Rogers Ledge via Mill Brook Trail (White Mountain National Forest)

Rogers Ledge via Mill Brook Trail (White Mountain National Forest)

Hike Type: Out-and-Back

Distance: 9.67 miles

Elevation: 1,713 feet

Time: 6 hours, 28 minutes (4 hours, 35 minutes moving)
Hiking Challenges: 52 With a View; 52 Hike Challenge 2024; Operation Alaska Benchmark Challenge

The Hike

Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024

Following in my own footsteps, this trip started the night before at Moose Brook State Park (campsite #43 - not as tucked-away as #3 from the Mt. Success Trip, but it was right at the exit which was nice!). The drive up wasn't too bad considering it was a Wednesday - I did have to stop at the Mobil on Dascomb Road in Andover to use the bathroom and get a snack before my second stop at Hooksett. I was surprised to see how few people there were for a Friday afternoon, and then I remembered it was a Wednesday - I am very grateful to have Rosh Hashanah off of school! My final stop was at the Hannafords in Plymouth to get some final provisions for the night, which was followed by a stunning drive through the foliage-filled Franconia Notch. On US-3, I saw an incredible view of Mt. Washington with a bright pink summit as the sun set behind the horizon. 

I went to check-in at the state park office, but it was closed when I arrived at 6:45pm - oh well! I made my way to site #43 and got to work setting up my $20 Walmart tent. It's legally a three-person tent, but I wouldn't share it with more than one (or with anyone, for that matter). It was easy enough to set up, and afterwards I pivoted to making dinner. I have a stockpile of those freeze-dried backpacking meals, most of which I've bought to hit a minimum spending limit to get free shipping from various outdoors sites. My dinner was the Readywise Chicken Alfredo, which was pretty good! Next time I would like to use a little less than the prescribed two cups of water, since it ended up being a little soupy, and I lost my long spoon (I ended up decantering into a red solo cup and using a disposable fork to eat it), but no other complaints!

Sarah and Alec were a couple hours behind me so I had some horizontal time to edit photos from my last hike in Virginia (I wanted to read but someone left his book at home... I'm currently working on "Critical Hours" by Sandy Stott"). They landed around 9:00pm and we all went to bed soon after. I was nice and comfy with my quilt in the 50-degree night.

Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

I woke up a few times in the night with truly some insane gas, but thankfully it never amounted to me having to leave my tent. The 5:00am alarm went off, and we were up and out! I was lazy and just threw my tent in my car (which I had to deal with the next morning), and I took a walk to the bathroom to brush my teeth. While I was doing that, Sarah and Alec were packing up their car camping setup, which included putting my car window screen sheath things on top of my car. Nobody told me they did that, so I drove off, not realizing I was missing them until the following morning! Thankfully they're cheap!

We stopped at the Gorham Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and then made our way up north, through Berlin, and onto York Pond Road. We were blessed to see that the Berlin Fish Hatchery gate was very open, so we drove right in and parked at the trailhead with no one else around. There was minimal light in the sky, but just enough to hint at how colorful the trees were! I didn't see any fish in the nearest raceway, tragically. We got started just before 6:30am, ready to become one with the leaves!

[6:28am - Begin on Mill Brook Trail]

The Mill Brook Trail follows a wide, gravel road at first, lined with beautiful trees of green, yellow, orange, and red. At a "WATER SUPPLY NO TRESPASSING" sign the trail turns right (continuing straight comes to a dammed stream), and then zig-zags left to venture into the woods on an easy road grade. The sky brightened enough for us to put our headlamps away and we soon shedded our warm layers too when tragety struck! I realized I never put my synthetic shirt on, so I was hiking in a school-branded cotton T-Shirt (and not even the soft type of cotton!). I would proceed to be miserable as the wet-cardboard-feeling shirt shredded against my body for the rest of the hike.

The first mile meandered easily near the Cold Brook, where a few pull-offs provided lovely fall views. There were bog boardwalks over some wet spots, which was much appreciated. The guidebook mentioned the trail being overgrown and unblazed, but I could tell it had been recently maintained, with plenty of new, bright, yellow blazes!

Eventually, the Mill Brook Trail climbed above and away from the brook, entering a beautiful, quiet, autumnal forest. We meandered through a couple of grassy meadows on bog boardwalks and spent plenty of time screaming "FALL!" In one muddy stretch, we saw a good number of large moose prints, too!

We eventually hit the height-of-land and began a gentle descent. I looked off into the woods at one point and saw something horrible... a grouse (a ruffed grouse, specifically)! I tried to get a photo of it but once it saw me it pounded its evil wings and few away. Five more feet down the trail I saw another one who also startled us! Horrible creatures. 

Thankfully, just a bit further down the trail we entered the Rogers Ledge Tentsite Forest Protection Area, signaling that we were finally making progress! The Mill Brook Trail was beautiful, but at 3.7 miles with little to no landmarks, it did begin to drag on. Both Alec and I were excited to check out the tentsite, specifically hoping there would be a privy... Alec gathered some hobblebush leaves in preperation...

[8:31am - Kilkenny Ridge Trail]

After one more boardwalk section the Mill Brook Trail terminated at the Kilkenny Ridge Trail - we turned right towards Rogers Ledge.

[8:34am - Rogers Ledge Tentsite spur]

Just 0.1 miles after the junction, we turned right onto the campsite spur, which was shockingly beautiful (only shockingly because we didn't expect much!). Lined in birches with yellow leaves and dusted with a few orange and brown leaves, the campsite was an autumnal paradise. The tent platforms surrounded a fire pit with sitting logs, and the privy(!) was just off to the right. We took turns christening the privy and taking photos of the stunning foliage. 

[8:43am - Kilkenny Ridge Trail]

We had a nice break here, but it was just a little too long because I started to get chilly! We headed back to the Kilkenny Ridge Trail and began our short, but steeper climb up to Rogers Ledge. The trail left the Forest Protection Area and began to climb more moderately through more beautiful woods, and then entered a conifer forest - our first time being out of the hardwoods all day!

The trail climbed steeply over many stone steps, rounded a corner past some impressive, mossy rock walls, climbed on more stone steps, and made a final very steep push to the top. The summit plateau was nice and open, and littered with moose poop! The true summit was on a spur to the left, marked my a bench mark and a nicely framed view to Unknown Pond Peak, which was shrouded in a cloud.

[9:21am - Rogers Ledge Summit]

I remembered reading about a better ledge just off-trail, so I quickly began to explore. A few windows on the left eventually led to THE ledge, which provided magnificent panoramic views. The cloud ceiling was unfortunately low. The ground directly beneath appeared at least a hundred feet below and was filled with mostly evergreen trees, which then fizzled outward to stunning yellow, orange, and a few red deciduous trees. We each took a turn arriving at this ledge and saying "OH MY GOD".

On the lower left, there was a little boggy pond down below. Clouds rolled across the view for a bit, and we decided we had about an hour to hang out, so we took a seat and began manifesting! I found a tucked-away "Rogers Ledge" sign behind a scrubby tree, and had a nice snack.

I was curious if there were any other outlooks, so I wandered around the summit area a bit, but I only found many bunches of moose poop. The longer we sat, we did notice the cloud ceiling starting to lift... VERY slowly. The nearby ridge of Unknown Pond Peak slowly became revealed. We began to make out the various drainages of Hutchins Mountain and Pilot Ridge. After 30 minutes, we saw a hint of blue sky!

The peaks and valleys in the distance had rolling sunlight, keeping us in a chokehold of possibility. The rays of light (cue the Madonna song) slowly crept nearer, and our trees began to light up as well. 

Slowly, we began to make out the various mountains nearby - notably the Mahoosuc Range on the left (which Sarah and I recently visited with Mt. Success, Carlo, and Goose Eye), Mt. Morhah and Shelburne Moriah (the mountains that I'm saving for my last two hikes of the 52 and 48), the incredibly dramatic Carter Notch (where Sarah and Alec I stayed last November), and we had one particularly impressive and short-lived view to the massive Mt. Adams.

After our designated hour, we began to get little peeks upward toward the Horn asmore and more blue skies began to appear - it was really breathtaking. If we were able to stay just a bit longer, we likely would have gotten a fully blue view, but alas, we had to make our way back down to Massachusetts!

[10:54am - Kilkenny Ridge Trail]

Back into the woods we go! Spirits were high as a kite after soaking in that view (and not having to share the view with a single other person!). We steeply descended on the Kilkenny Ridge Trail from the ledge into the conifer forest, quickly arriving in the decidious woods that were filled with color.

[11:16am - Rogers Ledge Tentsite Spur]

We quickly made it to the tentsite spur, but thankfully no christening needed to happen! We were even lucky enough to run into the pair of grouses again, scaring the LIFE out of me, yet again!

[11:19am - Mill Brook Trail]

...and just after we made it to the Mill Brook Trail for our long return trip. I did flirt with making the trip even longer and looping over to Unknown Pond, but we had a time deadline tragically. The trail ascended gently for a short bit and then started the gradual descent. Overall it was pretty mindless - we enjoyed being in the foliage and the overall good trail conditions. We hit our usual ridiculous late hiking topics of discussion such as Helen Keller, the ethics of cloning and ethuanasia, and traditional married gender rolls - pretty standard stuff! We passed only one person the whole hike in this stretch. We continued along, rejoining the Cold Brook, now hiking seperately, with Alec in the lead, Sarah in the middle, and me trailing behind (I kept stopping to look up at the leaves!). 

[12:54pm - End of Hike]

Soon enough we made it back onto the grassy road and back to the trailhead, where the Fish Hatchery workers were out and about. We slowly packed up our cars and started our LONG drive back home! I've been really enjoying breaking up these drives with a campsite - but it does add $40 to my bill and the weather is just getting colder, tragically. I think my next "level" up would be hitting the dispersed camping spots along Jefferson Notch Road, Kilkenny Loop Road, Gale River Road, etc.

The drive home was as epected, but I did enjoy the various foliage views! First, a view into the Kilkenny once off of York Pond Road, and then the various views toward the Presidentails near Gorham and Appalachia, and of course, Franconia Notch. I did flirt with hitting Artist Bluff on the way home, but I saw at least 20 people at the overlook (on a Thursday!), so I kept on driving. This hike brings me to #51 of the 52 With-a-View! 

Step-By-Step

- Park at Mill Brook Trail trailhead in the Berlin Fish Hatchery

- Hike along yellow-blazed Mill Brook Trail.

- At terminus, turn right onto yellow-blazed Kilkenny Ridge Trail.

- At jct., follow spur on right to campsite and use the privy (if needed).

- Continue along Kilkenny Ridge Trail until summit of Rogers Ledge.

- Continue a few more feet, continue straight when trail leaves right, and come to the best view.

- Retrace steps back to car.

"Pilot and Pliny Ranges (Kilkenny Region)" from White Mountain Guide, 31st Ed. (2022)

[...]. Farther east is a cluster of smaller peaks at the northeast end of the Pilot Range: Rogers Ledge (2,982 ft.), Square Mtn. (2,719 ft.), Green's Ledge (2,492 ft.), Deer Ridge (2,806 ft.), Deer Mtn. (2,780 ft.), and Round Mtn. (2,149 ft.). Rogers Ledge, Square Mountain, and Green's Ledge all bear impressive cliffs on their south faces, and Round Mtn. and Deer Mtn. have ledges with views, but only Rogers Ledge can be reached by trail. This interesting peak was named in honor of Major Robert Rogers, the leader of Rogers's Rangers in the French and Indian War. The view from the top of Rogers Ledge includes the Kilkenny area, the Mahoosucs, the Carter-Moriah Range, and the Presidential Range. Rogers Ledge may be reached from South Pond by Kilkenny Ridge Trail or from Berlin Fish Hatchery by Mill Brook Trail and Kilkenny Ridge Trail.

"Mill Brook Trail" from White Mountain Guide, 31st Ed. (2022)

WMNF This trail was formerly a through-route from the town of Stark to York Pond, but the north section, from the jct. with Kilkenny Ridge Trail at the height-of-land to Stark, was abandoned many years ago, and beaver activity and logging have obliterated the old treadway. The remaining part of the trail, which actually follows Cold Brook, provides the easiest and most convenient route from the south to the spectacular views from Rogers Ledge. The trail may be wet and overgrown in places and is not blazed. Mill Brook Trail begins near the main building of Berlin Fish Hatchery at the end of a 0.2-mi. spur road off York Pond Rd. (FR 13); this road diverges right (north) 0.2 mi. west of the hatchery gate at a trail sign. (See the warning under Road Access, p. 605, concerning the gate at the fish hatchery, closed 4 P.M. to 8 A.M.) Parking (plowed in winter) is available to the left of the hatchery building, where there is another trail sign. Hikers should park near this sign, making sure not to block a service road on the left side of the parking area. (The lower section of the trail may be difficult to follow; hikers can ask at the hatchery for directions.)

            From the parking area, walk up a grassy road to the left of the hatchery building for 150 yd. and then turn sharply right (a No Tresspassing sign does not apply to hiking the trail), and in another 50 yd., turn sharply left (sign) onto the well-worn trail. (Avoid an old road to the right of the trail.) Mill Brook Trail follows an old woods road, bears left at a fork, and then narrows to a footpath, ascending along Cold Brook. At 1.0 mi., the trail climbs away from the brook but returns to the stream and follows it on bog bridges through several wet areas with luxuriant undergrowth that sometimes obscures the footway. At 2.2 mi., Mill Brook Trail swings right and climbs away from the brook to a plateau, runs nearly level through birch forest, and then descends west from the height-of-land and ends at Kilkenny Ridge Trail. Rogers Ledge is 0.6 mi. to the right (north); Unknown Pond is 2.1 mi. to the left (south).

"Kilkenny Ridge Trail" from White Mountain Guide, 31st Ed. (2022)

WMNF [...], with the true summit of Rogers Ledge (bench mark and view) 20 yd. ahead on a side path. Several short spurs on the right just before this left turn lead to the edge of the cliff. The large, flat, south-facing ledge provides wide views. 

        Kilkenny Ridge Trail descends steeply from the left turn near the summit of Rogers Ledge, curving to the east around the foot of the ledge, and then descends moderately to the south. At 4.6 mi., the trail passes a side path left that leads 50 yd. to Rogers Ledge Tentsite; it then continues to its jct. on the left with Mill Brook Trail at 4.7 mi. [...].

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