Date(s) Hiked: October 22nd
Trails(s) Hiked: Champney Falls
Total Distance: 7.6 miles (AMC distance)
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Conditions: Cloudy in the 40s
Special Required Equipment: Hiking poles
Trip Report:
With access to a condo next to Storyland on Route 16, I made plans to squeeze in a hike before the season was over. We had a late start, with nice views of Mount Washington on our doorstep, and began hiking at 11 am.
Traffic on the trail was low, but very busy at the summit. Some ice had begun to form but it was more of a novelty however there were alot of slick rocks to traverse over. This is where hiking poles would have come in handy. After reaching the summit we enjoyed a somewhat hazy view of the local mountains with sun lighting up Mount Washington, it was quite a view.
The summit itself is tricky. As you can see from Chocorua's popular profile there is a rocky ledge that sticks up above the surrounding rock. It called for some careful scouting so you did not get stuck on a smaller ledge with no way to get up or back down. After a small lunch, the hike back down became hard because of the angle and the wet rocks. Foliage wasn't very noteworthy but there were some areas where you were surrounded by yellow light from the trees. This was my first major hike, before this I had just done Mount Greylock and the Blue Hills in Boston.
A less moderate hike stops at the Champney Falls, about half way up the trail and is about 3.5 miles round trip. I imagine the falls are quite nice in the Summer. The Champney Falls trailhead is a paved parking lot on Kancamagus Highway (NH 112) off of NH 16 in Conway. It has $3 self pay passes.
You can view my photos on Flickr.
Now that I'm hooked on the NH hiking I was wondering what people would recommend after doing Chocorua, which I found challenging but rewarding.
Trails(s) Hiked: Champney Falls
Total Distance: 7.6 miles (AMC distance)
Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Conditions: Cloudy in the 40s
Special Required Equipment: Hiking poles
Trip Report:
With access to a condo next to Storyland on Route 16, I made plans to squeeze in a hike before the season was over. We had a late start, with nice views of Mount Washington on our doorstep, and began hiking at 11 am.
Traffic on the trail was low, but very busy at the summit. Some ice had begun to form but it was more of a novelty however there were alot of slick rocks to traverse over. This is where hiking poles would have come in handy. After reaching the summit we enjoyed a somewhat hazy view of the local mountains with sun lighting up Mount Washington, it was quite a view.
The summit itself is tricky. As you can see from Chocorua's popular profile there is a rocky ledge that sticks up above the surrounding rock. It called for some careful scouting so you did not get stuck on a smaller ledge with no way to get up or back down. After a small lunch, the hike back down became hard because of the angle and the wet rocks. Foliage wasn't very noteworthy but there were some areas where you were surrounded by yellow light from the trees. This was my first major hike, before this I had just done Mount Greylock and the Blue Hills in Boston.
A less moderate hike stops at the Champney Falls, about half way up the trail and is about 3.5 miles round trip. I imagine the falls are quite nice in the Summer. The Champney Falls trailhead is a paved parking lot on Kancamagus Highway (NH 112) off of NH 16 in Conway. It has $3 self pay passes.
You can view my photos on Flickr.
Now that I'm hooked on the NH hiking I was wondering what people would recommend after doing Chocorua, which I found challenging but rewarding.