Backpacking the Monadnock Sunapee Greenway – A Trip Plan

The following list provides cumulative distances to each view or landmark from the summit of Mount Monadnock heading north towards Mount Sunapee. Actual cumulative mileage will be slightly greater, depending on the route taken to climb Mount Monadnock (3165’) and descend from Mt Sunapee (2743′)

• 6.3 miles – Howe Reservoir
• 12.6 miles – Nelson Center
• 21.8 miles – Pitcher Mountain (2153’)
• 25.5 miles – Jackson Hill (2061’)
• 28.7 miles – Adventist Church
• 30.0 miles – Oak Hill (1950’)
• 31.7 miles – Washington Center
• 35.8 miles – Lovewell Mountain (2473’)
• 43.8 miles – Lucia’s Lookout (2500’)
• 46.1 miles – Sunapee Ridge (2680’, spur path to excellent view)
• 46.8 miles – Lake Solitude (2510’)
• 47.0 miles – White Ledges (2700’)
• 48.0 miles – Mount Sunapee (2743’)

Water

There are numerous water sources along the route and multiple sources are usually be available each day. However, water source quality varies considerably along the MSG, from large ponds to small backwoods streams. All water should be treated or filtered.

A helpful resource for water availability and quality is the Monadnock Sunapee Map and Guide in Guthook’s New England Hiker GPS-enabled App ($5). It helps you know when to pass on less attractive sources when a more reliable brook might be a short distance away, or when to grab the water as there was nothing else for miles. Just invaluable!

On the Trail

Often cited as one of the most climbed mountains in the world, Mount Monadnock (3165’) can be a very busy place. There are many options to climb Monadnock to start the MSG. A common choice is to climb via the very popular White Dot or White Cross trails from the park headquarters south of the summit. There is ample parking there for a fee. Another good choice is the lesser-used Dublin Trail which climbs 1700’ over 2.2 miles to the summit from the north side of the mountain. An added bonus is that the Dublin Trail is also on the MSG heading north from the summit. So if you park here, you can leave some gear in your car while you climb the mountain.

No matter where you start, you will begin the MSG by descending the Dublin Trail and heading north from the summit of Monadnock. The grades are fairly gentle north from the Dublin Trailhead. At 5.2 miles you will reach a major road crossing of route 101(limited parking on the south side). Continue on woods roads and trails another .9 miles to Spiltoir Shelter. The shelter can sleep 4-5 people and there is space nearby for a few tents. There is plentiful water .1 mile further along the trail at the Howe Reservoir.

From Spiltoir Shelter, climb steeply for a short distance, coming out onto gravel Brown Road at 6.8 miles (room for a couple of cars to park here). The trail continues along trails and gravel roads and crosses the paved Nelson-Harrisville Road at 9.6 miles (limited parking on the road shoulder). Eventually, the MSG will emerge onto the paved Nelson-Harrisville Road again and continue along it into the small village of Nelson at 12.6 miles. This is a picturesque little town where you can spend a few minutes relaxing on benches outside their library in the town center. There was even a spigot outside the library that allowed us to have nice clean water with our lunch. There are no stores in Nelson village.

Continue out of town and eventually make a long descent down to busy route 9 at 15.0 miles (there is a parking lot here on the south side of Route 9 near the state highway garage). Fortunately, there is a walkway along a box culvert under the highway, so no need to dodge cars and trucks to get to the other side.

Continue along gravel roads, passing the Audubon Society of New Hampshire’s Nye Meadow Sanctuary. At 17.9 miles, you reach a gravel road junction which leads west to Crider Shelter in .2 miles. The Crider Shelter and camping area is set on the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests’ James & Eleanor Crider Forest. The shelter can house 4-5 people and has enough space for a few tents. There was a timber harvest on the property near the shelter in the fall of 2016 with a goal of encouraging Eastern White Pine regeneration and removing trees that posed a danger to the shelter and camping area. Water is available .1 miles away at a stream.

Continue up to 2153’ Pitcher Mountain at 21.8 miles (featuring a fire tower that is occasionally staffed) and enjoy the views which can include Mount Monadnock to the south, Lovewell Mountain to the north, as well as the Green Mountains of Vermont and Mount Greylock in Massachusetts. As you continue along Hubbard Hill (24.1 miles, 1896’), be careful to stay on the trail and avoid side trails made by blueberry pickers.

At 24.7 miles you will reach the Fox Brook Campsite. There is one platform here that can accommodate 4-5 people. This is the only MSG campsite without a shelter. There were a couple of spots near the platform where you might be able to set up a small tent. The water source is small and could be empty in dry years. Generally, it is not as pleasant as most of the other sites but serves its purpose. From there, continue up to the open summit of Jackson Hill (2061’) at 25.5 miles. Continue through a re-routed section of trail and come out onto gravel King Street. Follow this past the picturesque Adventist Church at about 28.7 miles. This church is the birthplace of the Seventh Day Adventists. Past here, the MSG turns right off the road and heads up to Oak Hill (1950’) with some lookout points and limited views of the surrounding area at 30.0 miles.

Descending from Oak Hill, the next point of interest is the General Washington Shelter at 31.3 miles. The shelter can sleep 4-5 people, has a pit toilet and water is available at the nearby home of the property owners. This shelter is very close to Washington Center and busy paved roads. There is no space for tents here. Continue on to the Washington General Store less than a half-mile away. Here you can take a welcome break and pick up snacks and sandwiches to eat there or take to go.

After walking through the lovely town center, continue along the gravel Halfmoon Pond Road and past the Halfmoon Pond boat access at 33.0 miles (limited parking for a couple of cars). This is a good place to spot a car if doing a shorter trip on the northern section of the trail. At 33.6 miles you will turn off onto Lovewell Mountain Road. Eventually, leave this old road and begin the ascent of Lovewell Mountain. On the ascent, there is a side path to a spring on the left. You will reach the summit of Lovewell Mountain (2473’) at 35.8 miles. There are some great views to the north and northeast toward Mount Sunapee, Mount Kearsarge and the White Mountains. Descend from Lovewell to a spur path for the Max Israel Shelter at 37.3 miles. At the bottom of the descent from Lovewell about 0.2 miles before the shelter is a small brook that is the water supply. The Max Israel Shelter sits in a nice stand of Red Spruce trees with an open understory. The shelter will hold 4-5 people and there is plenty of space for several tents. An argument could easily be made that this is the nicest shelter location on the trail.

From Max Israel, continue through lovely hardwood stands in Pillsbury State Park to the pleasant Steve Galpin Shelter (room for 4-5) at 42.5 miles. There is space for several tents here as well and the pit toilet has a roof (but no door). Water should be available at a small stream just prior to and just past the shelter. However, in dry spells, you may need to search upstream to find a deep spot among the rocks where water might pool enough for you to scoop and filter.

Proceed up to Lucia’s Lookout (2500’) at 43.8 miles. Take a break here and enjoy some fine views to the south and west. From here, the trail continues along Sunapee Ridge reaching some open ledges where, at about 46.1 miles a short spur trail leads to a cliff with amazing, sweeping views eastward. Be sure to check it out.

The trail continues along the ridge then descends to Lake Solitude which (at 46.8 miles) is the last chance to get water before heading up Mount Sunapee. From here one can descend the Lake Solitude Trail or continue toward the summit to the trail terminus. The trail ascends White Ledges with east and south views over Lake Solitude while passing a junction for Newbury Trail. The trail continues to where it enters a downhill ski trail. The blue-blazed Goshen Trail is to the left at 47.6 miles. The MSG continues up the ski slope to the summit lodge (2743’) and the end of the MSG. Be sure to select the correct trail from the summit so that you end up where you left your car. To descend from the summit to the ski area, take the 2.1-mile red-blazed Summit Trail which begins slightly south of the lodge and is also labeled as part of the SRKG Sunapee Ragged Kearsarge Greenway. (As you descend, you will be heading northerly, and just to the west of the ski slopes.)

The MSG is highly recommended as a place to experience some solitude despite there being a few road walks, road crossings, and town centers along the way. It’s sort of like a mini Appalachian Trail. If you only have a couple of days, we recommend spending it on the northern section. A nice, 1 night/2 day trip with minimal road walking and maximum views can be had by traveling between Mount Sunapee and the boat launch parking area by Halfmoon Pond in Washington. You would have options to camp at either Steve Galpin or Max Israel Shelters.

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