Philbrick-Cricenti Bog – New London, NH
| Date: | 7-3-2026 |
| Location: | New London, NH |
| Distance: | .78 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 8′ |
| Total Time: | 39 min |
| Parking: | 6-8 cars |
I had some time after leaving Franconia Notch It was late morning and temps were approaching the 90’s but wanted to explore one more place.
I had to miss an AMC hike a couple weeks ago and one of the places they went to was the Philbrick-Cricenti Bog. Since it was a bog, I knew it would be flat and a good option to check out on a hot humid day.
The bog is near Sunapee, so It was about 50 minutes away from where I was.
When I got to the trail head there was a large pull of to park in. Could fit 6-8 cars if people park nicely.
The trail is well defined. There is only one small section of dirt trail and that is at the very beginning. The rest of it is a plastic walking trail and traditional board walk.
There are two trail loops to explore; The Spruce Loop and the Tundra Loop. I choose to start on the Spruce Loop.
This loop has a lot of informative signs along the trail that explain different features of the bog.
Eventually this trail takes you out to a “Floating Mat” of vegetation on top of water. The ground looks solid but if you step on it you could go down as far as 20 feet. I sure am glad to have these sturdy trails that take us out there.
I came upon one sign that talked about carnivorous plants in the bog. There are three different kinds of these plants. I only saw one of them, but the others may be out of season.
The loop ended back in the forest where it began and I made my way toward the Tundra Loop. This loop is similar. It leads you out to the open bog area were I was again standing on a floating mat.
I saw a pole in the bog and a sign that said to pull it out. It was about 20 feet down in the mucky bog. It was pretty impressive.
The loop again took me through the forest and then back to the main junction of the two loops. Then back to the car.
This was a quick stop but very interesting. I’ll have to come back when the carnivorous plants are in bloom. I think I was a little late this year. If you find yourself in the area you should check it out.
