Red Rock Mountain Loop

The loop over Red Rock Mountain, one of the best hikes in the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness, is little-known to most hikers. Though it never rises above 2,240 ft., this 10.3 mile trek packs a punch with 2,900 ft. of elevation gain accomplished with many ups and downs. The centerpiece is the airy viewpoint atop the great south-facing cliff of Red Rock Mountain. Along the way there is a traverse through the wild terrain of Miles Notch, two miles of ridge walking through varied forest, additional views at the ledgy summit of Red Rock, and a steep descent through the valley of Great Brook. Solitude is likely in this remote country; I saw no one on the entire full day hike. My last trip over this loop was on a glorious spring day 15 years ago, in the good company of John Gutowski and John "1HappyHiker" Compton. I was overdue for a re-visit, and I also needed to check out a report on newenglandtrailconditions.com of difficult trail-finding on Miles Notch Trail due to recent logging.

 

Starting on the south end of Miles Notch Trail from the "out there" trailhead on Hut Rd. 

 

The area affected by last winter's logging is where the trail descends 400 ft. into the Beaver Brook valley after a 500-ft. ascent over a ridge. (Talk about a PUD!) The trail is indeed hard to follow here as it crosses and recrosses a skid road in the logged area. This section is about 0.1 mile long. A few new blazes will help greatly. (Overall, the trail is very well blazed up to the Wilderness boundary on the north side of Miles Notch.)

 

 

Nice easy climb up the lower part of Beaver Brook valley.

Beautiful mature hardwood forest, higher in the valley.

 

 

The trail runs under the impressive cliffs on the west side of Miles Notch. In summer you get only veiled glimpses of them. Much better looks when the leaves are down.

The floor of Miles Notch is a wild place.

 

Another peek at the cliffs.

 Boulder with a ferny coat.

 

 

 

A gorgeous hardwood glade on the north side of the notch. 

 

 

Into the Wilderness. Oddly, while the ridge on the west side of Miles Notch is within the Wilderness boundary, the cliffs and floor are not.

Onto the Red Rock Trail, a longtime favorite.

 

 

Crossing a headwater of Miles Brook.

Ascending the north slope of Miles Knob through more nice hardwood forest

On to the crest of the ridge in wild spruce woods.

 

A very steep little drop to the Miles Knob-Red Rock Mountain col.

Climbing to the east knob of Red Rock Mountain and the hike's biggest reward.

Since I was last here 15 years ago, the side path down to the perch atop the Red Rock cliffs has become much more obvious.

This big sloping ledge is an airy perch with huge dropoffs on the west and south sides. Probably not ideal for those who don't like heights. On a nice day the rock is dry and very grippy, but you do need to pay attention as you descend over a couple of small ledge steps. Best to avoid if wet.

 

When you get lower down on the ledge, there's an amazing close-up of the cliff that gives the mountain its name.

Looking back up the ledge.

 

A pretty fine view to the south, looking down the valley of Red Rock Brook. Kezar Lake sprawls in the distance, with Pleasant Mountain on the left.

Looking SW to Durgin and Speckled Mountains. The Red Rock Trail passes over Durgin and ends at Speckled.

 

 

A zoomed view in this direction of Carter Dome, Mt. Hight, Mt. Washington and the Royces.

A more southerly zoomed view to Kearsarge North, Chocorua, North Moat, Big Attitash, Passaconaway, Bear, the Sleepers and the Doubleheads.

 

 

Looking SE to Miles Knob, which has its own set of south-facing cliffs (off-trail).

 

Hanging out on a gorgeous early summer day.

A last look down before heading out.

 

 

From the side path to the cliff, the Red Rock Trail makes a short down-and-up to the ledgy true summit of Red Rock Mountain (2,143 ft.)

The views here are not panoramic, but there are partial northward vistas, including this look at Caribou Mountain.

 

A more distant view to peaks in the eastern Mahoosucs and Puzzle Mountain. Tyler Mountain in the foreground.

 

 

More ledges while descending to the west.

Butters Mountain looms ahead.

An old USFS metal arrow sign in the Red Rock-Butters col.

 

 

Spruce ridgerunning across the long, flat crest of Butters.

Near the summit of Butters Mountain (2,249 ft.) I bushwhacked across the broad ridgecrest to visit a longtime favorite view ledge.

Tucked in amidst scrubby spruces, this ledgy opening offers a unique view across the valley to Caribou Mountain and the Haystack Notch area.

The full spread of Caribou, measuring nearly three miles from stem to stern.

Wheeler Mountain in the eastern Mahoosucs looms through Tyler Notch.

 

A distant western view takes in North Carter, Adams and Madison, the three Moriah summits, North Weeks, Black Crescent, Cabot/Bulge/Horn, and Unknown Pond Peak.

 

Back on the trail, more nice ridge walking.

A beautiful fern glade by the Great Brook Trail junction.

 

New signage.

Jointed ledges near the top of Great Brook Trail.

 

The upper part of Great Brook Trail descends steeply with poor footing.

Below the steeps there's a nice cascade beside the trail.

 

The lower section of the trail follows old woods roads, passing the cellar hole of the mid-1800s Butters family homestead. The mountain along the Red Rock Trail was named for this family.

 

Grave site in front of the cellar hole.

Where the Great Brook Trail begins on a brushy woods road.

 

Ledgy cascade on Great Brook by the trailhead. From here it was an easy 0.8 mile walk along Hut Rd. to complete the loop. 

 

 

 

Rambling in the Southern Mahoosucs

Two hikes in the Southern Mahoosucs to scout things for the next edition of the AMC White Mountain Guide.

 

1) MAHOOSUC PONDS LOOP

 

Much of the acreage on the south slopes of the southern Mahoosucs is private timberland, and several  years ago the owners at the time, Bayroot, undertook a major harvest, necessitating  the temporary closure of several trails. Among those most impacted were the Austin Brook Trail and Dryad Fall Trail. These two trails can be combined with a short stint on Peabody Brook Trail and a traverse across part of the Mahoosuc Trail to visit lofty Dryad Fall and three high mountain ponds. Much of this area now has a new owner, Falling Waters Forest LLC, and they plan to continue the tradition of allowing public access for hikers and other recreationists. Thank you! 

I was able to drive 1.6 miles up Mill Brook Rd. to start the hike, but it was a rough ride and I would not recommend it for low-clearance vehicles. By crossing a brook where the driveable road ends (the bridge was removed), you can join Austin Brook Trail at the 1.3 mile mark,

 

Just beyond the brook is the junction of Gates Brook Trail and Austin Brook Trail. Both follow brushy logging roads.

A couple of clearings along Austin Brook Trail open up views of nearby ridges. 

 

 

 

I could see that Dryad Fall was in good flow. 

 

 

The Shelburne area has a booming tick population, and when you're walking along brushy logging roads, they will hitch a ride. My tally for the day was 37.

 

At 1.2 miles from where I parked, Austin Brook Trail veers left onto a smaller and older logging road for a while.

This led to the junction with Dryad Fall Trail.

 

The lower 0.4 mile of Dryad Fall Trail was used as a skid road during the recent harvest, and much of it is now fully overgrown with brush and prickers - long pants recommended!

I would not want to come through here on a wet day.

 

The skid road ends right at the side path for Dryad Fall.

 

The ledge area near the top of the fall (supposedly 300 ft. high in total) is a wonderful place to hang out in the sun, with a view to the SE.

Looking back at the top of the fall. In dry times the flow can be meager, hence the name.

 

From Dryad Fall the trail climbs 1.1 mile to Peabody Brook Trail, mostly at a moderate  grade with a few nice sections like this.

 

When you reach Peabody Brook Trail, Dream Lake is right around the corner, with a view across the water to Mt. Adams.

Farther along, Mt. Washington is added to the view. Time for a break to take in the scene.

 

A zoom on Mt. Washington and Mt. Clay, taken from another spot along the shore.

One of the objectives on this hike was to check out a 0.3 mile relocation on the Mahoosuc Trail, completed last year by AMC trail crews, bringing the trail away from a chronically wet area. Thus there is a new junction of Peabody Brook Trail and Mahoosuc Trail.

The well-constructed relocation - much of it benched - was a joy to walk. Appalachian Trail thru-hikers will welcome this brief reprieve from Mahoosuc roughness. 

 

The 2.2 mile section of Mahoosuc Trail that I hiked to Gentian Pond passes through a variety of wild conifer forests. This area here looked like a bushwhacker's bad dream.

 

Dropping down to Moss Pond, the trail looked more Mahoosuc-like.

Serene little Moss Pond (aka Upper Gentian Pond) is one of my favorite spots in the Mahoosucs. I have seen moose in this pond twice over the years.

I headed off-trail to visit a cliff overlooking Gentian Pond. Along the way I circled around Moss Pond to a view of another wild cliff that I have yet to visit.

Bird's eye view of Gentian Pond. Lucia and Marian Pychowska, intrepid AMC adventurers who explored the Bald Cap Mountain region in the 1870s, bestowed this name on the pond after gathering bottle-gentian along its shore. Moss Pond was named by the Pychowskas because it was "surrounded by beds of moss."

Closer look.

 

An intimate view of Mt. Success.

Junction with Austin Brook Trail near Gentian Pond.

Side view of Gentian Pond Shelter, which has a view to the south.

 

Evening at Gentian Pond. Here I met the only hiker I saw all day, a young fellow staying at the shelter.

I'm not sure exactly where I was up on the cliffs looking down at the pond. Note the large new rockfall on the right.

The initial steep descent below the shelter.

 

 Beaver wetland at the bottom of the descent off the ridge.

 

 

 

 

2) BALD CAP PEAK LEDGES

I wanted to check in on the Peabody Brook Trail, which I hadn't been up in a while, and visit the south ledges on Bald Cap Peak, one of the most commanding viewpoints in the region. Note that there is room for only 2 or 3 cars across from the trailhead here, and overnight parking is not permitted. 

Much of the land along the lower part of the trail is owned and managed by the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, an outstanding conservation organization.

Ascending through a beautiful hemlock forest.

Higher up, the trail gets a little rougher.

 

At 1.5 miles there is a sketchy spot where an old, now overgrown slide crosses the trail. Here you must cross or skirt a slippery ledge on a steep sidehill.  There used to be a view of the Presidentials here, but no longer.

 

Just above the slide is a ladder that scales a steep ledge.

 

 

Many cascades are glimpsed through the trees as the trail makes a steady ascent along Peabody Brook. This one was close enough to get a clear look.

 

Higher up, the trail is wild and fairly rugged.

Many bog bridges as the upper part of the trail traverses a flat, wet area. 

 

 

 

A watery wetland glimpsed through the trees. 

 

 

 

At 2.6 miles, after an ascent of 1,850 ft., the Bald Cap Peak Ledges Trail goes off to the right. This spur trail was opened by the Shelburne Trails Club in 2012. For years it was admirably maintained by John "1HappyHiker" Compton. It partly follows the route of a trail that was originally cut in 1877 by AMC and was abandoned in the 1960s.
 

 

 

 

The first part of the trail passes through a Kilkenny-like birch and fern glade. 

 

 

 

Mossy conifers.

 

Arriving at the first ledges, with partial views. 

As the sign says, there's much better to come by descending to the lower, more open ledges

 

What a spot! Looking beyond Reflection Pond to the cloud-kissed Presidentials.

Looking down on Middle Mountain and out to the Royces, Speckled Mountain and Caribou Mountain. The first time I visited these ledges was in the 1990s on a snowshoe bushwhack with the late Creston Ruiter. We were trying to climb Middle Mountain but mis-navigated a bit and realized our mistake when we were looking down at Middle Mountain. I don't know how we got up through the steep terrain below here. Years later, on a fall trip just before the trail was opened here, I whacked up from Middle Mountain with John "1HappyHiker" Compton. I'll take the trail route from now on.

Looking over to Bear Mountain in the eastern Mahoosucs, a wild and remote area.

The Moriahs and part of the Carter Range seen across the Androscoggin valley.

No sun on this afternoon, but still a great place to lounge for an hour or so.

 

On the way down, after weathering some rain showers, I made the side trip (0.3 mile each way) to Giant Falls.

 

 

 

 

A fine way to cap off another day of rambling in the southern Mahoosucs.