New Hampshire Magazine September 2017

603 NAVIGATOR OUTSIDER
photo courtesy of new hampshire division of travel and tourism
Fabulous Fall Hikes
Start planning your foliage itinerary
BY MARTY BASCH
Mother Nature’s incredible annual
display of kaleidoscopic color
invites exploration. Though
many find warmth and delight in the smell of
woodstoves and the taste of sweet apple crisp,
fall’s indoor delights are no match for its outdoor
treasures, when we can breathe deep the
invigorating air while wandering the woods.
Head outdoors and hike into a world of
color bursting with bright reds, yellows and
oranges before the muted hues and browns
take over for twig season.
Fall in New Hampshire is also ripe with
arbitrary “best” stories. Certainly there are
hikes that are better than others but, during
autumn’s splendor, virtually any trek yields
rewards — from far-ranging vistas that can
include high mountaintops freshly dusted
with snow to the deep-probing thoughts
that come with solitude.
New Hampshire is fortunate to have so
many mountains to choose from. During
fall, find a new one or return to one you have
hiked in another season or on another trail.
Fall is a time when hikers must plan for
what’s ahead of them. Fine temperatures and
light winds at the trailhead could translate
to wintry, windswept conditions at a peak’s
summit, especially on one that’s exposed.
Layers are a must, as are essentials such as
a hat and gloves. Sunsets come earlier, so
flashlights and timing are key.
The Sugarloaf mountains — 2,539-foot
Middle Sugarloaf and North Sugarloaf at
2,310 feet — by Twin Mountain are perky
peaks with ledgy tops featuring sweeping
Presidential Range views. The 3-plus-mile
T-shaped hike is loaded with features, from a
flat walk along the Zealand River to the towering
trailside glacial erratics. Wooden steps
lead to the summit of Middle, while North
is home to a long-abandoned quarry where
smoky quartz was once extracted.
Another double-fun hike is the 4.4-mile
The North Country bursts with color during
a fall foliage excursion.
circuit over the tops of Welch Mountain and
Dickey Mountain. This trek near Waterville
Valley is high on the popularity list of hikes in
the White Mountains. Quite simply, the views
are superb, and it offers an alpine feeling well
below tree line. Welch is the smaller of the two
mountains at 2,605 feet, but it’s the winner on
views with its eagle-eye look down to the Mad
River Valley. Dickey’s no slouch at 2,734 feet,
and it offers open ledges and rock slabs.
Gorham’s 2,555-foot Mount Hayes is
a great platform for a lovely view of the
Androscoggin River Valley and northern
White Mountains. A moderate 7-mile
round-trip hike largely on the Mahoosuc
Trail, this journey’s initial steps are on an
old steel Boston and Maine Railroad trestle.
A side trip to Mascot Pond on the way
back is worthwhile. The area was the site of
the Mascot lead mine operation in the late
1800s, and the gated mine above the pond is
a bit of a winter bat hotel.
An excellent White Mountains base camp,
North Conway has a couple of uplifting
near-town hikes. The popular trek up 2,369-
foot Black Cap Mountain, a relatively easy
excursion, leads to a glorious landscape
28 nhmagazine.com | September 2017