The Franconia Ridge Loop is a great day hike on the western side of White Mountain National Forest. Many consider the 9 mile loop one of the best hikes in the White Mountains and even New England. Technically, the hike is in Franconia Notch State Park, but it is part of the White Mountains. The hike covers the peaks of Little Haystack, Mt. Lincoln, and Mt. Layette. While challenging, the views are well worth the climb. All three peaks offer a 360 degree view of the park and overlook where the Old Man in the Mountain used to be.
Location:
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Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire
The trailhead is directly off US93 in Franconia State Park. Since it is a divided highway, there are parking lots on both sides with a tunnel running under the road to the trail head. When the weather is good, parking is hard to find. When we finished our hike, there were cars lined up and down the highway for several hundred yards as the lots were full. There are a few outhouses at the trailhead, but no other amenities. |
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The Hike:
View of Mt. Lafayette from Little Mt. Lincoln -Click to Enlarge-
We followed the Old Bridle Path to the Falling Water Trail. The Falling Water trail is around 3 miles long with over 2,500 feet of elevation gain. There are no views until you reach the summit of Little Haystack Mountain which makes the hike a little boring. While not extremely difficult, the Falling Water trail is definitely not an easy hike. There are lots of large rocks to climb over, the footing is not great, and the elevation gain is challenging.
Once we reached Little Haystack, we followed the Appalachian Trail to Mt. Lincoln, and then to Mt. Lafayette. From Little Haystack, it is about a 2.5 mile hike to Mt. Lafayette. The AT is a rather easy ridge trail with about 800 feet of elevation gain between Little Haystack and Mt. Lafayette. The views from the AT are spectacular, if there are no clouds. When we reached Little Haystack around 10:45am, the clouds were starting to break up. After a water and snack break we started down the AT. At this point, the sky was clear enough to start seeing some of the surrounding mountains. By the time we reached Mt. Lincoln, the clouds had dissipated for the most part.
Once we reached Little Haystack, we followed the Appalachian Trail to Mt. Lincoln, and then to Mt. Lafayette. From Little Haystack, it is about a 2.5 mile hike to Mt. Lafayette. The AT is a rather easy ridge trail with about 800 feet of elevation gain between Little Haystack and Mt. Lafayette. The views from the AT are spectacular, if there are no clouds. When we reached Little Haystack around 10:45am, the clouds were starting to break up. After a water and snack break we started down the AT. At this point, the sky was clear enough to start seeing some of the surrounding mountains. By the time we reached Mt. Lincoln, the clouds had dissipated for the most part.
The Greenleaf Trail from Mt. Lafayette -Click to Enlarge-
After reaching Mt. Lafayette, we followed the Greenleaf Trail to the Old Bridle Path which lead back to the parking lot, about 4 miles. The Greenleaf Trail was easier than the Falling Water Trail, but still not an easy descent. Large sections of the trail were slippery rocks and there were many times we were scrambling down rock surfaces on all fours. The view of the surrounding mountains from the Greenleaf Trail was amazing almost the entire way down. With about a mile left, the trail ducked back into the tree line obstructing the view. If you are looking for a little shorter, easier hike you can hike up to Mt. Lafayette and back using the Old Bridal Path and Greenleaf Trail.
In total, the hike is just under 9 miles. We left the parking lot around 8:45am and returned at 3:00pm. The total hike time included a 30-45 minute break on Little Haystack and another hour break on Mt. Lafayette. We hiked in late May and the temperature at the trail head was in the high 60's, but at the top, the temperature was quite a bit lower. Once out of the trees and on the ridge, the temperature was in the 40's and it was very windy. Thankfully we had layers otherwise it would have been extremely cold. Even though it was late May, some shaded portions of the trail still had snow/ice on them. Overall there was not much snow/ice, but there were a few spots where we had to scramble up an ice patch.
In total, the hike is just under 9 miles. We left the parking lot around 8:45am and returned at 3:00pm. The total hike time included a 30-45 minute break on Little Haystack and another hour break on Mt. Lafayette. We hiked in late May and the temperature at the trail head was in the high 60's, but at the top, the temperature was quite a bit lower. Once out of the trees and on the ridge, the temperature was in the 40's and it was very windy. Thankfully we had layers otherwise it would have been extremely cold. Even though it was late May, some shaded portions of the trail still had snow/ice on them. Overall there was not much snow/ice, but there were a few spots where we had to scramble up an ice patch.
Trail Info:
Below is an interactive map of the hike. Google actually has the hiking trails plotted on the topo layer. Also, below is a GPS route of the hike and elevation plot. You can download the KML file and load it into Google Maps, Garmin Basecamp, or whatever mapping software you choose. The KML file has location and elevation data to exactly match the trail (+/- GPS accuracy).
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Interactive map of the hike
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Franconia Ridge Loop elevation plot
-Click to Enlarge- |
| Franconia Ridge Loop GPS Data |
Tips:
- Even though we hiked at the end of May, there were still a few patches of snow on the trail and the temperature at the top of the mountain very cold. Bring layers and make sure one is windproof.
- There is a good chance that the view from the peaks will be obstructed by clouds early in the morning. When we started the hike around 8:45am, the mountains were covered in clouds. The cloud cover did not break until around noon which worked out well since that was about the time we reached the first peak. As the day went on, the clouds dispersed even more. Plan your hiking schedule so that you take advantage of the views at the top.
- We hiked Memorial Day weekend and the park was very busy. When we finished hiking, the parking lot was overflowing. Starting early is key for to beating the rush.
- Overall, it was not an easy hike so it would not be recommended to bring small children as they would have trouble hiking. We did see several families with older children (8-12) and they did not appear to have any trouble hiking to the top.
Pictures:
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The Crew:
Mark, Sean, John, Kyle, and Matt
Questions/Comments: