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Abandoned Trails
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Above: Bald Rock from Inspiration Rock
About Monadnock Trails
Mt Monadnock has a web of paths that weave up and down and around the mountain. The main trails are heavily used, rocky, eroded and with bare ledge are easy to follow. The side trails are generally easy to follow, except in deep snow conditions. The abandoned trails can be difficult to follow, most aren't blazed, and cairns may, or may not mark the way. Some old trails have been cleared and some haven't and can be bushy. Some are vague faint paths or blind in places and others may be well marked and clear. Hikers may lose their way and may have to bush-whack up or down the mountain. Hikers should have a map and compass and know how to use them and should be familiar with the mountain and current trails before seeking the old trails. Hikers explore Monadnock State Park at their own risk.
Abandoned Trails
Exploring Monadnock's abandoned trails can mean going off trail altogether. However, there are some paths that have been recently abandoned. The Smith Connecter is now only maintained from Bald Rock to the White Cross Trail however you can still follow the old route marked by yellow blazes across the White Dot Trail over open ledge, with excellent views of the summit, to the Red Spot Trail. The White Cross Trail from Falcon Spring is closed and now the White Cross Trail starts along the path formerly known as Spruce Link. The Cliff Walk's bottom portion was recently relocated to avoid a very difficult steep slick spot but the old path is a scenic woods walk with cliffs just above the path.
Some abandoned trails can be fairly clear and others can be obscure or vague. Much of the trails are obscure to some degree or other and most are unmarked and without cairns. Some Monadnock State Park Rangers may not even know about the older trails. It is advisable to get to know the Monadnock terrain and various trails before venturing off the maintained trails.
Some of the more interesting remaining older paths which are unmarked, can be a challenge to find and follow, are noted below:
Smith Marlboro Link which connects Monte Rosa and Marlboro Trail, goes in an out of mossy ravines and onto open ledges
with far-flung views. Areas of ledge may only have a few cairns. Smith Marlboro bears northwest down from Monte Rosa then leads north to the Malboro Trail just below tree-line.
Ledges Trail leads down open ledges of Monte Rosa then leads left into woods to more ledges leading to the unmarked Sweetwater Trail.
Whit AB Trail appeared in a 1952 map is a faint path and is a nice shortcut connecting Parker Trail at the notch through a little valley to the Cliffwalk.
Paradise Valley Trail connects White Arrow and White
Dot beneath cliffs in a forested sheltered valley. Paradise Valley Trail is currently maintained by the State Park for emergency rescues to the top (no public parking) of the Old Toll Road about 3/4 mile down instead of the White Dot Trail 1 3/4 miles to an ambulance.
The trails over
Inspiration Rock Trail and Muncy Trail connecting to Bald Rock (on a 1952 map) are a fine hike although the Dingle Dell junction isn't marked.
The Old White Dot Trail (Pasture Trail) is very faint and the ice storm made a mess out of the area but the way is confirmed by weathered white dots.
The Red Cross Trail a.k.a. Mead Brook Trail a main trail to summit was abandoned 70 years ago, is a fairly obscure trail and can be a scenic hike when Mead Brook a vernal stream is flowing.
There is a variety of wild exploring to do on the mountain.
Old Monadnock Map
Below is a link to an old Monadnock Map from the Annals of Grand Monadnock published in 1936. The Halfway House trails look like a jumble of trails, many without names. There are better maps covering the old trails as well as maps that I produced using state of the art GPS satellite technology, however, this is the only old map I have permission from the ranger to make available. On the map, the lower section of the Old Ski Trail is now the White Dot Trail to Falcon Spring. The trails south of Poole Road have recently been destroyed by logging and, other than Old Keene Road, can no longer be followed. Old Trails around state park headquarters have significantly changed and many of the old courses have reverted completely back to forest and the recent ice storms have further compounded the difficulty in following those trails. Some trails as noted above may be challenging to follow but can be nice, scenic and secluded hikes.
December '08 Ice Storm Impact on Old Trails
The recent ice storm has caused much damage in the State Park Reservation on the southeast side of the mountain. The old White Dot Trail (Pasture Trail) is a mess. The Old Hinkley Trail linking Cascade Link is in an area of forest devastated by the ice storm and I don't recommend exploring there now. The Halfway House Trails were not affected too much by the ice storm, however, the State Park Reservation forest was severely impacted by the December Ice Storm.
Below: Whit AB Trail
Monadnock Trails:
Monadnock Trails website: Author, Creator, and photos by Frederick Pitcher 2010
Use of the information on this site is the sole risk of the user. The author is not responsible for the trails or anyone's ability to follow them. In addition to the trails there are certain places in this website described that are off trail. Anyone exploring Monadnock does so at their own risk.
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