Artists' Bluff/Bald Mountain - Franconia, NH

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 large boulders for a short distance to the top (scrambling required), where you'll be greeted with excellent panoramic views.  On a clear day, you may be able to see Vermont, New York, and Canada.

Proceed back down the mountain the way you came, and then turn right where marked to complete the loop, which ends in a different parking area across from Cannon Mountain.  Turn left and proceed down the road back to the Echo Lake Beach parking lot.

This was the second time our girls completed the hike - the first was last fall, when they were very proud to climb their first peak.  There is much to do in the area and makes for a great road trip.  We also enjoyed a tram ride to the top of Cannon Mountain and a few visits to Echo Lake Beach as well.  We look forward to many more trips here.


At the trailhead:



The view from Artists' Bluff:











From the top of Bald Mountain:


The scramble at the peak of Bald Mountain:







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