Mt. Monadnock via White Arrow Trail

Hike scheduled for 6/16/2001. Rendezvous at trailhead at 10AM.

Directions to Grand Monadnock

From points west (e.g., Albany/Troy), take NY 7 east to the Vermont border, where it becomes VT 9. Continue all the way across the state to I-91 just outside Brattleboro. VT 9 follows I-91 north for one exit to go around Brattleboro itself. Take exit 3, for VT/NH 9 east. It gets off onto a rotary - take the 9 east exit from the rotary. Stay on VT 9 and cross the border over the Connecticut River into NH. Take NH 9 east to NH 101 east. Follow NH 101 east to NH 124 south/east (I forget which, just take the right turn). The parking area is on the left, and is well labeled. There are 2 large paved lots. Parking was $5 last time I was there - it may have changed since.
From points southwest, get to I-91 north and take it to exit 3 in VT. Continue as above.
From points northeast, get to I-91 south and take it to exit 3 in VT. Continue as above.
From Nashua NH, take Rt 3 to 101A west. Follow 101A west to 101; it'll be just after 122. Take 101 west to 202 in Peterborough and hang a left. Go to 124 in Jaffrey and take a right. The parking area will be on the right instead of left.
From Boston MA, take Rt 2 west to Fitchburg, then 31 north to NH 124. Turn left on 124 and find the trailhead on the right instead of the left.

Special Attractions

Grand Monadnock is considered the most-climbed mountain in the world today. (A distinction Mt. Fuji lost when they put in public transportation to the summit - why climb when you can ride?) There are good reasons.

Grand Monadnock is the original example of a monadnock, a specific type of mountain that stands alone, not part of a range. Grand Monadnock really does stand alone - there's nothing else for miles. I'm not a geologist, but as I understand it, Grand Monadnock was originally part of a range when the ice ages came through. Repeated glacial scraping reduced the softer features around Grand Monadnock, leaving it standing alone against the plain.

Grand Monadnock, despite being only 3165 feet high, is an open summit with a timberline. At this latitude, treeline should be about 4000-4300 feet; the reason Grand Monadnock is bald is because of the repeated glacial scouring - there just isn't enough topsoil there for most trees.

I figure we'll head up from the parking lot around 10AM, enjoy lunch on the summit around 11:30, and back down whenever we decide it's just too hot to stand in the sun.

Note: if the White Arrow lots are full, we'll divert to the Marlboro Trail. Head back north/west from the White Arrow parking (from the lots, turn right) and take the first right onto Shaker Farm Road. This road is in absolutely miserable condition. Unpaved dirt is fine, but the last time I was there, there were large rocks jutting up from the road, high enough that I was concerned for my undercarriage. It can be done, I've done it. But it will definitely try your patience. The trailhead is .75 mi. from Rt 124. There is a small parking area. Parking here is free, but unreliable. If it's full, we have a big problem, the only place left to try will be the main lot on the east side of the mountain.

Special Considerations

Wear comfortable shoes/boots appropriate to clambering over rocks and loose scree, as well as suitable for dirt trails. This needs to be said, people. Don't be morons.
Likewise, wear sensible clothing. It's going to be 91 degrees, according to the weather forecast. Don't bundle up in a parka.
Wear sunblock! Grand Monadnock's summit is exposed, you will get a lot of sun.
Bring sunglasses if you want them.
Carry a day-pack or other appropriate pack with enough water. This means a minimum of 1 liter, and I'd go ahead and take 2, just to be sure. I'll have a water filter, and there's supposed to be a reliable spring at about 1 mile up (Moses Spring). Having said that, don't rely on me, rely on yourself. Springs dry up.
Pack a lunch - sandwiches are fine. I personally like burritoes, they don't mind being squashed as much as sandwiches. There are no facilities on the summit, just a lot of bare bedrock. If you feeling like carrying a stove and cooking, that's your choice - and your extra pack weight.
You may want a camera - the views should be very nice, possibly 6-state, covering all of New England on a really clear day.

Trail Notes - White Arrow

A word of caution is in order. Unlike other hiking outings, Monadnock State Park is a warren of trails. Follow the trail blazes carefully, as a missed junction could get you very lost! I don't expect problems, but some of the above-treeline trail junctions are just painted blazes on the bedrock. Stay alert. If you get seriously off the trail above treeline, you can always go back up to the summit to reacquire it. If you get lost below treeline... don't get lost below treeline.

C'mon, kids, we're all adults, and I'm going to assume that nobody going along is going to do anything stupid.

As always, all mileages are taken from the parking area. Total distance is 2.2 miles one-way, 4.4 miles round-trip. From the parking area off 124, the trail follows the unpaved "Old Toll Road" up the mountain (open only to foot traffic). At about 0.5 mi. pass Parker Trail, which goes east to the Park Headquarters. At 1.0 mi. the road ends at a broad clearing where the old Half Way House used to stand.

Be warned, there are a lot of side trails from the clearing. Be sure to follow the right blazes (white arrows) to the correct trail.

At the north end of the clearing, the trail - now just a foot trail - continues to the summit. Climbing steadily and sometimes steeply, the trail occasionally climbs up large stone steps. Just after the last steep section, the trail levels out before passing treeline and the beginnings of the spectacular views.

Reach the summit at 2.2 mi.. Return the same way.

Trail Notes - Marlboro

If we have big problems parking at the White Arrow, we can try the Marlboro Trail, which I prefer anyway.

From the parking area, follow the trail for about a mile of easy walking. The next mile climbs steadily and steeply to treeline and the summit. My memory of the trail is that it involves steep climbs - use hands - to open ledges, then level stretches that plunge back into woods and shade, then later, rinse, repeat. It gets monotonous after a while, but the views are simply unreal. 0.3 mi. from the summit, the Marlboro trail merges onto the Dublin Trail and goes straight for the top over jumbled bedrock. Return the same way.