AT, Hanover to Three Mile Road

[Mohamed Ellozy]

A friend and I are redlining the AT in NH, and plan to do the first section (Hanover to Three Mile Road) this Sunday. The WMG is unusually unclear here, with no driving directions to either end. Obviously we get to Hanover (coming from the north) by I91, but advice on where to park would be helpful (neither of us has ever been in Hanover yet). How about Three Mile Road?

Thanks!

 

[Waumbek]

I don't have a WMG with me, but if this is a day trip and you are leaving from anywhere near the Velvet Rocks shelter, you can park at the Hanover Coop lot (on a Sunday). The Coop is on NH 10 just south of the playing fields (or you can ask anyone in Hanover for direx). As you face those fields from the Coop lot, you'll see a trail that goes along the extreme right of the fields to the woods behind and then up to Velvet Rocks. Or. vice versa, into Hanover.

 

[poison ivy]

If you want to start right at the Connecticut River, Dartmouth College allows hiker parking in one of its lots. You can call the outing club to determine which lot to park in (as it changes.)

There is also a parking area on Three-Mile Road near its intersection with Wolfeboro Road, according to the "Exploring the Appalachian Trail" book.

- Ivy

 

[Michelle]

Wish I could help you Mohammed, but the AT maps I have are basically just that........not much beyond the AT.
If you have the NH Atlas/Gazetteer, 3 mile rd shows up on there (and so does the AT, so you know exactely where you need to go)
Have a great hike!

 

[David Metsky]

There are several places to park in Hanover, if you want to start right at the bridge there's a parking lot right there for the Ledyard Canoe Club and the crew house. You can park there and just start hiking, I don't think the parking police prowl that lot. If you want to park in a commercial lot, there are lots just to the west of main st that are closest.

There's a small parking area where the AT crosses 3 Mile road. You can leave a car there.

-dave-

 

[el-bagr]

If you're a stickler for details, the State of New Hampshire owns the bridge and the river beneath it. If you merely park on the Hanover side of the bridge, you will have missed a few hundred feet of the NH portion of the AT. Better start walking from Norwich, or else you'll come up a few hundred feet short!

Note that the gate to the crew lot just east of the river is occasionally locked, and the status of the internal road beyond there changes.

I wouldn't want you to miss an inch.

 

[Dalraida]

Directions to TMR from Hamover

A friend and I are redlining the AT in NH, and plan to do the first section (Hanover to Three Mile Road) this Sunday. The WMG is unusually unclear here, with no driving directions to either end. Obviously we get to Hanover (coming from the north) by I91, but advice on where to park would be helpful (neither of us has ever been in Hanover yet). How about Three Mile Road?

Thanks!

Hi, I happen to be the AT Corridor Monitor for the Western Moose Mtn Section of the AT so I park at the Three Mile Road crossing a lot. I usually come in via dirt roads from Rte 25A in Wentworth, but here are the directions from Rte 118 in Rumney: Take 118 to Rte 4. Turn right on 4. Follow 4 to Rudsboro Rd, turn right toward Etna. If you get to Mascoma proper you have missed your turn, go back. Continue on Rudsboro and when you get to Dana Road go straight on Dana that takes you to Three Mile. Go Right on on Three Mile and you will soon see the Orange DOC trail signs at a small 5 car lot on the left. It's easy to zip right by so keep an aye out. Lots of these roads are dirt, but are now in pretty good shape. If you have the NRG, I encourage you to do S. Moose too. There is a nice loop involving the Harris trail and parts of the 17th century old Wolfboro Road that brings you right back to the parking lot. Moose Shelter is pretty cool with the "outhouse without walls". It is only about 5 minutes from the Class VI Old Wolfboro Road looping point.

 

[blacknblue]

There are several places to park in Hanover, if you want to start right at the bridge there's a parking lot right there for the Ledyard Canoe Club and the crew house. You can park there and just start hiking, I don't think the parking police prowl that lot. If you want to park in a commercial lot, there are lots just to the west of main st that are closest.
-dave-

They DO monitor that lot on occasion, just a heads-up. I would take Waumbek's advice and park at the Co-Op. Unless you want to walk down Main Street of Hanover, the Co-Op will avoid the town and the trail heads across some fields and up to Velvet Rocks from there.
Also, the people there are nice about letting you fill up your water bottles should you forget to do so before starting to hike. Not that I would know....

 

[David Metsky]

They DO monitor that lot on occasion, just a heads-up.

Ah, times change. If they monitor it they will get you. You could even park on the VT side of the river, just north on River Road.

Unless you want to walk down Main Street of Hanover

But they're redlining?! They have to start at the VT side of the bridge since the border is over there. There's a small blazed sidetrail to Robinson Hall, turn north at the intersection of West Wheelock and Main, second building on your left. There is a blue blaze next to the door, and a trail register down in the basement.

-dave-

 

[blacknblue]

But they're redlining?! They have to start at the VT side of the bridge since the border is over there.
-dave-

Whoops - didn't realize this was a redlining adventure. Yeah, the Co-Op is out, then. Just turn north on the VT side of the bridge (I think there's a stoplight there, now ) to park. That was my starting point the summer of '97 and I'm pretty sure you can park at that brick building just north of the main road. Then again, that was 1997!

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Many thanks to all for the excellent advice!

As Dave notes, we are redlining, and I had planned to park on the NH side and walk half-way across the bridge. Since it appears that the boundary is on the VT side of the river, we will park there.

Last year we went over Smarts and Cube and enjoyed both hikes very much. We are looking foreward to more explorations of a region we have not previously explored!!

 

[jn316]

AT on Moose Mtn

If you need to redline the AT over South and North Peaks of Moose, try to do it around May 7-14, or whenever the trout lilies and spring beauty are in bloom. The the half mile of the AT on either side of the S. Peak has a great display of these flowers.

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

My guess is that we will do Moose on May 14, hope they are still in bloom.

 

[RoySwkr]

As mentioned, there is a small lot at Three Mile Road.

The Coop used to discourage all day parking as their lot was small, there are all day meters on the street for those that wish to start here.

I had a chat with the Dartmouth Police several years ago and they told me that on weekends parking stickers were not required and you could park in any legal space without a ticket. Presumably you could e-mail them about the river lot where I parked without trouble before bridge construction.

 

[Mark A.]

If you want to contact the Dartmouth Campus Police about this, e-mail [email protected]

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Since it appears that the boundary is on the VT side of the river, we will park there.

IIRC, NH owns the land underneath the Connecticut River to the high water mark on the VT side. To be 'safe', I'd start on the VT side.

Kevin

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Today we hiked as planned. We drove to the Three Mile Road trailhead following Dalraida's excellent instructions, then drove to the VT side of the bridge, where there is a hiker's parking lot.

The walk through Hanover was pleasant, though hardly a "hike" We found the Velvet Rocks segment of the trail very enjoyable, the Hanover Center segment was a bit less so. All in all, a very enjoyable day.

This is our third hike over sections of the AT south of Glencliff. Last year we hiked over both Smart's and Cube mountains. So far we count three enjoyable and worthwhile hikes out of three, and look forward to the rest.

An added bonus, of course, was that we did not even have to ask about snow and ice! The drive is long, but I have a feeling that I will often return to those trails in late spring.

 

[Danielle]

Current conditions around Hanover?

Does anyone know what the conditions on the AT are like now? This weekend or next, Snowman and I are planning to head down to Hanover to do a few days hikes, the first of which will likely be Hanover to Three Mile Road...

Mohamed, when you did this trip last year where did you end up parking in Hanover? From this thread it seems like there are a few options, but I'm wondering which is best... we're trying to get in the miles on the AT that we didn't do in 2005 so we'll essentially be "redlining" the AT through the area as you did.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Mohamed, when you did this trip last year where did you end up parking in Hanover?

To the best of my recollection we left one car at a parking lot on the VT side of the bridge, the other at a small lot at the other trailhead. In other words, no parking issues.

Danielle,

I hope you post a trip report, as I am also curious about snow conditions. We did not do the Moose Mountain segment last year, want to do it as soon as possible this spring.

 

[Danielle]

Mohamed, thanks for the post! I realize I completely overlooked the sentence in your post indicating where you parked! Oh well....

Looks like this weekend might not be the best for heading to Hanover, so we'll likely be headed there the weekend of the 21st. I will definitely post a trail report to let you know how things are!

Thanks again