Notes
Yesterday, we tackled quite a long day hike! Over the course of 20 miles and 6,000 feet of elevation gain, we traversed the east side of the Grafton Loop Trail.
One thing to note about this section is that you should not rely on the Maine Mountain Guide description. Usually the Guide descriptions are quite good, but this one reads like it was written by someone quite some time after they hiked the trail. Landmarks are described in the wrong locations, slope steepness is described incorrectly, distances are misrepresented, some landmarks no longer exist as described, and the description overall is vague and not reflective of the on-the-ground trail experience.
We started our day at the Baldpate/Old Speck trailhead in Grafton Notch State Park. Our ascent of Baldpate went by pretty quickly, and we arrived at West Peak to find that morning fog still covering much of the mountain and surrounding area. As we crossed the saddle and ascended East Peak, the fog lifted, and we were treated to great views all around.
After a quick snack break, we started down the Grafton Loop. After passing East Baldpate Campsite, we reached Lightning Ledge. In my opinion, Lightning Ledge is one of the two best hidden gems on this section of trail. The ledge offers outstanding clifftop views of the mountains on the other side of Grafton Notch and the Bear River Valley. If it weren't such a long hike to get to it, I'm sure this would be a much more popular spot.
Soon after Lightning Ledge, we came across the second hidden gem of this section of trail. Down a marked side path beyond Lane Campsite is a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole on Wight Brook. This is the same brook that eventually flows over Step Falls, and this waterfall is similar, although higher of the mountain and much more remote.
This section of trail follows a few branches of Wight Brook, and we navigated numerous stream crossings, some of which required care to stay dry on. We began the relatively gradual ascent of Long Mountain, crossing a seemingly abandoned snowmobile trail and passing Town Corner Campsite along the way. At the top of Long Mountain, we took the short spur to a somewhat restricted viewpoint, where we ate our lunch.
We descended off of Long Mountain, crossing a woods road and Chase Hill Brook. We then began the final ascent up Puzzle Mountain. Although not overly steep, I was getting a bit worn out by this point and the climb was slow going. We made it to the summit and enjoyed the excellent views from the variety of viewpoints on the mountain, before making the last descent off of Puzzle Mountain to the trailhead where my car was parked.
This was an awesome hike, and I'm super glad that I finally got the chance to hike a few of the more remote sections of the Grafton Loop. Perhaps the best part is that, despite it being a beautiful summer day, we didn't see another person over the entire course of 20 miles!
Water Crossings
There were some muddy and wet areas, but all were manageable. Some crossings of Wight Brook and the crossing of Chase Hill Brook were somewhat tricky, but doable without getting wet.