Mt. Monadnock via Pumpelly Trail (Monadnock State Park)

Mt. Monadnock via Pumpelly Trail (Monadnock State Park)

Distance: 8.92 miles
Elevation: 2,005 feet

Time: 6 hours, 39 minutes (5 hours, 50 minutes moving)
Hike Type: Out-and-Back
Hiking Challenges: 52 Hike Challenge, Monadnock Redliner (2x)

The Hike

Sarah and I planned to hike on this day but the weather looked suspect at best. We flirted with Cardigan, but decided to save that one for a day when we actually have a view, so it was off to my favorite mountain, Mt. Monadnock! This would be my first time back on the mountain after finishing my redline, officially kicking off my second round! 5:00am wake up, scooped up Sarah at 5:20, and after a stop at the fabled Wichendon Cumberland Farms, we made it to the trailhead just around 8:00am. 

I haven't been on the full Pumpelly Trail since a comically windy day in 2016, and truly this day wouldn't be much different. Temperatures were in the mid 30s at the trailhead, and I was breaking out my new Kestrel 2000 Anenometer, which measures ambient temp, wind chill temps, and wind speed. 

The first bit of trail was easy through a lovely, leafy hardwood forest with trace amounts of ice and a thankfully dry trail. There were a good amount of old stone walls in these woods, and, according to the guidebook, the trail goes over "Oak Hill," which I do remember thinking "this is going to be annoying on the return." Nothing steep, just an up and down. 

The trail meandered on easily through the lovely woods, turned a corner, and then IMMEDIATELY switched over to steep climbing. The steep section begins at some iced over stone steps, and then continues through a more eroded area. The woods here are beautifully mossy, and there were a couple side paths on the left to obstructed views. We were glad we took one, because it would turn out to be the only view of the day. 

Continuing on, the trail continues to climb steeply, slowly breaking out into the open ledges. The views of being inside a cloud were... fun? The actual most exciting part was stumbling upon what we call "crispy trees" - trees with a coating of snow or rime ice. 

The ledges alternated between bone dry to very wet to incredibly slippery, which made for a slow, interesting ascent. Sarah and I chatted for a bit about if we were making the right choice continuing on - we decided to keep on going and just take our time. In our favor, I know this mountain very well, and if worse came to absolute worse, we could have descended via the Dublin Trail and done a road schlep back to the car. 

We passed a group of people who were equally cautious about the slippery terrain - they even offered us a ride if we needed one (they were traversing from Pumpelly to Dublin with a car spot), which was really kind. The trail meandered in and out of the open, with some scrambling up and down, which was actually really fun! The trail, even in the clouds, was absolutely stunning. 

The crispy trees increased in numbers after the junction with the Cascade Link Trail, and thankfully the trail conditions... improved(?) too. The footing was much better, but the wind was much wilder. The clouds were thick and both my camera lens and Sarah's glasses were constantly fogging up, which made things even more exciting! We check in with each other again, and mutually decided we were good to keep going on. We really lucked out on the temperatures - the ambient was hovering around 32 degrees, and wind was gusting between 15-20mph, which all in all, wasn't the worst.

The trees were mostly iced over once we hit the junction with the Spellman Trail - and the massive rock, the Sarcophagus, looked stunning in her winter glory. By now, the trail grade was much easier, sans the occasional scramble. 

Our spikes went on just for a moment to climb an icy slab before the Red Spot junction, but quickly came off again. The rocks were covered in rime ice again and footing was getting slippery, but we kept bare-booting it for the time being.

From the Red Spot junction to the summit, we were officially in the thick of it. Winds blowing at 35mph, maybe 20 feet of visibility at best. We took our time, making sure to follow cairns carefully and knowing where we're coming from. The rocks got very slippery toward the top, so we made the decision to put on our spikes, even if they were going to get chewed up (it was the right call). 

Everything was painted in a stunning dusting of snow and ice as the winds howled. As I'm writing this, my voice is still a little hoarse from trying to talk through it! The scenery was absolutely stunning, almost as if we were on a well-lit moon. 

We slowly and excitedly made our way to the summit benchmark, took our selfie, embraced the wild winds, and then hastily worked our way out of there. We found a few more people heading up to the summit from all directions as we carefully worked our way back down - even passing the group from before!

Our spikes stayed on from the summit to the icy ledge from before, which really chewed up my nice Hillsounds (I left my rock spikes in the car by accident... fool), but it was definitely the right call. We descending into a sag where we took a nice snack break, only moving again because we got chilly with our soaking wet bodies.

While in our "snack sag" we noticed the ice was starting to be blown off the trees, making it kind of snow, but more aggressively? We continued our descent of the mountain, occasionally climbing, but usually descending, and were delighted to notice that the slippery rocks have melted! Footing was great for our trip down, and the views were... the same. I didn't take any more photos from this point on since my camera (and body) was soaked. We were surprised how steeply the descent felt! We remembered the first steep section, but apparently most of the climb up the ridge was pretty steep. Was passed a number of other hikers heading up the mountain before the real storm hit, and it wasn't until we were back in the woods at the top of the first steep section where we took our second break for hot chocolate!

When Sarah and I were on our last hike up Mt. Kearsarge, all I wanted was hot chocolate, so I brought my JetBoil, some extra water, hot chocolate, and a nip of Bailey's that Sarah got me for this one. I knew we likely wouldn't be able to make it up at the summit, but we truly found the perfect sitting rock for our second, long break. 

Afterwards, we continued our final steep descent, and then made it to the floor below the ridge, for an easy last 1.8 miles back to the car. We put out gear away, lamented at the fact that my watch died, and the SECOND we started to drive away, it began to rain! Sarah said that this is the first time she's really felt accomplished to summit in a mountain in quite some time - and I fully agree with her! It was a unique, great day on my favorite mountain.

Step-By-Step

- Start hike on the Pumpelly Trail.

- Summit Mt. Monadnock.

- Return to car via Pumpelly Trail.

"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 towers 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 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 Directory accepted it in 1900, and the Encyclopedia Britannica 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 boulders 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 southern 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 ease of access, do not underestimate Mt. Monadnock, particularly 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 that make this mounatin 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 descriptions for White Dot Trail, perhaps the busiest route on the mountain.

        A network of trails on the southwest and south sides deteriorated badly after a fire in 1954 destroyed a 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 are provided by a foot trail - Old Half Way House Trail - and by a former toll road, now closed to public vehicular use but open 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 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 Halfawy 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 firest to clear the lower slopes for pasture, and around 1800 a major fire of unknown origin burned for about two weeks, greatly damaging the firests on the upper part of the mountain. A second major fire occurred around 1820 and lasted for a number of days, fanned by wind and drought conditions. It burned with an intensity the 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 teh 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 outisde 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 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 1926. 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 Forest 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 on 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 decelopment 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 syste 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 considerable care to follow.

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

This is the longest and most strenuous direct route to the summit of Mt. Monadnock, but the upper half is very scenic. It was laid out in 1884 by Raphael Pumpelly, a professor, geologist, archaeologist, adventurer, and summer resident of Dublin. Follow NH 101 (Main St.) west from the flagpole in Dublin 0.4 mi. then turn left onto Lake Rd. (sign). The trail turns left off the road in another 0.4 mi., opposite a log cabin on a pond and 75 yd. east of where Lake Rd. reaches the pond's shore; the trail sign is set back in the woods. There is no designated parking area, and space is limited; hikers must park along the side of the road, observing posted parking regulations and taking care not to block emergency-vehicle access. The first 1.5 mi. of this trail is on private land with a trail easement.

        This mostly unblazed (white where there are blazes) trail follows a woods road for 120 yd., turns right onto a narrow path through a stone-wall (arrow), then turns left onto another woods road (in reverse: arrows) at 0.2 mi. It crosses Oak Hill at 0.7 mi. and continues with gradual ups and downs, becoming a footpath. At 1.8 mi. it turns sharply left and begins the rather steep and rough ascent of the north end of Pumpelly Ridge. The trail zigzags up and emerges on the first semi-open ledges on the shoulder of the mountain at 2.2 mi., almost exactly halfway to the summit. From here the trail is rugged and rocky, running near the ridge crest with many minor ups and downs, but it offers excellent views from bare ledges. At 3.0 mi. Cascade Link enters on the left, ascending from the Monadnock State Park Headquarters trail network on the eastern slopes. Stay on Pumpelly Trail to pass near the bare top of Town Line Peak (2,884 ft.; near the boundary of Dublin and Jaffrey) and descend to a junction at 3.7 mii., where steep Spellman Trail meets Pumpelly Trail on the left. Just beyond this point, the trail climbs past the Sarcophagus, a huge rectangular boulder on the right. From here the trail, marked by large cairns, runs mostly on open ledge, where many glacian striations are plainly visible. It soon passes a small alpine meadow and at 4.0 mi. reaches a junction with Red Spot Trail on the left (large cairn and sign). (Red Spot Trail connects Pumpelly Trail with Cascade Link on the lower east slope of the mountain.) Pumpelly Trail drops into a little gap with steep, ledgy wally then slimbs out and comes completely into the open. It now takes a winding route over steep ledges to the summit at 4.4 mi., passing several small alpine pools; follow the cairns carefully in this section.

        Descending, the trail runs nearly due east; look for a ledge with "Pumpelly Trail" and a large white arrow painted on it. A few cairns lie along the first 200 yd., and hikers must take care to locate the first one. Many of the cairns are rather small, and this trail could be quite difficult to follow down from the summit in the fog.

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