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
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
