Mount Monadnock is one of the most hiked mountains in the world. However most people choose to hike the mountain from the NH State Park and never explore the numerous trails around the mountain.
Today I set out to do a small mountain along side Monadnock called Monte Rosa. This hike looked to be somewhat short and it would be nice to see some different trails.
The weather called for a hot muggy day so I figured I would get an early start. When I left my house at 6:45am the temp was in the 70’s and the humidity was pretty thick. I don’t hike well in real humid weather so I knew to take it easy and enjoy the trail.
| Date: | 08-21-2021 |
| Location: | Jaffery, NH |
| Distance: | 4.1 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 955′ |
| Total Time: | 4 hr 10 min |
| Parking: | 10+ cars |
| Difficultly Rating: | Easy/Moderate |
I got to the trail head by the old toll road and was greeted by a ranger who said I could go in with no charge because I have state park plates.
After getting my gear on I set out up the Halfway House trail. This trail runs along side the old toll road. This trail is fairly easy up to the first trail junction about a mile in. From here it merged back with the road for about a hundred yards.
A short ways up I came to the site of the Old Half Way House which Is more like a small clearing now. I continued on a short ways on the White Arrow till I came to the Mt. Rosa Trail.
From here the trail started to go up and offered a number of cliffs and rocks to climb over. I continued up the summit taking numerous breaks due to the heat and humidity.
Once at the summit I saw a giant weather vane with Monte Rosa written on the back. It was a cool surprise. I hung out for about 15 minutes and had a snack before heading down the Smith Connector that lead me to the Fairy Spring Trail.
This was a beautiful trail and offered some steep ledges that were slippery from the humidity. It almost seems like the rocks were sweating themselves. Soon I found my self at a moss covered stream that was named Fairy Spring. This in fact did remind me of a place that Fairy’s might hang out.
Soon I was back to the site of the Old Halfway House and took another break before heading down the old toll road.
Walking down the Toll Road did not take as long as I thought it would and it was actually a pleasant walk for a road.
All of the trails on this hike were beautiful. I would recommend this hike for anyone looking for a quick morning hike.
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