the lake for swimming on the beach, boating and fishing. The other lake is Profile Lake, which many can go down a path to see where the old man on the mountain views. There is also boating and fishing at that lake.
But I want to talk about Lonesome Lake. One of the trails to reach lake starts near the Basin. There are places to park for the road and a sign that says Basin. We took the trail called Basin Cascades Trail which is 1.1 miles. As we headed up the trail we saw the Kinsman Cascades and the Kinsman Waterfall. Here is a pic of the Cascades...

Some visitors come here to swim or just hang out on these rocks during the hot summer months. The pic is of me and Sam (he was seven at the time). This is a great trail to bring kids on, they love the rocks and the waterfall. After we pasted the waterfall we connected onto another trail. The trail we connected into was the Cascade Brook Trail and it's about 1.3 miles to the lake. This trail got a little steeper but it was fun to hike up it. Here is a pic of me hiking up one of the staircases on the trail.

The is the picture on me on the trail. It was a lovely trail through the forest of Franconia Notch until we reached Lonesome Lake. It was a beautiful day when we hiked and the weather was warm. Up here there is also a hut called the Lonesome Lake AMC Hut. We had lunch and got to see this beautiful view...

I loved looking at the lake with the mountains behind it. It was so beautiful. I wish I had a view like this outside my window every morning! There were also dogs on the trail when we were hiking which was fun. The lake would be a great place for them to swim. After we hiked down the same way we came up. It was a great day!:)

The Basin

 I love going to the Basin. The Basin is located in Franconia Notch. It is called a geologic wonder. There is a beautiful waterfall and it the base is a pothole that is about 20 feet in diameter. The Basin has been smoothed by sand and stones over time, starting about 15,000 years ago. I plan on going there tomorrow sometime to see this beautiful wonder. I normally go every year to see the Basin because I love seeing what nature makes on it own. There is also walking trails, a bike trail that goes by it and some tables if a person or a group wants to eat. The trail down to the Basin is not long. It's about half a mile. When walking down, you will probably see people and dogs in the water for there are a few swimming holes and a small stream that flows through which is what leads to the Basin. There are also a few hiking trails that lead off of the Basin that are great to hike up.
If you are ever in the Franconia Notch area, this is one stop you should make! Here are two pics I took when I was on an adventure with a friend!

Top one is my friend and I sitting on the railing near the bottom of the Basin. The next picture is of the Basin that I took on another trip. It's one beautiful pool:)