Walking in the Tall Trees

Last week we took the blog on the road to the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  While we were there, we completed one of our favorite hikes: Artists' Bluff and Bald Mountain , a sometimes challenging and steep 1.5 mile loop. To access the trail, park in the lot for Echo Lake Beach in Franconia State Park .  Exit the lot and turn right to walk a short distance along the road and then cross the road to the trail head.  Proceed up the trail for about .25 miles to Artists' Bluff - a lookout point with phenomenal views of the Cannon Mountain ski area and the Mount Lincoln/Lafayette ridge.  The trail itself is steeply uphill but well-maintained and well-marked with red blazed paint. To continue along to Bald Mountain, turn back from Artists' Bluff to find the well-marked trail with an arrow pointing toward Bald Mountain.  The trail descends for a bit and then heads uphill again along a forest path.  Once almost at the peak, the trail climbs up and over several...

Today I ventured out for a rare solo hike at Nickerson State Park .  At approximately 3* miles, it was a bit longer than my kids typically enjoy, but for this thirty-something mom who's trying desperately to maintain some level of fitness, it was perfect.  Nickerson State Park is owned and operated by Massachusetts' Department of Conservation and Recreation, and daily parking fees ($8/day for MA residents) are charged from Memorial Day through November.  I used my DCR season parking pass and parked at the end of Flax Pond Road, near a beach in between Cliff Pond and Little Cliff Pond. I did the Cliff Pond Loop trail , which is described as a Signature Hike on DCR's website .  It was well marked with plentiful signage and yellow blazed paint.  The footing was mostly sand, with some pine needles periodically, and was mostly flat with just a few small hills.   The trail followed the perimeter of the pond and featured a number of breathtakingly beautiful w...