Mount Monadnock — Attraction in Jaffrey

You will fall in love with this mountain. All info and weather conditions are at all trail heads I am sure safety advice and good climbing recommendations have changed though out the years so it would be a good idea if your new to this kind of environment to check it out. Most of the hike for the Dot will be on exposed flat granite which is easygoing and is a popular climb it also starts at the park which is very popular. This is the busiest trailhead also and expect a little gridlock on the trail There is a few secret places like homemade caves on the mountain but don’t expect to find them or stumble upon them they are well hidden books are the best way to see them and read about them Mt. Monadnock has a very historic and interesting history that is ever growing I recommend reading some to add to the experience I hiked Mt. Monadnock in the 1980s with the interest in photographing it Every one who climbs Mt. Monadnock usually has a personal reason for doing so after awhile other then just trying to reach the top. This is the allure of the mountain and what makes it so loved we want to make it part of us somehow. And show others .what we’ve seen or how we felt. Summers now are much hotter so dress is extremely important . For all seasons I also highly recommend not hiking alone. But if you have to - go for it. Most of the time there are fellow climbers. But maybe not on those trails off the beaten path which may be more adventurous and advanced and even interesting. Weather also is a reason you’ll see less hikers but often it’s the most beautiful time if you are equipped to do so .If you have a national park pass it is a free climb . The White Arrow trail used to be free but now there’s a charge estimated at 5 dollars because the last time I paid it was 3 dollars a climb This is my favorite trail up. If you are tempted to take some side trail’s located near where the Halfway House or Mountain House stood and where the Moose spring is be advised These trails are very intertwining The trail head sign says Side foot and Hello rock ect. The initial trail will take you parallel to the mountain honestly I think this is the Thorough trail the famous poet or it could be side foot I felt comfortable to just stay on it that will last awhile you might even feel some uneasy going at some point But do not fret keep going parallel and all of a sudden you will be in a wide open space you might think you are truly lost at first because the views are a just a wide expanse of trees and lakes it is very beautiful though the surge of fear of being lost in them is brief when you turn your head to the left there you’ll see MT MONADNOCK Here also is a giant Boulder that has an Inscription on it of a peak. I believe this is why it’s called THE Hello rock trail it could also be for the mountain because I sure was happy to see it there. Happily I pointed myself in the direction of the mountain and off I hiked thinking I would pick up the White Dot trail this trail begins at MT. Monadnock State park and sure enough I did. Spending a half hour on top I Then took the white arrow down Which makes for a nice loop. But venturing off alone on an untried trail was very unwise. I know now no matter how many times I have climbed it and believe I know my usual trails sometimes it could only take a little misjudgment to put me at risk. Of course I thank the trail makers for making this most exhilarating side trail that was hiked by and made by many past famous travelers who wrote poetry and who loved nature the Conservationists ect. They Who blazed a new trail not to just go straight up. But to enjoy the slow journey through nature taking in one’s surroundings as an individual to experience a deeper connection to the mountain by traversing it artistically not only physically. But climbers all have their own special reasons because it is more...

First "mountain" climbed! Whoo! I checked the reviews before setting out with my gym group on a crisp autumn day for the hike, and boy were there wide spectrum assessment for the difficulty level...! Some people said it was easy little hike and others saying it was very challenging. I would recommend just checking either Wikipedia or the park website itself for more objective assessments, which ranks this as "moderate". It's definitely not the most challenging, but I would hesitate to recommend this to beginners due to the steep, rocky and slippery features of the most popular paths especially near the actual summit. Hiking boots are helpful and don't make the same mistake as me for drinking all your water on the ascent. Some generous fellow hikers gave us an unopened water bottle though, which was very much appreciated.

Mt. Monadnock is definitely one of the most popular places to hike, and they can easily get away with charging $5/person with the hundreds of thousands of people that probably visit each year. On the perfect autumn day (10/15/16), there must have been at least a few hundred people climbing as we were constantly sandwiched in between groups who were either trying to circumvent us or right on our tails. Granted we did take the most direct/popular paths of White Dot up and White Cross down. The scenery during the fall is breathtaking with the foliage and the multiple false peaks that tease you. "We're almost there...?!"

So many gorgeous photo opportunities if you can find an area not densely packed with other bodies especially at the summit. When we reached the top around 11:30am, there were people lining each crevice of the mountain and it was difficult to get a photo that captured all of the natural beauty. As you can imagine with all these people traversing the trail the large rocks are smoothed down and slippery. I can imagine hiking Monadnock while it's raining would be quite treacherous. In several areas there are steep inclines and most people are also crawling on their hands or propelling themselves upwards from one boulder to the next. You could take a longer way and go around for some of these areas. Strangely enough there were several patches of wet/muddy and spots leftover probably from previous rain especially on the way down in the shaded areas.

I personally think that the descent is trickier than the ascent especially since we took a different path down. We traded the larger smoother rocks/boulders for those pesky ENDLESS small uneven rocks. I was so sick of them not even halfway down, if I were to come here again I would look into using a different path since the impact on your knees is quite jarring. So if you're like me using hiking poles on the way down can definitely alleviate some of the impact on your knees/ankles. I definitely felt that the next day and avoided stairs as much as I could. All in all it was a pleasant but challenging experience for me since prior to this we had only hiked easy and short 1-2 hour hikes. If we return we'll check out the other paths plan on...

It's a really challenging hike. It is not entirely a traverse mountain where its just a stroll uphill; you will have to do some mini rock climbing. You must wear hiking boots with very good traction as there are places where you will have to walk on smooth rock faces. You can easily slip down a rock face with just regular shoes. For sections that are like rock climbing, you will have to get on your butt or crawl on the rock surface to get your footing.

That said, I saw children who look as young as 5 years old going up and down the mountain. I even saw a couple carrying a baby who couldn't be more than 1 year old going down. Kids love the challenge. It even seemed easier for some of them than the adults.

We took the white dot trail up and the white cross trail down. Both trails are steep and similar, but with two exceptions. First and most important exception: the white dot trail has a section called "The Chute". This is a near vertical wall of rock that was the most difficult section for us in terms of technicality. Because of this section, the rangers recommend coming down white cross trail as it does not have a wall of rock like this that you must walk on. I could be more tricky coming down than it was going up. The white cross, on the other hand, is basically all steps. Second exception is that the white cross is longer. It felt like it was taking forever compared to white dot. Because of this, it has lower average steepness/grade than white dot, but more sections that are steep.

We took 3 liters of water for two people, and that was finished by the time we got to the bottom. We were drinking heavily, though, so maybe 3 liters would normally be enough for two people.

There were lots of bugs at the first third of the trail. Walking constantly kept the bugs off, but if you stop they will bite.

It took us almost 5 hours round trip, with an additional 20 minutes spent at the top. We were the slowest on the mountain as we have never hiked up anything like this before, but I think a reasonably fit person could finish the hike in 3 hours, even if it's your first time.

The last section before the summit is also steep with smooth rock faces, kinda like The Chute, but less vertical and felt slightly safer. In dry conditions it is fine.

The view from the top is great and you will feel very accomplished. Its much colder and windier at the top than it is at the bottom, so make sure you...