North Moat Mountain
Distance: 10.4 miles
Elevation: 2848 feet
Time: 6 hours, 22 minutes
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge; 52 With a View
The original plan was to hike Webster-Jackson-Pierce-Eisenhower today with Gen, but COVID laid its nasty paws on her so I was soloing today! I dug through the 52WAV list, triangulated with the weather forecast, and landed on the moats! It had been winter in the white the previous two days, but this day was going to be back to chilly mornings but reasonable afternoons, and not a cloud in the sky! I woke up at 2:00am, questioned my sanity, and made it to the Moat Mountain trailhead (Diana's Baths parking area) just after 5:00am (with a couple stops, of course). I was the only soul in sight, which stayed pretty constant throughout the day until I made it back to the baths.
I started the hike on the Moat Mountain trail along an appropriately described "tourist path" that led to Diana's Baths, a beautiful series of pools and cascades. From there, the trail thins out a little bit and feels more like you're in the woods versus you're hiking with everyone and their family to take swim. A little ways down, the Red Ridge Trail starts opposite Lucy Brook, which is where the loop will end. I continued along the Moat Mountain Trail, which closely paralleled Lucy Brook, for a while until the trail eventually crosses Lucy Brook. Water levels were very manageable this day. The junction with the Attitash Trail starts the big climb - so naturally I took a nice break to avoid the inevitable. Climbing the Moat Mountain Trail from the Attitash Junction to the summit was steadily steep the whole time. I can see how it could be sketchy if wet, but there were no major obstacles other than relentless climbing.
The trail started steeply in the woods, then broke out into steep ledgy areas, then back into the woods steeply, then more ledges (steeply), and so on. There were some views starting to poke through the further up, and there is a wide ledge that offers the first really excellent view of the hike, with Mt. Kearsarge to the right and the presidentials to the left. (Mt. Kearsarge became a friend on this hike, always right there when I needed something to look at). After a nice break here, I continued the steep journey when I heard an all-too-familiar sound... an angry grouse. This one was extra angry, though. It did it classic wing flapping that sounds like a herd of buffalo stampeding down the trail, then it started to yell at me endlessly, flew towards the trail, ran towards me, kept yelling, I yelled back, it kept yelling and ran back into the woods, and then paralleled me for about 50 feet switching between yelling and flapping its wings. This mountain chicken was not a friend. That being said, it did give me a nice adrenaline boost to keep going.
The trail eventually levels out, described as a shoulder, and I had the audacity to think I was almost done. Nope. Through the trees, I saw the true summit, straight up in the air. I swore a few times, and now finally finished the climb. The view was truly magnificent. 360 degrees, skies clear as day. "New Hampshire's 52 With a View: A Hiker's Guide" states that 34 4000-footers are in view from this peak, and countless other mountains. I was in complete awe, and could have happily spent the whole day there. The only thing that got me moving was the bugs - they have been dormant for most of the hike, but were starting to wake up. Nothing was biting, but they were definitely finding me. The pollinators were also zooming all around, which was enough to get me to continue on. At this point, I was unsure if I was going to continue to South/Middle Moats. I definitely wanted to, but my body was definitely feeling tired at this point. I decided it would be a gametime decision at the next junction.
The hike down from North Moat was STEEP, shockingly. There were at least 3 decent scrambles, with one exceptionally tricky. None were dangerous, but definitely sketchy. There was a short climb back up to the formerly named Middle Moat, and unofficially named Red Ridge Peak, where the Red Ridge Trail junction laid. Right past the junction there is a beautiful open area with large boulders that can be easily climbed. From there, I saw the ridge leading to South Moat and confidently decided that I would venture over there another day. The cold weather in the morning, paired with a steep climb hurt my lungs pretty decently, something that happens all the time in the colder months. I usually have a buff with me to wear to help warm up the air when I'm huffing and puffing, but it's been summer in Boston, so I haven't needed it. Whoops!
Descending the Red Ridge Trail is incredible. Endless views the whole upper half, including North Moat, the mountain that figuratively and literally just took my breath away. The ridge reminded me of the Pumpelly Trail on Mt. Monadnock, but more like Mars than the moon, if that makes any sense. The trail wasn't necessarily easy to follow, but there is usually a cairn or blaze within eyeshot if you do some looking. It wasn't until the lower part of this trail that I saw my first few humans of the day, which I was more than okay with.
The trail eventually dips back into the woods and bypasses a former sketchy section along an "eroded trap dike." This section was purely loose rock, and looked like it dropped off to the center of the earth (which is admittedly a little dramatic, it was more like 20-30 feet). The bypass stays on the mountainside for a little longer and then descends via dirt path, which I was much happier with. There was a tiny "sleeping" mouse right in the middle of the trail in this area (it was most likely dead, sad) - it was cute nonetheless! The trail crosses Moat Brook and then calms down for the remainder of the hike. Small ups and downs and a few junctions, but generally featureless. It looks like this section can get wet and swampy based on the rock placements on the trail, but thankfully for me it's been a dry spring. With the bugs starting to really come out, I picked up my pace and made it back to Diana's Baths in no time.
The final stretch of the hike was the crankiest. Hundreds of people flocking to the baths, all walking shoulder to shoulder and just a little too slowly. There was a line for the bathroom, and there were people aggressively waiting for me to free up a parking spot. My usual post hike routine is stretch at the car, slowly take off shoes and socks, wipe my body down with baby wipes, change my shirt, change my shorts (if there's a bathroom WITHOUT a line or a quiet parking lot), stare into the void, check my stats, eat, hydrate, and the works. That was not the case today, and I was cranky about it. One neat thing was the sea of caterpillars literally everywhere at the parking lot. Either way, I had a great hike, and eventually changed my clothes at another parking area.
- Park at Diana's Baths Parking Area ($5)
- Start hike on the Moat Mountain Trail.
- Detour at Diana's Baths, then continue at Moat Mountain Trail.
- Junction with Red Ridge Trail, continue on Moat Mountain Trail.
- Cross Lucy Brook, continue on Moat Mountain Trail.
- Junction with Attitash Trail, turn to continue on Moat Mountain Trail.
- Summit North Moat Mountain, continue on Moat Mountain Trail.
- Junction with Red Ridge Trail, turn to descend Red Ridge Trail.
- Cross Moat Brook, continue on Red Ridge Trail.
- Junction with USFS Road 379, continue on Red Ridge Trail.
- Junction with Red Ridge Link, continue on Red Ridge Trail.
- Junction with snowmobile trail, continue on Red Ridge Trail.
- Cross Lucy Brook to rejoin Moat Mountain Trail.
- Continue back to car.
"This trail traverses the main ridge of Moat Mtn., providing magnificent views from numerous outlooks. Parts of the ridge are very exposed to weather, particularly the section that crosses Middle Moat and South Moat. The trail can be hard to follow along the open ridge sections in poor visibility; look carefully for cairns and blazes, many of which are faded.
[...].
The northeast terminus of the trail is reached from Conway village via Washington St. and West Side Rd., or from North Conway [...].
Starting from the Northeast terminus, a wide, graded, universally accessible path descends slightly then turns left and winds through coniferous woods for 0.6 miles, intersecting the former route (a gravel road) at the clearing just below the mill site at Diana's Baths, a series of scenic cascades where Lucy Brook runs over ledges and through large potholes. Moat Mtn. Trail bears right and leaves the upper end of the clearing, close to the baths, then bears left at a fork onto a logging road that follows the north bank of Lucy Brook, crossing a tributary just before reaching another form (sign) at 1.2 miles. Here, Red Ridge Trail turns left across the brook, eventually rejoining Moat Mtn. Trail at the apex of Red Ridge, making possible a fine loop hike.
Moat Mtn. Trail crosses Lucy Brook (difficult at high water) at 1.5 miles, and follows the south bank, passing an attractive cascade. At 2.4 miles, it turns abruptly left uphill, away from the stream (last sure water), at the point where Attitash Trail continues straight ahead along the stream towards Big Attitash Mountain. Moat Mountain Trail ascends steadily through the woods and, at 2.8 miles, begins to pass over scrubby, ledgy areas, where the trail must be followed with care, reaching the first good outlook at 3.6 miles. After a steeper section, the trail reaches a shoulder at 4.0 miles and runs nearly nevel through a patch of larger trees then climbs fairly steeply through decreasing scrub and increasing bare ledge to the summit of North Moat at 4.3 miles, where you have an unobstructed view in all directions.
From the summit of North Moat, the trail descends sharply to the base of the cone then easily along a shoulder with occasional views. At the end of the shoulder, the trail drops steeply, passing over several ledges that require some scrambling, traverses another shoulder where you have a fine outlook to the right in a ledgy area, then descends steeply over more ledges to a col in a fine spruce forest. Ascending again, the trail passes the junction with Red Ridge Trail left (northeast) at 5.4 miles, just below several large rocks that provide good views. [continued...]."This trail, marked with yellow blazes (and some orange blazes north of the junction with REd Ridge Link) branches left (south) from Moat Mountain Trail and immediately crosses Lucy Brook, a difficult crossing in high water. Red Ridge Trail ascends generally south at a gentle grade, crossing a yellow-blazed snowmobile trail at 0.5 miles. Red Ridge Link leaves on the left for White Horse Ledge at 0.8 miles, and Red Ridge Trail descends gradually until it crosses the gravel FR 379 (the continuation of the snowmobile trail mentioned above) at 1.5 miles. The trail soon turns sharply right, approaches Moat Brook and follows it, then turns left and crosses the brook at 2.0 miles, zigzagging steeply upward and climbing to a gravel bank (use caution here, particularly on the descent) where you have good views. Continuing upward rather steeply, the trail ascends a steep ledge by means of an eroded trap dike and soon attains the crest of Red Ridge, where the grade moderates. Passing alternately through scrub and over ledges with good views, the trail reaches the bottom of an extensive open ledge section with magnificent views at 3.0 miles. At 3.4 miles, the trail reenters scrub and soon rejoins Moat Mountain Trail at the foot of several little rock knobs atop a small peak on the main ridge crest between North Moat and Middle Moat."
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