J
jaybirddog
Guest
Four of us hiked Cannon Mtn via Kinsman Ridge Trail starting at the Cannon Ski Tramline parking lot off exit 34-B on Route 93. None of us had done this trail in the winter and this was my first time on it ever. We arrived to an empty parking lot around 7:30 where the car's thermometer was reading single digits and were on the trail by 7:50. There are some signs directing you to the trail head just as you get to the first parking area. The lower portion of this 2 mile trail was fairly packed down allowing us to bear boot.
About a third of the way up, the trail joined the Kinsman Glade run off the Cannon Ski area. Even though the ski trail was closed, we saw plenty of ski tracks there which actually made following the trail more difficult, though the trail was well packed and I only punched through a couple dozen times. Tree trunks all the way up were well covered with snow which made spotting the blazes almost impossible (I think I only saw 4 or 5 all day). We missed the turn-off from the glade ski trail on the way up that would have taken us more toward the former site of the Old Man of the Mountain and continued to follow the ski tracks all the way up to where the Kinsman Glade ski trail joins the Vista Way ski trail. We continued up the left side of that ski trail where the wind picked up and headed for the mountain station which is open when the ski lifts are running. Ascent time was about 2 hours 45 minutes which was a pretty quick pace but also didn't include the upper portion of the hiking trail so it was a shorter route. The building is well heated and has bathrooms and a cafeteria serving hot food - quite a luxury which we took advantage of for 50 minutes.
From here we hiked up to the weather station which I believe is the official Cannon Mtn summit and looked for the short summit loop trail but location/directions were unclear so we back tracked to the mountain station to pick up the Kinsman Ridge trail. The trail head is very near the mountain station. If you exit the building from the door opposite the cafeteria line, walk down the stairs, turn right and walk straight across the ski trail, the trail head is right in front of you.
This was the stretch of trail we missed on the way up and had the most breathtaking views of the day. The trail was hard to follow initially but we were able to spy what looked to be a more defined trail below us so we gambled that was the right way and blazed through some very deep powder to get to it. This section, from the peak to where the trail joined the Kinsman Glade ski trail, was deep enough with snow to require snowshoes. Once low enough to where the trees were above our heads, we arrived at a fork in the trail. To the right was a lookout point close to where the Old Man of the Mountain formerly resided and to the left was the continuation of the trail.
Eventually, we rejoined the Kinsman Glade ski trail and followed it down to where the hiking trail breaks off to the right and the ski trail continues fairly straight.
I posted a composite GPS track at http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U....163366,-71.691413&spn=0.014577,0.033023&z=16 from the day which fairly well defines the trail although there were some spots where we were off. And I posted some photos on my website at http://www.jaybirddog.com - click on the Cannon Mtn link under 2010 on the left side.
Overall, I would characterize this trail as a great beginner hike mainly because of the ability to warm up and dry off in the mountain station at the summit. Be aware however that following the trail can be difficult in places as the blue trail marks on the trees were well hidden by snow.
About a third of the way up, the trail joined the Kinsman Glade run off the Cannon Ski area. Even though the ski trail was closed, we saw plenty of ski tracks there which actually made following the trail more difficult, though the trail was well packed and I only punched through a couple dozen times. Tree trunks all the way up were well covered with snow which made spotting the blazes almost impossible (I think I only saw 4 or 5 all day). We missed the turn-off from the glade ski trail on the way up that would have taken us more toward the former site of the Old Man of the Mountain and continued to follow the ski tracks all the way up to where the Kinsman Glade ski trail joins the Vista Way ski trail. We continued up the left side of that ski trail where the wind picked up and headed for the mountain station which is open when the ski lifts are running. Ascent time was about 2 hours 45 minutes which was a pretty quick pace but also didn't include the upper portion of the hiking trail so it was a shorter route. The building is well heated and has bathrooms and a cafeteria serving hot food - quite a luxury which we took advantage of for 50 minutes.
From here we hiked up to the weather station which I believe is the official Cannon Mtn summit and looked for the short summit loop trail but location/directions were unclear so we back tracked to the mountain station to pick up the Kinsman Ridge trail. The trail head is very near the mountain station. If you exit the building from the door opposite the cafeteria line, walk down the stairs, turn right and walk straight across the ski trail, the trail head is right in front of you.
This was the stretch of trail we missed on the way up and had the most breathtaking views of the day. The trail was hard to follow initially but we were able to spy what looked to be a more defined trail below us so we gambled that was the right way and blazed through some very deep powder to get to it. This section, from the peak to where the trail joined the Kinsman Glade ski trail, was deep enough with snow to require snowshoes. Once low enough to where the trees were above our heads, we arrived at a fork in the trail. To the right was a lookout point close to where the Old Man of the Mountain formerly resided and to the left was the continuation of the trail.
Eventually, we rejoined the Kinsman Glade ski trail and followed it down to where the hiking trail breaks off to the right and the ski trail continues fairly straight.
I posted a composite GPS track at http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U....163366,-71.691413&spn=0.014577,0.033023&z=16 from the day which fairly well defines the trail although there were some spots where we were off. And I posted some photos on my website at http://www.jaybirddog.com - click on the Cannon Mtn link under 2010 on the left side.
Overall, I would characterize this trail as a great beginner hike mainly because of the ability to warm up and dry off in the mountain station at the summit. Be aware however that following the trail can be difficult in places as the blue trail marks on the trees were well hidden by snow.
