Any suggestions????? (Looking for relatively easy hike)

[Trail Walker]

Taking a group of youngesters this Friday to complete their hiking badge requirements and was planning to climb Mt. Willard. My prehike revealed that it is above their abilities due to the snow conditions on the trail.

Last year we complete Mt. Blueberry and had a great day. Any suggestions for this year:

2-3 miles roundtrip
views at the summit
no snow or heavy mud

considering Mt. Morgan at the moment

 

[grouseking]

Taking a group of youngesters this Friday to complete their hiking badge requirements and was planning to climb Mt. Willard. My prehike revealed that it is above their abilities due to the snow conditions on the trail.

Last year we complete Mt. Blueberry and had a great day. Any suggestions for this year:

2-3 miles roundtrip
views at the summit
no snow or heavy mud

considering Mt. Morgan at the moment

Mt Morgan is a neat choice for sure, except I hear that the trail leading to it is closed for the mud season.

Other options could be...

Bald Mtn in Franconia Notch, next to Artists Bluff
One of the Sugarloaves up along Zealand Rd (though I'm not sure if the road is open yet)
Red Hill
Mt Major (though that might be just a little long if you take the least steep route by avoiding the ledges)

Hope that helps

grouseking

 

[grouseking]

One more thought...

Pack Monadnock from Miller State Park. I've been up there with an outing club with kids as young as 6, and they were fine. Plus there are no scrambles.

 

[MadRiver]

Welsh or Dickey in Thornton/Waterville Valley.

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Mt. Pemi was snow free before the recent storm, I would guess that the south facing Indian Head Trail should be pretty close to snow free any time now. 1.9 miles each way, 1,550 feet of elevation gain.

 

[JOD]

Mt hedgehog

I don't have my hiking books with me, but Mt Hedgehog out on the Kanc has nice views and is a fairly easy hike. I also like Mt. Potash from the same trailhead.

 

[Barkingcat]

The Bald Knob Trail up to Bald Knob -- in the Ossipees -- is in great shape.

I just got back from there an hour or so ago.

It's a lovely trail with wonderful views at the summit. If you need more information on the trail conditions, distances, or how to find the trailhead, PM me.

 

[Billy V]

I would recomend Mt Major. in Southern NH. Along the edge of lake Winnepesauki (sp?), right off of Rt 11. Has a great loop. Fairly easy. Children can do it. I am doing it Wednesday, April 21, with my grandson, He is 14 and has only done one hike. So I thought it would help peek his interest in hiking. Great views. Lots of interesting rocks, Loop has a hike along a stream. Ruins of an old hut on the top of the mountain.

Don't think I can say anything better.
Look here ... I mean... http://www.hikenewengland.com/Major000506.html

Lots of good suggestions here.

Morgan Percivile has a neat cave made up of the rocks that have fallen off of the cliff through the ages.


One note Welch_Dicky I had seen somewhere here on VFTT was closed because of the mud! Check it out before you go.

Have a good time where ever you hike

 

[Willoughby]

One note Welch_Dicky I had seen somewhere here on VFTT was closed because of the mud! Check it out before you go.

I believe it's the Morgan/Percival loop that's closed due to mud. I was up Welch/Dickey a couple weeks ago and there was a little mud but nothing worth writing home about. It's a great hike, of course. So is Mt. Major, and the Pack Monadnock suggestions are good too. South Pack (from the state park) has a view of Boston, North Pack (less built-up) has restricted views to the Presidentials.

Two other ideas to throw in the mix, if you're looking in Southern NH, are Mt. Watatic (actually in Mass, the southern end of the Wapack trail) and, of course, Mt. Monadnock. Watatic is smaller, but has great views and a wide open summit. Monadnock of course is the best bang for the climb in southern NH, which explains why there were probably 50 people on the summit yesterday.

Enjoy your hike.

 

[Elizabeth]

Kearsarge (West)

Another possible alternative: The Mt. Kearsarge in Wilmot, New Hampshire (not to be confused with the one on the other side of the state) provides a good, short hike with a fire tower at the top.

I was going to suggest Holt's Ledge on the Appalachian Trail in Lyme, NH. That is an excellent short hike (about 2.8 miles roundtrip) to do with kids. However the side trip to the ledges is closed from April through July to protect a peregrine falcon nesting area. Better to save that one for another time.

 

[KRobi]

Mt. Belknap (Gilford NH) at the other end of the range from Mt. Major is also a great beginner hike. The access road is open so the hike is fairly short and there is a fire tower on the top. The views from the top of this peak are in Scudders.
There are a number of trails down if you want a bit of variety.

 

[WhiteMTHike]

I second Mt. Potash. Great little hike on the Kanc. Should be a good one for your group.

 

[Woody]

Does the hike have to be in NH? How about Wachusett. Lot's of interesting hiking without the commitment or snow. Pack Monadnock is also a good idea in southern NH.