Moderate to hard
Hiking
We parked in the ample parking lot on Farrington Road, off Rte. 136 in Francestown, NH.
Our goal was the East Mountain trail via the Link trail.
There are many loop trails, should you want a shorter, less challenging trek.
I rehiked this loop with my friends Linda and Meri. Power hikers, but patient with their slower companion.
The Link trail was also built by Ted Bonner of Ted and Carolyn’s trail fame. (Mikispicks has reviewed Ted and Carolyn’s in a prior post.)
The trails are well marked. We only got paused when we were looking at all the Lady Slippers and not following markers.
A sturdy bridge provides a respite to enjoy the pond.
It is a little rough walking by the beaver dam.
There is a blind overlooking the swamp for bird watching.
An open meadow where Ruby obediently halted when we saw a porcupine.
There are some beautiful old trees which look to be quite healthy.
The trail in spots is rocky and steep. We hiked counter clockwise. Given the rocky climbing, I would recommend that direction.
There are wonderful rock formations. I once saw a buzzard’s nest among them. Confess it was a bit spooky.
Here are some rock pictures from 2024.
My wonderful hiking companions, 2020, my son and his partner.
Summit views, 2024
And so we begin our descent. We passed on the loop to the West Summit as lunch was calling. Greenfield has some great places to grab a bite.
The descent down had one very rocky, steep, switch back; but easier to navigate than some of the climbs on the way up.
On our way out, we paused to see where we had been. It got a bit buggy. It was mid day and the swamp nearby did not help.
And so we come back across the stone wall to the parking lot. What a great hike
We saw lots of Lady Slippers. Made a friend of a snake, and had one very tired Ruby.
Check out these great places.
The Nature Conservancy
Monadnock Conservancy
granitestatewalker.wordpress.com
HydroFlask
coloradochelsea
