Explorer's Guide 50 Best Hikes in New England by Marty Basch

Author:Marty Basch
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Countryman Press
Published: 2014-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Mount Willard makes quite an impression from Route 302 in Crawford Notch.

Also a few miles east of the trailhead is the seasonal Willey House. The location is the site of an August 1826 landslide that claimed nine lives. The house was once an inn and family residence. An oddity of the slide is that the house still stands, yet around it were strewn boulders and other detritus.

Also across the way from the trailhead is tiny Saco Lake, the source of the Saco River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean through Maine. The notch is also home to the Conway Scenic Railroad and the trackside station is a familiar landmark alongside the AMC’s Macomber Family Information Center.

Though more bustling in summer and fall, the neighborhood doesn’t hibernate in winter, as ice climbers venture up the frozen pitches by the roadside and beyond. Mount Willard also makes an excellent introduction to winter hiking for those who want to get outside when the bugs are at bay.

HOW TO GET THERE

From I-93, take Exit 35, then Route 3 north to Twin Mountain and Route 302 east about 10 miles to Crawford Notch. From Glen, take Route 302 west about 21 miles to Crawford Notch. Trailhead parking is near an information center and Crawford Depot next to the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Highland Center.

The route passes through Crawford Notch State Park, 2057 US Route 302, Harts Location, NH 03812; phone: 603-374-2272; web: nhstateparks.org.

THE TRAIL

Begin the out-and-back hike by carefully crossing the train tracks and heading into the quiet of the woods on the Avalon Trail for about a tenth of a mile. Take a left by a kiosk (an information board) on the blue-blazed Mount Willard Trail to the sun-drenched ledges that are just below the peak’s actual summit, about a mile and a half away.

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