Crawford Notch
The Cohos Trail:
The Cohos Trail, a relatively new long-distance hiking trail, starts at The Davis Path, south of Dry River Campground in Crawford Notch (Rt. 302)... The trail stretches up through Coos (Cohos) County, avoiding the overly burdened trails in the Presidential Range. The Cohos trail covers 162 miles (and growing) and is truly a trail for those who wish to experience quiet and solitude... For complete information of this magnificent trail, visit their website The Cohos Trail A wilderness adventure, for sure!!!
The Dry River Trail: This trail starts just off Rt. 302 in Crawford Notch 0.3 mile (north) past The Dry River Campground. At .9 mile, you will come to the first river crossing where Shelter #1 used to sit. Shelter #1 burned and was never rebuilt. River can be dangerous here especially in the spring but is navigable in the summer months by rock-hopping. Just to the right, visable from the river-crossing is a pool that's great for swimming. This pool is deep in sections and the current can be strong, so use caution if the kids are in swimming. Up to this point, the hike is quite easy. My daughter, Jill, hiked this on crutches at 12 yrs. old. UPDATE: (August, 2006) The trail no longer crosses here and there's an arrow pointing to the left where the trail has been re-routed to... also the short access trail to the river has grown in but is still visable...
The trail continues with scenic views of Mt. Washington, Mt. Monroe, and the Oakes Gulf Headwall and comes to a suspension bridge at 1.7 miles. At 4.9 miles it crosses Isolation Brook and intersects with the Isolation Trail in 60 yards. (As of August, 2006 this suspension bridge was closed for repairs or replacement)
Shelter # 2 no longer exists, so if you recall that from earlier days, don't plan on staying there. It was never replaced when it needed renovations.
The Dry River Trail continues and connects to the Mount Eisenhower Trail at 5.2 miles. At 5.4 miles, you'll see a sign that takes you approx. 40 yards to a pool at the base of Dry River Falls. At 6.3 miles, you will come to Shelter #3, if it is still there. This is the last of the original 3 shelters and this one, as of August, 2006, was still in existance. This shelter was not, at that time, to be maintained, so when it was uninhabitable, it was to come down. You might want to check with the Forest Ranger up in that area before you make any plans to stay there seeing it's quite a hike in.
At 7.4 miles, the trail begins to climb up into the Oakes Gulf with an outlook at 8.7 miles. At 9.4 miles, you are on the southwest ridge of Mt. Washington. From there it goes down to the Lake of the Clouds and ends at the Lake of the Clouds Hut.
This entire hike would be good to do if your children are older and you plan on taking a couple of days. If your children are still young, the first section from the campground to the first river crossing at 0.9 mile is more suitable. Over-all: Nice Hike!!! Also, there have been a couple of new trails created that take you to the river from Dry River Campground...
Arethusa Falls Trail: This trail takes you up to the highest known Falls (200 ft.) in the State of New Hampshire. Trailhead is located 3.4 miles south of the Willey House site in Crawford Notch State Park. A fairly steep hike, but well worth the trip! 1.3 miles to Falls.
Mount Willard Trail: (elevation: 2,850') Trailhead is located at the AMC's Crawford Depot on Rt. 302 across from Saco Lake. The trail starts out with the Avalon Trail for 0.1. mile, then turns left, then starts climbing!!! 1.5 miles to outlook, 1.6 miles to summit with a grand view of Crawford Notch!!!
Avalon Trail: Trailhead is located at the AMC's Crawford Depot on Rt. 302 across from Saco Lake. This trail starts out in conjunction with the Mount Willard Trail, then the Mount Willard Trail goes off to the left. The Avalon Trail continues, passes by Beecher and Pearl Cascades, and meets up with the A-Z Trail to Zealand Falls Hut at 1.3 miles, then the Mount Avalon Spur Path at 1.8 miles, and ends at the Willey Range Trail at 2.8 miles. To reach the summit of Mt. Field (ele. 4,326'), go left about 90 yards (or South).
