My favourite hikes close to Montreal: Mount Lafayette to Mount Lincoln, Franconia Ridge

Trailhead location: Lafayette Place Campground just off Interstate-93 in Franconia Notch State Park

There is also a day use parking lot near the trailhead.

Hike length: 13km

Hike duration: 7 hours

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Our first outdoor trip after moving to Montreal from Victoria, British Columbia was a winter snowshoeing trek on Sentier des Caps in Charlevoix. While on the trail, I took the opportunity to canvass other hikers for trail recommendations. I asked people to name their favourite hike in the region. The almost universal answer was Franconia Ridge in New Hampshire.

This year we hiked the Franconia Ridge Loop for the 2nd year in a row. I’m guessing we’ll probably do it again next year, too. In between our 2 visits to Franconia Ridge we also hiked the Presidential Traverse (also in New Hampshire) and a handful of hikes closer to home in Quebec, Mount Tremblant, Mont-Megantic and Mont Saint-Hillaire. Of all these hikes the one I expect we’ll continue to go back to most frequently is Franconia Ridge. Why? Well, I'd have to say it’s the winning combo of easy accessibility coupled with a decent workout and a plethora of stunning views.

Both times we’ve hiked the trail, we left Montreal on Friday afternoon to arrive at the Lafayette Place Campground in the evening. Google Maps says the drive takes 3-4 hours, but we usually find, with added time to cross the boarder and stop for groceries, the drive usually takes us 5-5.5 hours. We’ve found it best to try to get off work a bit early in order to arrive at the campground early enough to enjoy a few hours of campfire time before hitting the hay.

On our most recent Franconia Ridge hike, we started the day off with a semi-relaxing breakfast with the gang before making our way from the campground to the nearby trailhead around 10am. The climb up to the Ridge along the Falling Waters trail is a bit of a long grind - both times it has taken us 2-3 hours to reach the ridge - but the views you’ll enjoy as you eat lunch above the tree line more than make up for the effort.

In between Mount Lafayette (1600m) and Mount Lincoln (1550m), the loop also takes in Little Haystack Mountain (1450m) enjoying wonderful 360 degree views the entire way. At Mount Lincoln  we began our decent via the Old Bridle Path Trail which includes a stop at the Greenleaf Hut where we took a break to fill up our water bottles. You can also usually buy a cold drink and baked goods at the hut.

We arrived back at the campground tired, happy and looking forward to a hot shower, a wienie roast dinner and a night around the campfire with friends . I should mention one of the things that makes this hike so great is that the campground is very well serviced with decent showers, a well-stocked camp store for purchasing any forgotten items, and friendly staff. The campsites are also a good size and offer a fair amount of privacy.

One final note, when going on group hikes, we like to enjoy a big brunch in town with the gang before hitting the road to head home. Our favourite brunch spot (so far) near the campground is the Littleton Diner. YUM!

Related links:

• Section Hiker: Great Hikes: Franconia Ridge Traverse 
• AllTrails: Mount Lafayette and Franconia Ridge Trail Loop
• SummitPost.org: Mount Lafayette 

Tour de Mont Blanc, Day 9 - Hotel Col de la Forclaz to Gîte le Moulin

Distance: 13km
Time: 7 hours
Cost: 39 CHF (room and board at Gîte Moulin)

On the morning of our ninth day on the Tour de Mont Blanc, we climbed 700m after leaving Hotel de la Forclaz to arrive at Col de la Balme just before noon. The bad weather the forecast had predicted never arrived, at least not until we had safely reached the gîte. That said, we were glad to enjoy lovely 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains from Col de Balme and Col des Possettes.

Le Gîte Moulin, where we stayed the night, was pretty simple, but a good deal for the price, very comfy and the owner is a fabulous cook. This was the only place we stayed on the hike that cooked a specific vegan meal for Amy - salad and mushroom lasagna and I has lucky enough to enjoy it as well. YUM!
 

Tour de Mont Blanc, Day 8 - Relais d'Arpette to Hotel Col de la Forclaz

Distance: 12km, with a 1000m climb
Time: 9 hours
Cost: 63 CHF (room and board at Gîte d'alpage de La Peule)

We were told this is the hardest stretch on the Tour de Mont Blanc, and it did turn out to be pretty difficult. The gentle climb that started just after we left Relais d'Arpette became steeper and steeper until we were scrambling over loose boulders and up what felt like 45 degree banks to reach the Fenêtre d'Arpette.

Our climb was complicated by inconsistent weather conditions that in turn delivered rain, fog, wind and rare glimpses of blue sky to urge us onward. When we finally arrived at the fenêtre we were greeted by cold winds and rain. Though the view was surprisingly lovely, given the weather, we decided not to linger there long.

The 1000m descent took us 5 hours, most of it under unexpectedly sunny skies. We took our time to descend safely and stopped often to enjoy views of the impressive Trient Glacier.

We arrived at the Hotel Col de la Forclaz just before the thunderstorms started. The hotel is a sprawling maze of dorms and stairwells and seems to not have been renovated since the 70s. Though it's busier than I would prefer - it's located just up the hill from the bustling village of Trient - it seems quiet and cozy enough. And of course it feels good to be inside and out of the rain.

Tour de Mont Blanc, Day 7: Gîte d'alpage de La Peule to Relais d'Arpette

Distance: 24km
Time: 8 hours
Cost: 67 CHF (room and board at Relais d'Arpette)

After stopping short of a full leg the day before, we made up for the difference the next day. We completed the full leg for day 7 in our Tour de Mont Blanc guidebook and hiked an additional couple of kilometers to Relais d'Arpette.

Having enjoyed 6 straight days of glorious sunshine, we finally encountered our first bout of rain this day (which, happily enough, turned out to the the only rain we endured on the trail for the entire hike). It began just after we left La Peule and continued in a steady downpour until we reached la Fouly an hour and a half later. Thankfully the rain dried up just as we were hiking out of La Fouly and the sun came out. It remained fairly sunny for the rest of our extra-long hike - though it did begin raining again just after we checked into Relais d'Arpette.

As things go, it wasn't a bad day to deal with rain, most of the day we descended into the valley on wide paths, and there weren't any vistas to take in. We did pass many pretty, clear bubbling streams, shady forested stretches and picturesque Swiss Villages. We had a very nice stay at Relais d'Arpette where we were served a dinner of vegetable soup, beef stew, and dessert.

 

Tour de Mont Blanc, Day 6 - Rifugio Bonatti to Gîte d'alpage de La Peule

Distance: 13km
Time: 5.5 hours
Cost: 62 CHF (room and board at Gîte d'alpage de La Peule)

Our sixth day on the Tour de Mont Blanc was a pretty short day, though the 13km we covered included a bit of a grind of a climb from Val Ferret to Grand Col Ferret (1784m to 2537m) where we crossed into Switzerland.

 

We stayed the night at the Gîte d'alpage de La Peule. While it at first seemed comparatively small and rustic compared to the other refuges we'd encountered, it quickly found a place in my heart and became my second favourite refuge of the hike. It had the requisite lovely view, was quiet and comfortable and the dorms were roomy and airy (most of the dorms we stayed in were a bit on the stuffy side). As the gîte is located on a working dairy farm, the food, which featured their own milk and cheeses, was extra fresh and delicious. For dinner we had salad, croque madame and fruit salad and the breakfast they served in the morning was hands-down the best breakfast of the hike.

Tour de Mont Blanc, Day 5: Rifugio Bertone to Rifugio Bonatti (via Mont de la Saxe option)

Distance: ?
Time: 6 hours
Cost: 48 euros (room and board at Rifugio Bonatti)

On our fifth day on the Tour de Mont Blanc, we took one of the optional routes and gained an extra 500m of elevation so that we could take in an amazing panoramic view from Tête de la Tranche of the south wall of the Mont Blanc range from Col de la Seigne to the Grand Col Ferret.

We stayed the night at Rifugio Bonatti which had a spectacular and relatively close-up view of the mountains across the valley. They served us a humongous dinner of salad, soup with cheese and croutons, meatballs with peppers, mashed potatoes and chocolate tart.

Tour de Mont Blanc, Day 4: Rifugio Elisabetta to Rifugio Bertone

Distance: 22km
Time: 10 hours (including a leisurely lunch in Courmeyeur)
Cost: 60 euros (room and board at Refuge de Nant Borrant)

The highlight of our fourth day on the Tour de Mont Blanc was the morning hike across Val Veni, which was stunning beautiful in the morning light. A great start to a fairly easy day, though we did tackle 2 climbs. The first was a 400m  climb up from Val Veni to Mont Favre Spur which, though short, was pretty steep. The second was from the resort town of Courmeyeur up to the lovely Rifugio Bertone, my favourite refuge of the all the refuges we stayed at on the TMB.

The climb up to Bertone was very steep, but the well worth it. The views from the patio of the rifugio were out of this world. We also enjoyed having reliable wifi access for the first time on the hike and a topped off the evening with a terrific dinner of pasta, polenta, sausage, ratatouille and creme anglaise.

Tour de Mont Blanc, Day 3: Refuge des Mottets to Rifugio Elisabetta

Distance: 9.5
Time: 4 hours
Cost: 55 euros (room and board at Rifugio Elisabetta)

Our third day on the Tour de Mont Blanc started with a 700m climb up from Des Mottets to Col de la Seigne where we crossed into Italy.  It was a bit of a grind, but it was over soon enough. As it was still early in the day, we enjoyed a nice long break at Col de la Seigne, and took a short detour on our descent into Val Veni to view the neighbouring valley.

We arrived at Rifugio Elisabetta early in the day with enough time to do a bit of laundry and have a relaxing afternoon.  We treated ourselves to a pasta and beer lunch - sausage and tagliatelle for me and gnocchi for Amy. It was a big lunch, but we still managed to make room for dinner that evening. Mmmmm, pasta!

Tour de Mont Blanc, Day 2: Refuge de Nant Borrant to Refuge des Mottets

Distance: 14km, 1500m elevation gain
Time: 9 hours
Cost: 55 euros (room and board at Refuge des Mottets)

Our second day on the Tour de Mont Blanc was shorter, but man, was it a all buster! We hiked up 3 passes - Col du Bonhomme, Col de la Croix, and Col des Fours - climbed 1500m and descended 700m! The passes were covered in snow (unusual for this time of year) but the temperature still manged to climb to a balmy 30+ degrees under a hot sun. We both got nasty sunburns.

Des Mottets where we're ending our night is isolated but very comfortable and well-serviced. For dinner they served us veggie soup, tomato salad, cheese, beef stew with rice and aubergines and creme caramel for dessert.