Favorite Family-Friendly Hikes in New England?

[roadtripper]

What would you consider to be the best family-friendly hikes in New England?

Here is a preliminary list that I've come up with:

TOP TIER

• Mount Cardigan (NH)
• Bald Mountain / Artist Bluff Loop (NH)
• Table Rock(ME)
• Lonesome Lake (NH)
• Great Island Trail (MA)
• Mount Major (NH)
• Mount Monadnock (NH)
• Mount Willard (NH)
• Stowe Pinnacle (VT)
• Welch & Dickey Loop (NH)
• West Rattlesnake (NH)
• Arethusa Falls (NH)
• Mount Hunger (VT)
• Middle Sugarloaf (NH)
• Purgatory Chasm (MA)
• The Roost (ME)
• The Bubbles (ME)
• Kearsarge South (NH)
• Mount Wachusett (MA)
• Alander Mountain (MA)

SECOND TIER

• Bash Bish Falls (MA)
• Bridal Veil Falls (NH)
• Square Ledge & Lost Pond (NH)
• Crystal Cascade (NH)
• Mount Watatic (MA)
• Boulder Loop Trail (NH)
• Black Mountain (Benton, NH)
• Cadillac Mountain (NH)
• The Flume (NH)
• Mount Pisgah (VT)
• Franconia Falls (NH)
• Moxie Falls (ME)
• Pine Mountain (NH)
• Tumbledown Mountain (ME)

Am I missing any of the classics?

Should any of these be promoted or demoted between the top tier and the second tier?

Cheers

- Roadtripper

 

[peakbagger]

For young families in Southern Maine, Bradbury Mtn in the Freeport area is a popular family hike, its definitely not an all day trip. Good stop on the way or from Beans

Jockey Cap in Fryeburg is another quick hike enjoyed by young families on their way to Storyland or other white mountain attractions

Pleasant Mountain via the Firewardens trail is also quite popular due to the occasionally staffed fire tower and long climb up. One major downside is that the general area around the mountain has a very high wood tick population. I personally like the SouthWest ridge trail from the west due to better views early on. The downside is that to reach the actual summit there is about a 1/2 mile woods walk. For some it may make sense to just do the lower section.

 

[Driver8]

Sleeping Giant, Talcott Mountain/Heublein Tower and Bear Mountain are very popular family hike destinations in Connecticut, popular for their beauty and, in Talcott and SG's case, their proximity to New Haven and Hartford areas. Mts. Tom, Greylock and Holyoke are all, imo, preferable to Wachusett - prettier views with similar diffculty. I'd also add Race Brook Falls - the hike up to the upper main falls, on the main trail, is steep but doable for kids, and the trek to the tallest falls by the north branch of the trail, those nearest the trailhead, is about 0.6 with about 350' elevation gain for a 100' waterfall. It's harder than Bash Bish, but imo a prettier hike to a much prettier waterfall.

All these places, except maybe RBF, get a ton of traffic. RBF gets a healthy amount of traffic, too, but is not as famous as Bear Mountain, since Bear is CT's highest peak and widely beloved in CT hiking lore.

 

[kerry13]

Pack Monadnock seems to get a lot of families the times I have been up there. Nice views plus there is the tower and picnic tables.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

We've been to all of the top-tier NH spots as a family, if that helps. I'll second both Pack Monadnock peaks - there are almost always other families or kids up there whenever we all go. Wachipauka Pond was an excellent family trip with little elevation to a scenic pond for a picnic.

Tim

 

[Lefty E]

Black Cap in N Conway always seems to have hikers of all ages on the summit ledges, and a much better view than say The Roost...did you mean Square Ledge in Pinkham Notch?? looks like it might have been combined with Crystal Cascade, one could add Lost Pond and that would be a nice trip...save Square Ledge for last to get the higher view!!

 

[Scubahhh]

How 'bout Mt. Cube via the Cross-Rivendell Trail or Sunday Mountain, both in Orford NH?

 

[hikerfast]

oak hill in concord. anything on the wapack, kidder mountain is nice there. nice open summit with country views. mt watatic

 

[marty]

Hi Greg,

Up in Western Maine, two family friendly hikes pop into mind: Bald Mountain in Rangeley (Oquossoc) and Rumford Whitecap in Andover, ME. The latter has a bonus from mid-July through mid-August: it has the most blueberries of any mountain I have seen.

One other thing: Tumbledown Mt. always makes my first list, in just about any category. I love the Tumbledowns and Jacksons!

Best Regards,
Marty

 

[Grandaddy]

I think Great Blue Hill is a nice "gateway" hike for kids' with nice views of The surroundings and the weather station on top. The various routes vary between easy and moderately difficult. Basically, Mt. Washington is Blue Hill on steroids!

 

[Grey J]

I would not put Cardigan in this category based on my experience there last summer. I don't think those slabs of exposed rock are too kid friendly but maybe I am being unduly influenced by the strong winds on the day I climbed it. Or maybe it was the woman who nearly fell off the trail as she passed me when I was descending? Maybe it is the image of the ambulance waiting at the trailhead as I finished, and the rescue crew that passed me on the trail? I saw lots of ill prepared family groups that day, including young girls in sun dresses who looked like they were out for a walk in the park. I'm not saying this a difficult climb for anyone at VFTT but listing it as family friendly will probably just encourage more of the clueless climbers that were present on the day I was there.

 

[Mike P.]

You'd have to consider a couple of different things, travel time and ages of children, where we like isolation and views, kids are happy near train tracks, water, views of skylines. Trails with brooks and waterfalls and water in general are better than views. Generally kids don't want to be in the car for hours. Old ruins, old camps are fascinating.

Here are several from CT that are nice:

Three on LI Sound:

Rocky Neck
Haley Farm
Bluff Point,

Inland,

Add Case Mountain, Devil's Hopyard & Gay City to Heublein Tower & Bear.

In MA, while Tom has a great view, the Holyoke range also has a view on Norwottuck and Horse Caves below the summit which many kids like better than views.
If kids are a bit older, the ledges on Jug End on the northern end of the Riga Plateau are nice.

For kids, a tower on top, a road to cross, windmills & the Boston skyline and a pond with goldfish are all neat things which Wachusett has.

In NH
My son enjoyed the Sugarloaves better then W& D, it has open ledges, blueberries, a walk along the water, he was even okay with the road walk.
Along the VT/NH border there is the Ann Stokes loop trail which has an old staircase leftover from an old Mansion.

For ME, was South Turner in BSP on the list. I'd say it's not much harder than Hunger or Gryelock but Moose in Sandy Stream Pond & the view of Katahdin are wonderful & it's not too much of a climb to the 3100+ foot summit.

In general, the route and the actaul kids matter. Saw a boy of 7 or 8 several years ago doing Lafayette with his slightly older sister and Dad in the winter. They seemed pretty at ease.

 

[Quietman]

I would not put Cardigan in this category based on my experience there last summer. I don't think those slabs of exposed rock are too kid friendly but maybe I am being unduly influenced by the strong winds on the day I climbed it.

Did you ascend from the East or West? The West Ridge Trail is not very steep and is often used as a great "first big mountain hike" for families. When my kids were younger, they really enjoyed this hike.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

The West Ridge Trail is not very steep and is often used as a great "first big mountain hike" for families. When my kids were younger, they really enjoyed this hike.

Ditto and ditto. No problem at all at 5 and 7 years old. In fact, they really loved the wide open slabs. I believe we included the south peak loop.

Tim

 

[Grey J]

Did you ascend from the East or West? The West Ridge Trail is not very steep and is often used as a great "first big mountain hike" for families. When my kids were younger, they really enjoyed this hike.

I did climb from the west on the West Ridge Trail, went out and back to Firescrew and then looped over S Cardigan and Rimrock to descend. I hear what you're both saying and I agree in principle. I'm sure your families were fine. I just saw a lot of people that day who did not belong there because they were unprepared for the actual conditions present despite the date (mid-August): surprisingly cold, very windy, front passing just to the north, chance of a thunderstorm, wet trail, mud in places. I had driven south to avoid certain rain in the Whites that day. I enjoyed the hike which only took a few hours and I'm sure many kids and families will enjoy it as well, but its not a piece of cake or a walk in the park for those unaccustomed to mts and at least one person left on a stretcher the day I was there.

 

[roadtripper]

Great suggestions everyone.

Here is the final list I came up with:
Family-Friendly Hikes

Thanks!

- roadtripper

 

[Ed'n Lauky]

Pleasant Mountain via the Firewardens trail is also quite popular due to the occasionally staffed fire tower and long climb up. One major downside is that the general area around the mountain has a very high wood tick population. I personally like the SouthWest ridge trail from the west due to better views early on. The downside is that to reach the actual summit there is about a 1/2 mile woods walk. For some it may make sense to just do the lower section.

The Firewarden's trail is a good one for sledding down in the winter. It's also a fairly easy trail, otherwise I would put it on the bottom of the list of trails up Pleasant Mt. The Ledges trail has great views from the ledges about 2/3s of the way up. It is also the shortest and quickest route to the top. The Bald Peak trail has a steep section just before Bald Peak but offers numerous great views on the way to the main peak. Many add to this trail by taking in Sue's Way and heading over to Shawnee Peak on the way up or back.

The trick for maintaining views with the South West Ridge trail is to continue on the old trail to the Cell Phone towers. This offers some really good views. As you said, the views up the open ledges to the Tepee are outstanding, much better going down than going up. It is also the longest trail. Whichever trail you take, the views from the top of Pleasant Mt. are outstanding. This is a great suggestion. The ticks by the way are bad in the early spring but rarely noticed once the heat of summer comes on and I've never encountered them there in the fall or winter. That peak was in my back yard so to speak and I've been up it a couple of hundred times.

 

[Driver8]

Great suggestions everyone.

Here is the final list I came up with:
Family-Friendly Hikes

Thanks!

- roadtripper

Good job, roadtripper. Thanks! A couple small corrections may help:

* The tower up top of Sleeping Giant is maintained, not abandoned. It's not a fire tower, it's constructed and placed there for hikers to ascend so they can see over the trees. Views on clear days extend past New Haven and the Sound to Long Island.

* There is no tower atop Mt. Tom other than communications transmission towers. There used to be a hotel on the summit, some of the ruins, including part of a boardwalk, remain, giving great views to the southwest, west and north.

* Talcott is accessible from south and north via Metacomet Trail - 4 miles round trip from north, 6 miles from south - and via the Tower Path, 2.5 miles from north as you note.

 

[mirabela]

Kinda depends what you mean by family-friendly since I know half a dozen kids ten and under who will do anything any of the adult hikers I know will do, but if you mean shorter hikes with a high reward:effort ratio, then I would put Wheeler Mountain in northern VT near the top of the list. 2.3 mile round trip, 700 feet of climbing, at least half the distance is out on sporty, open granite with views in all directions, and it ends at a scenic clifftop. Have to be smart about managing small people and dogs up there, but that's true anywhere, right?

 

[marty]

Great list, Greg. Well done!

Marty