Owl's Head to Black Pond to Franconia Falls?

[Will]

Is it practical to leave the Black Pond Trail just south of the Pond and head directly east to Franconia Falls? I was tempted to try that on a recent hot day.

I know there are traditional alternatives to get to the Falls coming from Owl’s Head: east across from NORTH of the pond, or the bushwhack starting at the same point as the Black Pond route and basically following the brook south to the Falls.

But my question is, having come all the way from Owl’s Head and the bushwhack to the Pond at its intersection with the Black Pond Trail, can you then leave the Black Pond Trail and head east directly to the Falls?


I don’t see any such activity on the Strava Heat Map. Too muddy, brush too thick, Giant Mutant Mosquitoes?

 

[TEO]

Is it practical to leave the Black Pond Trail just south of the Pond and head directly east to Franconia Falls? I was tempted to try that on a recent hot day.

I know there are traditional alternatives to get to the Falls coming from Owl’s Head: east across from NORTH of the pond, or the bushwhack starting at the same point as the Black Pond route and basically following the brook south to the Falls.

But my question is, having come all the way from Owl’s Head and the bushwhack to the Pond at its intersection with the Black Pond Trail, can you then leave the Black Pond Trail and head east directly to the Falls?


I don’t see any such activity on the Strava Heat Map. Too muddy, brush too thick, Giant Mutant Mosquitoes?

Sure you can, but unless you weren't planning on going to Franconia Falls and and decide to only once you've reached Black Pond, I don't think that it makes sense. If you decide to visit the Falls along the BPB, then just head due East until you hit the Fisherman's Bushwhack along Franconia Brook and follow it to the Falls. Otherwise, you're just increasing the vertical terrain that you have to cover, mild though it may be.

 

[Will]

If you decide to visit the Falls along the BPB, then just head due East until you hit the Fisherman's Bushwhack along Franconia Brook

Before the BPB became the clear end-to-end footpath it is now, I did it a couple of times lower down to the east and that whole area in between the BPB and the Fisherman's seemed a wet boggy mess from what I saw of it. When there was leaf cover over the muck you'd sink halfway to your knee on what looked like a dry step.

If I knew in advance I wanted to visit the Falls, sure, I could just take the Fisherman's from the start at the old Lincoln Brook trail past the skipped crossing (although also very muddy as I recall and nowhere near as defined as the current BPB). But yeah, my notion was after an easy dry stroll along the BPB could you just on-the-fly decide (hot day and time available) to jog over a quarter mile to the Falls directly, or is that particular quarter mile just too wet or otherwise impractical.

 

[JoshandBaron]

It's fine. Just go over the rise between the two or a little to the south of it.

 

[alexmtn]

Other than as a manifestation of an intrepid sense of exploration and adventure, I'm not seeing the logic to taking that route to the falls either. As you encounter the aforementioned 'boggy mess', let it push you south (to the right) as needed to stay on high/dry enough ground. The area to the N/E of the pond is both naturally low/wet, and subject to beaver activity for that extra little touch of flooding.

As a related side note, the Forest Service would be grateful if folks stay clear of the Black Pond bushwhack route to OH. Everyone agrees that it makes tons of sense to have a trail there -- but pending such a planning and decision making outcome, the area - esp on the pond end - is a large-scale, disturbed mess that needs to be left alone.

Alex