advice for 2 hikes (easy hike / Stairs mtn?)

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arghman

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I could use some suggestions on hikes--

(1) a *very* easy hike (or an easy hike with very good footing) w/ good views -- I'll be spending time with some friends including 1 couple expecting a baby & I'm not sure how interested she is in worrying about avoiding falls. I was thinking taking the auto road to Mt Kearsarge, it's something like 1/4 mile from the parking lot to the top, but I remember it being kind of rocky.

(2) Give me some pluses/minuses about Stairs Mtn via the Davis Path. I've been to Mt Crawford before & I'm thinking about extending to Stairs...
...is Mt Resolution on trail or is that a short bushwhack? I know Crawford has really good views, but not sure if I want to go further on. This time of year my body wants me to hibernate & I would be really bummed out if I did a 10-mile hike to somewhere not very interesting. My fallback hike would be Welch-Dickey but I just know it's going to be crowded this wkend.
 
For the very easy trip, you could take the gondola up Cannon.

Mt Crawford should be nice. Stairs also. The Davis Path is very easy over to Stairs Col, but a bit rough between the Col and Stairs.

Resolution is a very short bushwack off the trail. Supposed to have nice views. The first part of the Parker trail is steep and slabby.

Crawford + Stairs + Resolution makes a nice moderate day.

Doug
 
Arghman
What kind of mileage / verticle gain are you thinking would be best for the group? And do you have a preference regarding the area, i.e. Franconia, vs. Pinkham area??
 
excellent views going up to and from Resolution-hike to "top" is pretty easy- the "true" summit is maybe 0.1-0.15? off the trail and only if you "must"
 
a very easy hike sorta like the Mt Kearsarge road-and-then-trail from Rollins Park, but much easier footing (but longer drive) is mt Ascutney in Vt.
It's a lovely drive this time of year, (most things are) and the toll road goes through a nice forest with some outlooks. Then the trail to the observation tower is about 1/2 mi. with easy footing, through a birch and fir forest, with nice ferns. Great views of mts and pastoral Vt. valleys.

The Crawford/Stairs hike is a nice day, but a little longer than it seems. I go to Stairs first, saving Crawford for last.
 
thanks, that helps.

re: (1) time availability seems to be more of an issue, we may just end up walking in the woods around town, I know of a few places here in Goffstown or Manchester. I'll file away Ascutney for some time in the future...

(2) -- I will definitely have to go to Stairs/Resolution then -- probably another wkend though, some changes in plans have come up.

thanks all!
 
Jazzbo and I did Crawford and Stairs with the NH AMC a couple weeks ago. Very pleasant.

Two warnings:

Be careful at the junction with the Parker Trail. The Parker is a hard right. Davis Path bears right. I kept heading more or less straight and found myself on the spur trail that leads to Resolution Shelter. Whoops!

As you're going up Stairs, you'll hit a little spur path to a "downlook"; nice, but it's not the summit. Instead, continue on Davis Path a ways to another spur to the right which is only marked with a campsite sign. That's the one that takes you to the main summit ledge in all its glory.
 
arghman said:
something like 1/4 mile from the parking lot to the top, but I remember it being kind of rocky.
It is sort of rocky

For even more trivial there is a new graded path to the hawk watch site on South Pack Monadnock, but hardly worth the $3 fee

arghman said:
...is Mt Resolution on trail or is that a short bushwhack?
It is like .2 miles according to topozone, there may be a false bump
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=44.14611&lon=-71.31611
 
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