Mount Lafayette — Local services in Franconia

This is a serious mountain! And very accessible. Despite the climb the trail is doable for most frequent hikers. I have done it 15 or so times in the past 8 months.

Dog owners- Doable for most any fit dog. My dog is 7 and has no issues with it, there is very little natural water above treeline in the spring and summer. He has had no issues in winter from strong wind chills or frigid temperatures without boots. I don't think boots would work as it is very icy and he needs his claws to grip. We have lived In NH for years and worst case he digs the ice out of his paws. Honestly heat seems to be more of an issue for him.

Parents- I have taken my 2-3 yo up a couple times, I find going down with him on my back very challenging and slow on the rocks. It is easier in winter since he can just slide down! But we stop at treeline.

Winter/Spring hikers-This is the best time to go, you can get to treeline in almost any weather. If it has been too windy, 60+ mph with below 0 windchill which it was at least 50% of the time in Winter I stop at treeline. Below the trees there is nearly always wind shelter.

The very severe wind is isolated where it hits which makes it doable. Dry NW wind is the worst on at the end of the trail on Mt lafayette, N side of MT lincoln and MT little Haystack. In a snowstorm the opposite applies, but I have found this not doable due to the strength of the wind. The wind pushing up the mountain slopes is colder than the wind coming down or around the mountain.

The temperature above treeline has several paradoxes, on a warm winter day it may be warmer at the top, in the spring if there is no wind and bright sun it is very warm on the dark rocks.

Snow depth is rarely an issue as it tends not to accumulate above treeline, snowshoes are rarely needed below treeline on the trail.

Summer- Either foggy or busy and it looks the same every time

Fall-Very wet and very crowded if it is nice

I attached photos from Nov 1 to June 09. The days I went were based on schedule not weather which I'm glad I did since it adds variety to...

Simply an astonishing hike! The views are incredible. This was my first serious hike and I have to warn you that you do need to be prepared. You need to be in decent shape! Bring sufficient fluids, snacks, good hiking shoes and layers of breathable clothing, battery bank to recharge your cellphone, a good flashlight and if possible extra shirts because you are going to sweat a lot at least I did. At the top of Mt. Lafayette it could get quite cold depending what season of the year you go.

I was there Sep 28 2021 and it was 44F and windy. Just be prepared we went up through the falling water trail, Cloudland Falls, Appalachian national scenic trail, Mt. Lincoln , Mt. Lafayette, Green leaf trail, AMC Greenleaf Hut and then came down through the old bridle path and let me tell you that part was very difficult, rocky and slippery! We started the hike around 12:40 and made it out around 7:30pm we did 9 miles over 4k feet in elevation and it took us 7 hours to finish, it was great that we had flashlights with us it really saved the day.

During our last 35 minutes descend we found 3 ladies from Connecticut they were off course and had no flashlights using their cellphones to light up the trail it was dark already. I am so glad we found them they were somewhat in trouble, we helped them safely get to the parking area. I don't think we could have done it without our flashlights, again please be prepared and know your limits.

Finally the town is nice, clean and the people are friendly! I really enjoyed my stay there. One thing i didn't like is that for some reason I couldn't find good coffee but wow what an amazing experience I had! Again just be prepared don't rush and you're...

Not a great experience. First thing we noticed is cars parked everywhere. "Odd", I thought- until I learned you can't drive up it! No motorized vehicle access, period. We didn't let that deter us, but it was soon followed by another nasty shock- there's no chairlift, no escalator, not even stairs! Other guests were becoming rather rude at this point, especially when we asked how to get to the top. Skipping over their colorful narrative, the answer was to hike it. Well, what the heck, let's hike it, we decided. Then we learned this little gem: there's no sherpas! Not a one to be found! Of course, the other guests (hikers, we figured out) were even more rude when we asked if they'd carry our stuff. Note to self, hikers are mean. At this point we had no choice but to give up. We certainly weren't carrying a BBQ grill with all the fixin's up there, let alone the keg. So we did a big old burnout and headed back south. To heck with this place. I'm not even gonna tell you about the kid selling mushrooms out of a VW in the...