Mount Monadnock State Park – Mount Monadnock & Gilson Pond

PHOTO: Yours truly below the summit of Mount Monadnock on the White Dot Trail. Mount Monadnock State Park is located in Jaffrey and Dublin, New Hampshire. Mount Monadnock is a strenuous hike; all trails have rugged steep sections. Reservations for parking day passes are highly recommended and can be purchased at NHStateParks.org. Visitors will be turned away when the park is full. No dogs or pets are permitted anywhere in the Park. From the summit on a clear day there is a stunning panorama with views reaching to the Boston Skyline and the White Mountains. 

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

Mount Monadnock, summit elevation 3,165 feet, is the most prominent peak in southern New
Hampshire rising 2,000 vertical feet above the surrounding landscape. The mountain is often
cited as one of the most popular mountains to hike in the world. It is estimated that more than
125,000 people visit the mountain each year.
The Mountain’s rocky bare summit is the main attraction in the Mount Monadnock State Park.
The summit and much of the mountain is actually owned and protected by The Society for the
Protection of New Hampshire Forests’ Monadnock Reservation and it is leased to the State.
There are 40 miles of trails and many points of interest all over the mountain and many
trailheads. The Park headquarters is located at the shortest and most direct route’s
trailhead—The White Dot Trail. Up the White Dot Trail and down the White Cross Trail makes
about a 4 mile loop over the mountain with 1,800 feet of climbing.

Parking reservations are a smart idea and they can be made on-line at NHStateParks.org.
But since Becca and I thought the campground at Gilson Pond was still closed we thought we’d
be putting our parking fee, $15 per car, in an iron ranger. Instead we pulled up to the entrance
and we were asked if we had reservations. We learned that the campground had opened in
early April this year and the only way to guarantee not being turned away is to make a
reservation. Space is limited at all the trailheads and visitors without reservations will be turned
away when the park is fully booked.
Since the hiking season was just starting to pick up and we arrived early, before 8:30 am, it
helped us be lucky to get a parking spot. We paid our fee and drove to the day parking area in
the Gilson Pond Campground.

The day was beautiful and warm and with light wind. We knew a lot of people would be out so
we chose trails that are more lightly used for our route up the mountain.
From Gilson Pond we started up the Birchtoft Trail through a lovely hardwood forest and we
passed by and hiked along some wonderful stone walls. Then we turned right up the Cascade
Link a tenth of a mile before turning left to go up the Spellman Trail.
The Spellman Trail is the steepest trail on the mountain and requires a lot of scrambling up
open ledges and big boulders. It is best to go up this trail not down and only on dry days when it
isn’t slippery. It is only about half a mile up to reach the Pumpelly Trail but the trail is very
rugged.
As we headed up the Pumpelly Trail we enjoyed big vistas in all directions, we could even see
the Boston Skyline, something we aren’t used to seeing when we hike. We’d only been on the
Pumpelly Trail a few minutes when we met people hiking towards us. Soon we could see lots
and lots of people on the summit. Until this point we’d had the trails all to ourselves.

Becca and I quickly walked over the summit and then back down the way we had come to get
away from the crowds. We found a good place out of the wind to sit and to eat an early lunch.
Plus our spot had a good view of the line of people heading up the White Dot Trail.
As we drank and ate we tried to identify the distant peaks and bodies of water. Boston’s
skyscrapers were still easy to see on this clear day.
From here we headed down the White Dot Trail, against the grain of all the other hikers. I have
to warn you that all the trails up Monadnock require some on all fours scrambling. White Dot has
a steep section that is best to only go up, so most people descend the White Cross Trail. We
carefully down-climbed the steep section when there was a break in the people coming up. At
the bottom we went left onto the lightly used Old Ski Path to cut down to the Red Spot Trail that
would lead us back the Birchtoft Trail.

We weren’t alone on the Birchtoft Trail on our way back. We passed by two large groups of
kids. One group was taking a snack break and the other was hustling up the trail. A couple of
trail runners came up past us too.
When we reached the southeast shore of Gilson Pond we had nice views across the water up
to the Pumpelly Ridge. The Pond Loop is about a mile long. We decided to walk around the
pond to end our hike and enjoy the pleasant Spring day outside a little longer. Have Fun.