Mt. Monadnock via Royce, Monte Rosa, Marlboro (Monadnock State Park)

Mt. Monadnock via Royce, Monte Rosa, Marlboro (Monadnock State Park)

Hike Type: Loop
Distance: 6.9 miles
Elevation: 2264 feet
Time: 4 hours, 16 minutes (4 hours, 3 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: Monadnock Redliner

The Hike

Mountain time! I loved my day in the Ossipees and I’m fully back with my spring/mountain fever! I had a bit of time in the morning to tackle an all-time favorite, Mt. Monadnock! I mapped out the last four hikes I needed for my Redliner patch, and I landed on this one that wraps up the Monte Rosa area. I had a very early wake-up alarm, christened a Cumbies bathroom in the early morning, and landed at the Old Toll Parking Area at 5:30am - eventually getting hiking by 5:44am. I was proud of myself for actually getting up and out since we had company last night and I had a few drinks… thankfully Monadnock State Park accepts advance reservation so I already paid for it!

The top of Monadnock was in a Monadnock-shaped cloud, which was fine. I didn’t expect any views since rain was coming in the afternoon. The sun was rising like an giant orange through the haze. My hike started along the road, connecting the trailhead to the Royce Trail, which is covered with “No Parking” signs. There were a few ticks along the grass next to the road (I’ve become quite good at spotting them - reminds me of people who have an eye for sea glass… I have an eye for ticks!). I reached the “No Parking” signs, and dipped into the woods onto the Royce Trail, which doubles as the Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, which may or may not still be a thing? I know the New England Trail follows that route for most of MA, but it’s hard to find much information online about it now.

The Royce Trail is relatively narrow with a solid footbed, steadily rising the whole time. It comes near and then crosses a lovely mossy brook (is it the mossy brook? Not sure, I need to dig a little more and look at the USGS maps, maybe). I couldn’t help notice WMT signs, which I originally guessed could be Wachusett or Wapack-Monadnock Trail, but turns out its the Wantastiquet-Moadnock Trail (https://wmtcoalition.org/), which is a new 50-mile trail that links Brattleboro, VT with Mt. Monadnock (no patch… yet… I hope…). 

My pack was definitely feel heavy, but I countinued on through the forest of loud songbirds. I realized that my giant Cumberland Farms breakfast probably wasn’t helping me… Oh well! There were some nice stone walls, a few feisty mosquitos, and I took a short break at an old drainage after passing the Cart Path where someone had collected at least a hundred shards of glass/pottery, likely from the Old Toll House. 

I continued onto the Fairy Spring Trail which passed by the “Fassett Mountain House Site.” The woods behind this site became the next site where I christened the mountain. My stomach was in a MOOD. After the house I apologized to the mountain and steeply climbed up and through the beautiful, mysterious forest to some neat rocks and the Fairy Spring, which was truly a mossy wonderland. There was one more steep pitch that led to the junction with Monte Rosa Trail/Smith Bypass, the second of which I followed.

The Smith Bypass is a short trail that connected Fairy Spring/Monte Rosa with Smith Summit Trail, and terminates at “the tooth, a prominent rock at the junction of the Smith Bypass and Smith Summit Trail, both named for Scott A. Smith, one of the most active trail builders among the Half Way House guests in the 1890s” (read that on Facebook). The Tooth also welcomed me to the clouds, where I remembered that clouds have a distinctive smell. 

Being in the clouds up here was kind of cool - felt like I was in the void in my own universes. I meandered through my cloud to Monte Rosa, and then slowly figured my way down the abysmal Great Pasture Trail. The only perk of the Great Pasture trail was the early purple rhodora flowers, but even that wasn’t enough to make me less cranky about how steep this beast was (I may be being dramatic, I may be not). The original plan was to do an out-and-back via the Great Pasture Trail, but once I descended that steep disaster, I quickly changed my plans to follow Marian to Marlboro and summit that way. I was nervous about submitting with the clouds and upcoming rain, but I always had Marian to Mossy Brook as a bail point, so I continued on.

I forgot how beautiful the Marian Trail was - lots of moss and a few fun scrambles toward the end. At this point of my hike I haven’t seen a single other human, and I loved that! The pine scent and large chunks of white quartz on the Marian Trail helped validate my decision to elongate my hike, too. 

I made my way to the Marian/Marlboro junction, where it was starting to mist. I just reminded myself that if I ever feel unsafe I can absolutely turn around. It was also here were I got my next tummy rumble, and I was displeased. I hate pooping in the woods, and I especially hate having to do it twice in a hike! I also forgot how much I dislike Liquid IV - its so sugary and the sugar lingers in my mouth. I am team Nuun!

Once I got over my personal problem I continued up Marlboro, where the wind started to pick up, but man, what a fun trail! There’s plenty of scrambles, but nothing particularly challenging or scary. The mist continued to increase the higher I went, but I continued on. I eventually made my way to Jim’s Junction and put my shell on, which did a great job shielding the wind… not so much the water. 

I continued on, and truly before I knew it I was at the summit! It’s incredible how quickly I made it there when I wasn’t able to stare at it the whole time! I booped the top, watched another hiker almost slip and hit head, I almost slipped and hit my head, and now it was definitely time to descend. I look closely for the cairns/paint pointing toward the Smith Summit Trail, and SLOWLY started my descent.

This was the epitome of “slow and steady doesn’t fall off the mountain.” Lots of sitting and scootching. Lots of two feet two hands one butt on the rocks. Thankfully, the stress of getting down in one piece helped my body forget the internal battle it was going through! I was officially out of the Danger Zone about half way down, where I realized my watch was paused for about 10 minutes, rude. I started to lose energy once back in the woods, which truly was okay. 

Next up was the Amphitheatre Trail, which climbed to the top of the Black Precipice, which was fine, but I was truly tired of going up. I was now below the clouds and took of my wet shell to continue on, and had a stroke of majesty when I realized my final new trail, The Side Foot Trial, was not the SLIDE Foot Trail. For some reason in my head I kept reading “slide,” and that would just have been a major bummer. 

I did get a little cock on the Side Foot Trail, where I took a nice slip, but caught myself. It’s good to stay humble. The forest here was absolutely beautiful, similar to Fairy Spring Trail. I passed the abandoned Hedgehog Trail, the Noble Trail, Do Drop Trail, and finally Thoreau trail, where I heard voices of people taking a break at the Halfway House Site. I checked out some ruins, and then finally started my final descent along the Old Toll Road.

This final bit dragged on, but truly was fine. I noticed the top of the mountain was still in the clouds, which made me happy (I’m still mad about Sugarloaf in Nash Stream Forest), and I stared in envy at the house near the top of road (the envy died down once their car almost hit me). My body remembered it needed to poop only for a moment, when I realized there were at least 50 mosquitos swarming me, which sent me into a power walk back to the car. 

Finally at the car, I dried off, changed, thanked my knees and body for not letting me die, and went back to the scene of the crime (Cumberland Farms) for a nice lunch!

Step-By-Step

- Park at Old Toll Road Parking (fee).

- From parking lot, turn right onto NH-124.

- Road walk to Royce Trail Trailhead.

- Turn right into woods onto Royce Trail (white blazes).

- At terminus, continue onto White Arrow Trail (white arrows).

- After ~15 feet, turn left onto Fairy Spring Trail (yellow blazes).

- At terminus, continue along Monte Rosa Trail (yellow blazes).

- After ~15 feet, turn right onto Smith Bypass (unsigned; yellow blazes).

- At "The Tooth," turn left onto Smith Summit Trail (white dots).

- At terminus at Monte Rosa, turn right onto Great Pasture Trail (unblazed above treeline - look for cairns; yellow blazes in woods).

- At terminus, turn right onto Marian Trail (yellow dots).

- At terminus, turn right onto Marlboro Trail (white rectangles and white Ms).

- At jct. with Dublin Trail, continue on the Marlboro/Dublin Trail.

- Summit Mt. Monadnock.

- Briefly retrace steps, follow sign/cairns for Smith Summit Trail (white dots with occasion SS).

- Descend via Smith Summit Trail.

- At next jct., turn left onto Amphitheatre Trail (yellow blazes).

- Cross white arrow trail and continue on Amphitheatre Trail (yellow and white blazes).

- At next jct., turn right onto Side Foot Trial (white blazes).

- At terminus, turn left onto White Arrow Trail, crossing the Halfway House Site.

- Finally descend via Old Toll Road.

"Mt. Monadnock (3,170 FT.)" from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

    Mt. Monadnock, also called Grand Monadnock (and listed as Monadnock Mtn. on USGS maps), rises in the towns of Jaffrey and Dublin, about 10 mi. north of the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border. This isolated mountain tower 1,500 to 2,000 ft. above the surrounding country, visible from most of the prominent viewpoints in central New England. Monadnock is an Abenaki word thought to mean "mountain that stands alone," though its exact meaning - and spelling - has been the subject of some debate. As a result of the mountain's prominence and popularity, geologists use the term "monadnock" in a general sense to describe an isolated mountain that rises far above the surrounding terrain. (The Harvard geography professor William Morris Davis originally suggested this usage in 1894. Webster's International Dictionary accepted it in 1900, and the Encyclopedia Brittanica did so in 1910.) The bedrock of Mt. Monadnock is primarily layered schist and quartzite - metamorphic rocks thought to be about 400 million years old. In some outcroppings, prominent folds are visible. These rocks are highly resistant to erosion. Many signs of glaciation can be seen on the mountain, including a number of glacial striae (scratches made in the bedrock as bounders were dragged along the base of the ice sheet).

    The summit of Mt. Monadnock commands exceptionally extensive and distant views; Mt. Washington is sometimes visible on very clear days. Two prominent souther crags are noteworthy: Monte Rosa (2,515 ft.) on the southwest ridge and Bald Rock (2,626 ft.) on the south ridge. On the northeast side is the long Pumpelly Ridge.

    Combining rugged mountain scenery, a relatively short and moderate ascent (compared with major peaks in the White Mtns.), and convenient access from the population centers of southern New England, Mt. Monadnock is reputedly the third most frequently climbed mountain in the world, after Tai Shan in China and Mt. Fuji in Japan; it is estimated that 100,000 people climb it each year, with the highest numbers coming during foliage season in October.

    Despite the relative east of access, do not underestimate Mt. Monadnock, particulatly if you are unused to mountain trails. All routes of ascent involve at least 1,700 ft. of elevation gain, and many trails are rocky and rugged, with some ledge scrambling. The vast expanses of open ledge on the upper slopes, which provide the panoramic vistas tha tmake this mountain so attractive to visitors, can also be very slippery in wet or icy conditions (and slick even when dry), and hazardous in thunderstorms. Above treeline, trails can be difficult to follow when clouds cover the mountain; at such times, hikers must follow markings carefully to avoid encountering dangerous cliffs in an attempt to descend off-trail. In any weather, descending hikers must take extra care to follow the correct trail or end up miles away from the intended trailhead. On the open ledges, trail names are painted on the rock at intersections. Many trails may be very icy in late fall, winter, and early spring (depending on weather), at which times traction devices are required for safe passage. Treat any water source before drinking.

    Major trails reach the summit from several directions, and there is a network of connecting and secondary trails on the east, south, and west sides of the main peak. The most popular trailhead is at Monadnock State Park Headquarters, located at the end of Poole Rd., on the southeast side of the mountain. The headquarters also has large parking areas (open year-round), picnic grounds, restrooms, a park store, a small visitor center, and a campground. The park has an admission fee year-round. For driving directions, see the description for White Dot Trail, perhaps the busiest route on the mountain.

    The network of trails on the southwest and south sides deteriorated badly after a fire in 1954 destroyed an old hotel called the Half Way House, where many amateur trail builders had their base of operations, but most of these trails have been restored by the dedicated efforts of state park personnel and volunteers. It is possible to ascend Mt. Monadnock in relative solitude on these attractive trails, particularly on weekdays. White Arrow Trail - the most direct route to the summit on this side - and many other trails, including attractive circuit trips, begin near the Half Way House Site, an open, grassy clearing on the west flank of Mt. Monadnock's south ridge at about 2,100 ft. Direct routes to this site arre provided by a foot trail - Old Half Way House Trail - and by a former toll road, now closed to public vehicular use but upen for hikers. (Note: Yield to vehicles approaching or leaving the private residence near the top.) The trail and road both leave a parking area (sign: "Old Toll Rd. parking, fee charged") on NH 124 near the height-of-land (the highest point on a given trail, ridge, or road), 5.3 mi. west of the major intersection in the center of Jaffrey and about 4 mi. east of Troy. (At the busiest times, on the weekends and during the summer, this lot may be filled to capacity.) From the parking area, Old Toll Rd., a gravel road, climbs 1.2 mi. and 600 ft. in elevation to the old hotel site. Parker Trail joins the road at 0.6 mi., 1.5 mi. from its trailhead at the state park headquarters The maintained part of the road ends at 1.1 mi., where a driveway diverges right to a private house; just beyond here, Old Half Way House Trail joins from the left. The final 0.1 mi. to the hotel site follows the eroded old roadbed.

    The upper 500 ft. of the mountain is open ledge, bared by a series of forest fires. Early eyewitness reports from European settlers indicate that the summit of the mountain was heavily forested, with Bald Rock being the only prominent bare ledge. Farmers frequently set fires to clear the lower slopes for pasture, and around 1800 a major fire of unknown origin burned for about two weeks, greatly damaging the forests on the upper part of the mountain. A second major fire occured around 1820 and lasted for a number of days, fanned by wind and drought conditions. It burned with an intensity that consumed even the soil, reducing the upper part of the mountain to bare, sterile rock. Since then, small subalpine plants, shrubs, and trees have lodged themselves in cracks and crannies, creating pockets of soil and beginning the process that, if left undisturbed, will restore the mountain forest in a few millennia. Many rare subalpine plants around the summit are found nowhere else south of the White Mtns. 

    The first English-language recorded ascent of the mountain was in 1725, when Captain Samuel Willard and a company of 14 rangers climbed it from the south and "campt on ye top." Visitors from outside the immediate vicinity began to arrive at about the same time as the last of the great fires, and by 1850 Mt. Monadnock was established as a major attraction for New Englanders. Due to the proximity of the mountain to Concord, Massachusetts, where the transcendentalist literary movement and its deep interest in nature developed around the writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, Mt. Monadnock attained an almost sacred status and was immortalized in the works of these notable writers and others. Mt. Monadnock probably bears more historical trails, former trails, ruins, and named minor features than any other mountain in New England, including Mt. Washington. Details about the mountain's storied history are found in Annals of the Grand Monadnock, by Allen Chamberlain (who served as both councillor of exploration and president of AMC in the early 1900s and edited earlier versions of the AMC Monadnock trail map), originally published in 1936. An interesting history is Monadnock: More Than a Mountain, by Craig Brandon, published by Surry Cottage Books. The Monadnock Guide, by Henry I. Baldwin, was originally published by the Foreset Society and has been reissued by Surry Cottage Books. It provides historical background, as well as extensive information about the natural history of the mountain.

    Land protection of Mt. Monadnock began in the 1880s, when the selectmen of the town of Jaffrey set aside a tract for public ownership and protection. Over the years, local citizens and conservation groups, led by the Forest Society, have averted several development threats. In 1987, the mountain was designated a National Natural Landmark. The public reservation on the mountain now comprises more than 5,000 contiguous acres and includes conservation and public lands owned by the Forest Society; the towns of Dublin, Jaffrey, and Troy; the Monadnock Conservancy; The Nature Conservancy; the New England Forestry Foundation; and the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development. Recreation use is managed by the NHDP in conjunction with the Monadnock Advisory Commission.

    Note: Camping is not permitted anywhere on Mt. Monadnock, except at the state park campgrounds. By New Hampshire state law, dogs or other pets are not allowed anywhere on the mountain, along the trails, or in the campgrounds.

    The Mt. Monadnock trail sustem is shown on this book's AMC Southern New Hampshire Trail Map (Map 1), and Mt. Monadnock is covered by the USGS Monadnock Mtn., Troy, Dublin, and Marlborough quadrangles. Also shown on the AMC map are 25 points of interest - historical and natural features that can be seen along the trails - described below. On the state park's trail map, the following are designated as "main trails": Dublin, Pumpelly, Cascade Link, Birchtoft, Red Spot, White Dot, White Cross, Lost Farm, Parker, White Arrow, Old Half Way House, and Marlboro. These are well trod and, in general, well marked and easy to follow. The other trails described here are designated as "footpaths" on the state park map, and while some are well marked, they may require some considerable care to follow.

"Fairy Spring Trail (NHDP)" from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

    Fairy Spring Trail (C4), marked with small yellow rectangles, leaves the east side of Monte Rosa Trail just beyond the bridge over Fassett Brook. It runs 35 yd. northeast on a relocated section, turns left back onto the original route, and ascends past the foundation of Fasset's Mountain House (sign) on the left. It then climbs, steeply at times, across Fairy Brook at Fairy Spring and rejoins Monte Rosa Trail.

"Great Pasture Trail (NHDP)" from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

    Great Pasture Trail (C3-C4) is also marked wtih yellow rectangles, though it is blazed only for the ascend. The trail leaves the junction of Marian and Mossy Brook trails, crosses Mossy Brook, and ascends to the summit of Monte Rosa and Monte Rosa Trail at 0.3 mi., emerging on ledges near the top.

"Marian Trail (NHDP)" from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

    Lightly used Marian Trail (C3-B3), marked with yellow disks, begins at the junction with Mossy Brook and Great Pasture trails, turns sharply right 60 yd., and ascneds north through spruce woods, with occasional short descents. At 0.2 mi. it crosses a ledge with a view west. It continues up through the woods, crosses a small brook, and then climbs by switchbacks through a rough, rocky area, emerging on open ledges before reaching Marlboro Trail at 0.6 mi. by the Rock House.

"Marlboro Trail" from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

    This is one of the oldest trails to the summit, dating to about 1825. It is the only route up Mt. Monadnock from the west. Parts of it are quite steep and rough. [...].

    [...]. At 1.3 mi. Marian Trail leaves Marlboro Trail on the right on a large open slab; the trail names are painted on the rock. Above this junction on the right is the formation known as the Rock House or Stone House, a natural shelter. Marlboro Trail continues briefly up open ledges, reenters the trees at a hairpin turn, and rises steeply at times, with rough footing and occasional views. It emerges from the woods; climbs a very steep, ledgy pitch; and at 1.9 mi. ends at the junction with Dublin Trail (sign: "Jim's Junction"), which comes up from the left and continues 0.2 mi. in teh open, at moderate grades, to the summit. 

"Smith Summit Trail" from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

    This lightly used trail, opened by Scott A. Smith in 1898, ascends from Monte Rosa to Mt. Monadnock's main summit, following a winding route on the southwest side of the cone. The path is steep in places but affords many fine views. It is marked with white dots and Ss, which must be followed carefully on the upper ledges.

    From the summit of Monte Rosa, Smith Summit Trail makes a short, steep descent to the Tooth, a prominent pointed ledge on the right with a scenic view, where Smith Bypass (a yellow-blazed connector, 0.1 mi. long, from Monte Rosa Trail) enters on the right. Smith Summit Trail bears left and winds up over ledges and through scrub to the junction with Amphitheatre Trail on the right (signs) at 0.3 mi. It ascends moderately through spruce woods, and then at 0.4 mi. it begins to climb up steep ledges, with occasional scrambles and excellent views south and west. At 0.6 mi. the trail swings right (east) and soon scrambles up a narrow gully. (At the bottom of this pitch, ledges 20 yd. to the right of the trail provide a good veiw of the Billings Fold - layers of rock that were pressed or "foldedd" up against each other when the mountain was formed - on a cliff.) The route meets White Arrow and Dublin trails just below the summit.

    Descending, look for "Smith Summit Trail" painted in white on the rock just below where White Arrow Trail diverges from the left. 

"Amphitheatre Trail (NHDP)" from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

    Scenic, yellow-blazed Amphitheatre Trail (C4) leaves Smith Summit Trail on the right (east) 0.3 mi. above Monte Rosa and climbs to open ledges at the top of Black Precipice at 0.1 mi., where there are wide views south over a ravine called the Amphitheatre.

    The trail swings left and climbs steeply then turns right and runs across ledges at easier grades. It descends to cross White Arrow Trail at 0.3 mi., coincides with wide-dotted Side Foot Trail for 100 yd., continues ahead when Side Foot Trail diverges right, and finally descends to Smith Connecting Link at 0.4 mi., at the junction known as Four Spots.

"Side Foot Trail (NHDP)" from Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide, 5th Ed. (2021)

    Side Foot Trail (C4-D4) is an excellent alternative to the lower part of White Arrow Trail and avoids much of the heavy traffic on that trail, Marked with white dots, it begins at a sign for Side Foot, Do Drop, adn Noble trails at the northeast corner of the Half Way House Site clearing. Side Foot Trail leads into the woods, swings right, and at 0.1 mi. turns left at a junction; here steep and rough Do Drop Trail (D4) continues ahead. At 0.2 mi. on Side Foot Trail, Noble Trail (C4) diverges right. In a very short distance, Side Foot Trail passes a former junction with Hedgehog Trail (now closed) on the right. Side Foot Trail then climbs north through spruce woods at a moderate grade and meets yellow-blazed Amphitheatre Trail at 0.7 mi. Here, it turns left and, coinciding with Amphitheatre Trail (watch for white and yellow markings), soon turns right up a steep ledge and then left again, reaching White Arrow Trial in 40 yd. Here, Side Foot Trail ends, and Amphitheatre Trail continues ahead across White Arrow Trail. For the shortest route to the summit, turn right on White Arrow Trail for a steep climb of 0.5 mi.

Map of Monadnock State Park

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