By Kyle Durant, SCA Interpretive Ranger
The White Dot and White Cross trails that leave Monadnock State Park Headquarters are classics, but there is so much history and nature to explore on Mount Monadnock off the beaten path. After a season of Interpretation at the park, I have compiled a list of sites to visit next time you climb America’s most hiked mountain.
Emerson’s Seat
Near the junction of the Do Drop and Cliff Walk trails you’ll find Emerson’s seat. This rocky outcropping is one of many scattered along the cliff walk. It offers accessible, stunning views to the south and east with Mount Wachusett in center frame. In the fall the vista opens onto a quilt of colored leaves with deciduous trees as far as the eye can see. It is said to be one of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s favorite spots on the mountain.
Falcon Spring
Bubbling just off the truly beaten in White Dot Trail is Falcon Spring. Easy to miss if you don’t know where to look, this mountain spring has been hydrating hikers for over a century. Located to the left of the Cascade Link White Dot junction, this spring flows almost every day of the year. The water is not tested by the park but many hikers refill here before continuing up the White Dot. This was the site of the first fire lookout, William Falconer’s cabin. Each day he would climb to the summit and man the fire tower that used to stand there. The large rectangular depression in the center of the summit is all that remains of this tower. The spring has been rebuilt on multiple occasions, most recently by the Jaffrey Boy Scouts in 1995.
Fassett’s Mountain House and Monte Rosa
A short hike up Fairy Spring Trail directly off the White Arrow will take you to the summit of Monte Rosa. The pinnacle boasts a weather vane that Half Way House residents used to check before their hikes. Unfortunately, the trees have grown higher since the hotel was present and the weather vane is no longer visible from the Half Way House site. Monte Rosa offers spectacular views to the south and west, and truly grand views up onto the summit of Mount Monadnock. On your hike up Monte Rosa, you’ll pass one of the older structures on the mountain, Fassett’s Mountain House. The small shelter was in operation from 1856-1858 until Fassett’s sudden death from heart disease. He sold refreshments to hikers as they trekked to the summit. In it’s prime it boasted a small hut, crude bowling alley, roofless dancefloor, and a picnic grove.
The Pumpelly Bogs
The Pumpelly Trail is Monadnock’s longest trail and provides excellent views as you walk along the ridgeline toward the summit. It is also one of the best places on the mountain to catch a glimpse of the alpine species growing in Monadnock’s sub-alpine zone. Sheep’s laurel and Tussock Cottongrass grow wild along this trail. Mountain cranberry and blueberries can be found in droves. One of the most interesting finds along the trail was this small patch of labrador tea in a bog just below the summit. Labrador Tea is an alpine plant found elsewhere in New Hampshire on peaks above 4000 feet. It is only able to grow in small patches on Mount Monadnock due to its treeless summit. This patch is the best example I’ve found near a major trail. As the name implies, it can be steeped into a tea and has been used in the past medicinally.
Megalithia
While receiving an increasing amount of visitation in recent years, Megalithia, or Pumpelly Cave as it’s also known, is one of Monadnock’s best-kept secrets. The structure was built in 1906 by Gerald Thayer and Raphael Pumpelly II, sons of the famous painter Abbott Thayer, and renowned geologist, and explorer Raphael Pumpelly. The construction couldn’t have been easy, the young lads must have hauled bags of cement, copper roofing tiles, window frames, and other building materials two miles up the slopes on their backs. It is recorded they cut trees, dragged them over half a mile, and moved large boulders to build up the outer wall. When it was all said and done the structure was about 10 feet by 10 feet, roofed over with a fireplace, chimney, and bunks to sleep in.
I’ll keep tradition and won’t share the structure’s location, but with modern technologies, it is becoming easier to find with a little determination. While it may feel exhilarating to search for a piece of history, and the structure itself is a sight to behold, there is a worry that increased visitation will force the structure’s removal. Recent visitors have not been as kind to the cave as Thayer and Pumpelly, the walls and ceiling have been defaced and litter continues to build up inside. If you’re intent on a visit to the site, remember to treat it with respect so it will be there in the years to come for others to find. Please practice leave-no-trace principles. Respect the space, please do not use the fireplace, and resist the urge to add your name to those who have defaced it before. If you bring any items into the cave make sure they leave with you. Just like the rest of Monadnock State Park, this is a carry-in carry-out cave. Overnight camping is strictly prohibited.
I hope this has inspired you to get back to Monadnock and explore. With 6 trailheads to choose from, there are a plethora of unique approaches and hiking loops each offering a new experience. Remember to come prepared with plenty of water, your favorite snacks, and the right clothing for that day’s weather. A reservation is recommended as well. Most of all, remember to enjoy your hike!
Trailheads and addresses:
- Monadnock, State Park Headquarters: 169 Poole Rd, Jaffrey, NH 03452
- Monadnock, Old Toll Road: Half Way House Rd, Jaffrey, NH 03452
- Monadnock, Gilson Pond Area: Dublin Rd, Jaffrey, NH 03452
- Monadnock, Pumpelly Trailhead: Lake Rd, Dublin, NH 03444
- Monadnock, Dublin Trailhead: Old Troy Rd, Dublin, NH 03444
- Monadnock, Marlboro Trailhead: Shaker Farm Rd, 03452, Marlborough, NH 03455
