Mahoosuc Notch

I've read so much about Mahoosuc Notch in NH and how it is such a classic and beautiful area, arguably the hardest section of the Appalachian Trail, etc that I feel obligated to get up there and hike it. I have a few concerns about it though given what I have read:

1) Can it reasonably be done as a day hike? I'd likely stay in North Conway NH at a relative's if I did and looking at the map it appears there is a "loop" with some connecting trails and a road walk. Given the warnings in the AMC Guide is this a bad idea? Should it be done with an overnight? What would be the ideal direction for the loop?

2) Are there any "squeezes" in this area like the King Ravine Trail or is it just a lot of strenuous scrambling? I get super claustrophobic and was unable to do two of the tight spots in the Subway of King Ravine (the one where you stand in a tight hole to crouch under a rock and the one where you had to crawl almost on your stomach for a good distance). I wound up doing some fairly dangerous scrambles up and over these areas because there was no way I was crawling through. Still creeps me out just thinking about them.

Appreciate the info as always. Thanks.

I have always done it as a day hike but with others so we could spot cars. Yes, there are a few squeezes but not of us felt uncomfortable.

With another VFTT member, I did this as day-hike late last June. We spotted one car at the Speck Pond Trailhead and the other at the Notch Trailhead, which is on a short side road off Success Pond Road. We went up Notch Trail to Mahoosuc Notch Trail, climbing up the Notch from south to north and then up Mahoosuc Arm which is very steep and eroded. I would much rather climb than descend such a section. We hiked out by the Speck Pond Trail. Total distance was about 10 miles, and while the Notch and Arm are more arduous than most sections of White Mountains trails, I didn't think we were overdoing this as a dayhike. To the contrary, we greatly appreciated our light daypacks, especially picking our way through the Notch, as we witnessed AT through-hikers struggling with their big packs. I link some photos, which include our GPS track.

I would strongly urge you to do Icy Gulch in Randolph NH as a precursor. I have many requests for folks who want to do the Notch and have found that if they like Icy Gulch they love Mahoosuc Notch, If they don't like Icy Gulch, then they usually dislike Mahoosuc Notch. Unlike Mahoosuc Notch Icy Gulch is reasonable day hike. Despite the guides suggestion, go down Icy Gulch (Clockwise) as it closer approximates Mahoosuc Notch.

There are two day hike options for the Notch, the far more popular route is via Success Pond Road. It requires a road walk. You go in via the Notch trail and ascend via Speck Pond Trail taking the May cutoff. As Amicus described, there are two difficult parts to the hike; the descent through the notch is a continuous boulder scramble very similar to the Subway in Kings Ravine but longer. Its fun but large packs can get in the way. There is the official route and frequently other unofficial routes. Part two is the end of the notch where you pass the large unofficial campsite and then you turn left and head up Mahoosuc Arm, it is very steep and the trail is eroded in spots. Flume Slide without the boulders is a similar grade (darn steep with no switchbacks). Once you are up on the Arm, you take a short cut off trail to skip the Pond and then its back down Success Pond trail that is somewhat better graded. You end up a couple of miles east of where you started on Success Pond Road.

Success Pond road is somewhat infamous for slow travel. 20 MPH average is what most small cars will tolerate. Thus the trip up and down the road could add 1.5 hours to the trip to and from the trailhead. Many folks camp out at the trailhead either the night before or after as otherwise the drive home will be a potential for falling asleep.

Re: the squeezes: I get pretty claustrophobic myself and the ones in the Notch are no big deal, cause they're really short and you can always see and almost feel daylight from any point in the squeeze. I think there are about 3 of them. With a big pack (which I had), they are not fun. With a small pack or no pack, the fun factor increases considerably. I almost lost a couple pieces of gear down one of the holes when my pack decided to get all discombobulated midway through one, so cinch it down good. Enjoy!

peakbagger said:

I would strongly urge you to do Icy Gulch in Randolph NH as a precursor. I have many requests for folks who want to do the Notch and have found that if they like Icy Gulch they love Mahoosuc Notch, If they don't like Icy Gulch, then they usually dislike Mahoosuc Notch. Unlike Mahoosuc Notch Icy Gulch is reasonable day hike. Despite the guides suggestion, go down Icy Gulch (Clockwise) as it closer approximates Mahoosuc Notch.

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I agree that Icy Gulch is similar to Mahoosuc Notch and a good prep. I don't agree about doing it downhill. I hiked this solo last Summer, after the Mahoosuc Notch hike, and was glad to be scrambling up, not down. It's a matter of personal preference and perhaps of balance - I get nervous descending steep, often slippery boulder faces, when gravity is working against you.

We parked on Success Pond Road and did a loop southbound on the AT as a dayhike. We were glad we did it that way. The Notch is very interesting but after doing it, we concluded that to have done it the other way, and then face that climb up Mahoosuc Arm, would have been tres miserables.

It's an awesome day hike: Notch Trail in from near Success Pond Rd.; through the notch on the AT; over Mahoosuc Arm; and out via Speck Mountain Trail.

The only real issues are finding Success Pond Rd. in Berlin and the mile or so road walk (I spotted a bike for a downhill ride).

Whoever says this is the toughest mile of the AT is full of it. It's slow but really interesting and scenic, and not tough at all. The climb up the Arm is the hardest part of the day, by a long shot!

NB: I did it in September; I can imagine the bugs might be a little brutal in June or July!

DayTrip said:

2) Are there any "squeezes" in this area like the King Ravine Trail or is it just a lot of strenuous scrambling? I get super claustrophobic and was unable to do two of the tight spots in the Subway of King Ravine (the one where you stand in a tight hole to crouch under a rock and the one where you had to crawl almost on your stomach for a good distance). I wound up doing some fairly dangerous scrambles up and over these areas because there was no way I was crawling through. Still creeps me out just thinking about them.

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I think the squeezes and claustrophobia is worse in the Subway than Mahoosuc Notch. The Notch is more fun scrambling than anything else, especially with a daypack.

Scubahhh said:

...Whoever says this is the toughest mile of the AT is full of it...

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Just curious...what single mile of the AT was harder for you with a full pack than Mahoosuc Notch?
Thanks.

Billy said:

Just curious...what single mile of the AT was harder for you with a full pack than Mahoosuc Notch?
Thanks.

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Hmmm, very fascinating question! Totally subjective, and probably more dependent on extraneous circumstances (fitness, weather, blah blah), but here are some candidates from my own walk-throughs:

==Webster Cliff ascent;
==Top mile of Falling Waters Trail;
==The slippery section of Beaver Brook on Moosilauke;
==Top mile of Pierce during a howling January white-out (with spruce traps);
==Clay-&-Jefferson to The Perch after the whole friggin' traverse from Nauman Tentsite (THAT was a long day!).

How 'bout those?

I personally had a BLAST on the Mahoosuc Notch circuit and really wasn't that intimidated by it.

Now, doing the whole thing from Route 2 all the way through? That was indeed the toughest single stretch of hiking I've ever done (barring the top third of Half-Dome in Yosemite).

Good question!

Billy said:

Just curious...what single mile of the AT was harder for you with a full pack than Mahoosuc Notch?
Thanks.

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Just in NH, I'd say up Moosilauke southbound; up South Twin from the hut; up to Wildcat; up out of Carter Notch; up Mahoosuc Arm after going through The Notch. The Notch is slow and unusual, but I really didn't think it was "hard" at all.
Just my 2¢...

The "hardest one mile section" is always going to be subjective. I think the Notch was assigned this subjective name mostly due to the typical length of time taken to traverse one mile. It definitely deviates from the typical 4' wide trail bed elsewhere on the majority of the AT. There are several steeper 1 mile ascents or descents than the Notch. Add in weather conditions and that can impact the hardest designation. I will take the Notch over hiking from Mt Washington to Jefferson in a thunderstorm. Psychology factors in. I have read of many folks who describe the last mile before they let the trail as the "hardest" I personally escorted a friend who has issues with heights that thought the Notch was a cakewalk compared to hiking the stretch of the Hunt trail prior to tableland on Katahdin.

DayTrip said:

I've read so much about Mahoosuc Notch in NH and how it is such a classic and beautiful area, arguably the hardest section of the Appalachian Trail, etc that I feel obligated to get up there and hike it. I have a few concerns about it though given what I have read:

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This is a great trip and not to be missed if you like scrambling. Pick a dry day. For the record, it's in Maine, not NH, but is close to the border.

Regarding the comments on the "hardest mile on the AT," I agree with many of the comments. As Peakbagger suggests, it's more the mile that takes the longest on the AT with all else equal.

There are other hard miles on the AT in my opinion. Many already mentioned but to reiterate, I would put descending Beaver Brook on Moosilauke in the rain as challenging as Mahoosuc Notch. Coming down Wildcat Ridge Trail to Pinkham Notch in the rain was also tough.

Throwing various weather conditions into the mix and Mahoosuc Notch would look rather cozy compared to some places. That said, it's a real challenge and I would plan for a slow hike. As suggested, hiking the Ice Gulch in Randolph is an excellent trial hike for Mahoosuc Notch - if not from the area though, these are both very long drives for many people.

Wasn't the Stephen King novella, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon set "on the New Hampshire/Maine border near the Appalachian Trail"? By definition, that would be The Mahoosucs right? Does the terrain of that area in any way resemble what I suspect was a totally fictionalized description in the book? I've never been that far northeast on my trips to New Hampshire and was never on Success Pond Road. I've only been north of Berlin once, to do the Cabot, Bulge, Horn loop.

Raven said:

There are other hard miles on the AT in my opinion. Many already mentioned but to reiterate, I would put descending Beaver Brook on Moosilauke in the rain as challenging as Mahoosuc Notch. Coming down Wildcat Ridge Trail to Pinkham Notch in the rain was also tough.

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Have done it a few times and enjoy it every time! There's nothing quite like it in the Whites and the cool air coming from rocks on hot summer day is nature's air conditioning! Having hiked the entire AT, as many have said, the hardest mile really comes down to how you felt physically and mentally, on a given section. That said, the toughest for me was going up to Wildcat Ridge Trail from Pinkham Notch after gorging myself at lunch at the cafeteria.

I cant comment on the Steven King book directly, but remember that Steven king has a camp on Kezar lake somewhat near the Me NH border which is accessed from the west via RT 113 which goes back and forth along the Me/Nh state line several times. His infamous accident where he was run down while walking along the road occurred in the Kezar Lake area.

US RT has traditionally been the northern most border for most AMC dayhikers and in general the usage drops significantly once one goes north of RT 2. When the original Mt Cabot trail was open most folks would rarely go north of RT 2 east of Starr King. Prior the Franconia Parkway the drive north was usually 1/2 to 3/4 of hour longer due to the traffic on RT 3 through the notch and that further isolated the area. If you look a the older AMC guides there was a preface to the north country that made it sound quite mysterious. Success Pond road has changed radically since it was managed by Brown Company. The massive timber liquidation that had occurred under the latest owner has turned the entire township into one massive clearcut with cuts reaching high up along the mountainsides. The owner is getting ready to vacate the area and there is speculation that future owners may not have the economic incentive or interest in maintaining Success Pond Road, so some year soon the option of dayhiking Mahoosuc Notch may be gone.

By the way there is another way to day hike Mahoosuc Notch that avoid the need to climb Mahoosuc Arm but it requires a long car spot. I have done it in the past and it turns the hike into a easy day hike. Logistically it makes sense for larger groups so I don't usually recommend it for the typical group of one or two hikers. Stan from VFTT reminds me on occasion of his interest in doing Notch 2 which is one way in and out of a far wilder notch with no trail but we have not yet had a chance to visit it.

There is another way in, but if you make it a through walk it requires a very long car spot. There is an old logging road up along Bull Branch from Sunday River. Instead of parking at the Wright trailhead, continue up the logging road as far as you are able and then make your way until the road ends. From there it is about a half mile bushwhack into the Notch. If you do it right you will find the primitive AT camping spot at the end of the Notch. I agree, Notch 2 looks wonderfully primitive.

I ran into a SoBo on Zeacliff last July. It did not take me long to ask him what he thought about the "Mahoosuc Mile" He immediately knew what I meant. And his reply, "Loved it". He thought it was a beautiful area and enjoyed the going over and under. A big plus for him was in the caves (under boulders) he found ice. Which he chipped off chunks to put in his water bottles.

There was such ice last June 28 too, but I'm told it is gone, or at least inaccessible, later in the year. There was ice in Ice Gulch even on last August 30. To get the full effect of either, you need a warm day, because the temperature instantly drops a good 10 or 15 degrees when you enter the boulders.