Blog

Redstone Quarry – North Conway, NH

Hiking, Roadside Attractions and Oddities, Walking

Date:	11-8-2025
Location:	North Conway, NH
Distance:	2.37 mi
Elevation Gain:	131′
Total Time:	1 hr 48 min
Parking:	20+ cars

The second stop on our haunted tour included an old quarry ghost town. No known hauntings that I’m aware of but very cool to visit. When we got to the trail head there it was already busy. There were walkers, hikers, and a lot of mountain bikers. As we started out the temperature was in the high 50’s and the sun was coming out.

Sitting on an old carved granite column.

An old furnace and a crumbling brick building that used to enclose it.

Old brick from a building that no longer stands

The Redstone Quarry trail has eight documented stops with informational signs along the way:

We did not do all the stops in order and it was fun to explore this old ghost town and quarry. In addition to the featured stops there are tons of cellar holes and artifacts all over the place. Make sure you leave time to just wander around too.

One of my favorite stops was the Engaged Column, it is crazy how smooth this column is. It is also pretty cool that it was supposed to go to Grand Central Station in NYC.

Some old quarry gears at on end of a giant leigh machine.

The Steam Engines were also very cool. Lots of old machinery gears land levers. It is cool that these old engines were once enclosed by a brick house that has since fallen.

The Lathe House was our next stop. This was spooky looking, straight out of a Scooby Doo episode. This building had some of the giant Leiths used to carve the columns out. These leighs were massive. Structures were built around the machinery. All the old rusty gears were really cool too.

The Stone Shed was a huge building that only had a small(ish) section of the original foundation.

A look inside the old house. Does not look save to step inside

The Derricks and Rails were cool to see. It’s amazing to see all the systems they used to move the large blocks of granite. Especially in the Green Quarry.

an old leigh machine. much smaller than the one in the Leigh House

The tumbler and the office was neat too. The remains of the office were larger than I thought. We did not go inside this building because there were many boards broken through and it did not look safe.

The Redstone Village site was also interesting. The images of the old village all cleared out, was a stark contrast of from the woods we were exploring.

The Green Quarry seems like time is standing still.

Our last stop(s) were the quarries themselves. There were two quarries’ here. The Redstone Quarry that the place was named after. This rock had kind of a pink Hugh to it. Mostly this was just a pile of giant cut chunks of granite around the mountainside.

Reflections of old wooden structures and old quarry machinery.

The second quarry was the Green Quarry. This looked more like what I think of with a quarry. It was almost like time had stood still. There were still some derricks standing and some old artifacts laying around. There are also some falling down sheds with old equipment inside. This was also an interesting stop on this excursion.

The Red Quarry was a pile of large rock chuncks.

This area is a lot of fun to explore. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before. I’ll be back again. It would be fun to take my bike and explore some of those trails too.

Doctors Cemetery

Graves, Graveyards and Memorials

Date:	11-8-2025
Location:	Bartlett, NH
Parking:	6 cars

Surprise old cemeteries are alwasy cool. At the start of the Langdon Trail in Bartlett, New Hampshire there is a small cemetery with a single grave surrounded by an Iron Fence. This is the Doctors Cemetery final resting place of Dr. Leonard Eudy.

Eudy was a Civil War vet and a doctor for the Town of Bartlett. During 1877 there was an outbreak of small pox in a camp near Bartlett. Dr. Eudy tried to contain the disease by taking control of the camp and establishing a pest house but he himself fell victim to the small pox a few months later.

Cave Mountain – Bartlett, NH

Caves, Hiking

Date:	11-8-2025
Location:	Bartlett, NH
Distance:	1.52 mi
Elevation Gain:	544′
Total Time:	1 hr 27 min
Parking:	6 cars

This is the fourth annual haunted hike day with my friend Melissa. Cave Mountain was the first stop of the day. The mountain is located in Bartlett, New Hampshire and is a relatively short hike, about .7 miles to the cave. Some sections are steep with loose gravel.

Trailhead sign and parking for the Langdon Trail

On the drive up the clouds were thick and moody but by the time we arrived at the trailhead the clouds were starting to lift a bit.

We got to the trail head and there was plenty of room for parking. The lot holds 5-6 cars. Weather was unseasonably warm in the mid 50’s. I started out without a jacket, I knew I would heat up quickly.

Loose gravel and slippery leaves made things a little tricky going up and down

There was nothing really haunted about this hike but about a 100 feet up Langdon trail there was a grave surrounded by an Iron fence. The town of Bartlett named this single grave cemetery the Doctors Cemetery for an old civil war veteran Dr. Leonard Eudy.

About .3 miles up we got to the junction of Cave Mt. trail. There is a cool hand made sign that marks the trail.

The trail starts out fine and is not very long but as you get closer to the cave you can see the steepness of the upcoming terrain. The last .25 miles is very steep with loose gravel and covered with wet leaves. The section directly below the cave was the steepest and required the most concentration.

Inscription in the rock. I could not quite make out what it says

When I got the cave, I was huffing and puffing. The cave is pretty cool inside. It sits kind of on a ledge. After a bit of exploring I did see some engravings on the side of cave.

Great view point on the rocks above the cave

We continued toward the top of the cave. This section was also very steep. I was moving much slower than Melissa. At one point I asked if this giant rock I was passing was the one we were climbing to. She just looked at me shock her head and pointed straight up to the sky. Lol.

At the top we had some great views of the surrounding mountains. There is a nice ledge and some trails there as well. We took a few pictures and had a snack before heading back down the trail.

Going down was a little more challenging than going up

The way down was a little slower than the way up. There were a few sections where I slid down on my butt. When I got to the section just below the cave, that was a full-on butt slide on the slippery leaves and loose gravel. After that last steep part, the rest of the walk out was a piece of cake.

Once we were back in the car driving to our next stop, we saw some llamas (maybe alpacas?) on the side of the road hanging out so we stopped to take a few pics and say hight.

Mount Agamenticus Part Deux

Fire Tower, Hiking, Roadside Attractions and Oddities

One of the lookout decks on the summit of Agamenticus

Date:	11-6-2025
Location:	York, ME
Distance:	6.32 mi
Elevation Gain:	876′
Total Time:	4 hr 10 min
Parking:	20+ cars

I had a day off and weather was looking good so I decided to go back to Mount Agamenticus and make it over to Third Hill.

Morning summit views of the Atlantic Ocean

I was trying to figure out the best place to park for this hike. I ended up parking at the summit of the Big A. It kind of felt like cheating a little. But since I have already been to this summit and I would be hiking down and back up it seemed ok. After all, this summit is the crown jewel of this trail network so it would be foolish not to enjoy it or skip it all together.

After walking around a bit, and visiting a couple of lookout locations I had not seen before I made my way down the Sweet Fern Trail. This trail has a bunch of old ski lift towers on it rusting away. I wondered how many people have ridden this lift while it was running?

Old ski lift remains on the Sweet Fern trail

I again went down the ridge trail toward Second Hill. This time I skirted around and when up via the Second Hill Trail. Then continued down the Ridge trail over a small hill and eventually met up with the Notch Trail that would take me to Third Hill. Again, the trails were all in excellent condition.

I got to the Third Hill Trail and went up a bit then I got to the Ledge Trail and that took me up through some nice rock ledges and a few “look out” spots but they were mostly overgown with no views. I’m surprised that there is not great view of the Big A.

Once at the top I took a quick break and just hung out for a bit. After my break I continued down the Third Hill Trail to the Great Marsh Trail. I decided to follow this trail to the road. But when I got about .25 miles from the road there was a no trespassing sign so I decided to bushwack toward another trail that did lead to the road.

I followed Old Mountain Road up to the base of the Big A and started climbing up on Porcupine then Rocky Road, Harline and Summit Staircase back to the Top of Agamenticus.

Of course I had to go stand on the summit. This time though I noticed all the schulpters on the railing. They were all of historic buildings and faced the direction of the real building. Very cool. The only one I recognized was Nubble Light House. Oh and Mount Washington too.

End of the line on the Green Marsh Trail. No Tresspassing.

Hiking from top to bottom and back up to the top was an interesting experience. I think I enjoy bottom to top, but it was nice to switch it up.

Last trail back up to the summit of Big A.

Saw this sign on my drive home. “There is a road…”

Mount Agamenticus – York Maine

Fire Tower, Hiking, Roadside Attractions and Oddities

Date:	11-2-2025
Location:	York, ME
Distance:	6.80 mi
Elevation Gain:	723′
Total Time:	4 hr 58 min
Parking:	Road Parking

My buddy Jack and I set out to explore some place a little different. Mount Agamenticus is not a large mountain but it has a lot to offer.

Start of the Norman Mill Trail. No parking at the trail head.

We arrived at the Norman Mill Trail head. There is a no parking sign at the trail head itself but there are a couple of pull offs along the side of the road.

Weather was perfect. Nice breeze, clear blue skies and temps in the mid 50’s. The trail starts out like an old multi use trail. Looks like mountain bikers use this trail often.

Not to far in we came across the a cellar hole. There were a few more on our trip too. Remnants from older settlements of the 1800’s and 1900’s. This section did not have a lot of elevation and was a nice warm up.

We eventually got to a trail junction and took the Vultures View Trail. This was a direct route up. There were a couple of fun slabs too. Before long we popped out in to the bushes on just below the summit and could see the towers.

Going up the slabs on the Vulture View Trail

We climbed up to the summit and there was a lot going on. An old fire tower stand stood out to me right away. The tower was missing the cabin. I’m sure there is a story there.

We continued up the to the proper summit. The summit is a large disk area with a railing around it for people to enter and look in the different directions. There is also a large parking lot, bathrooms, a few more look out spots, picnic tables, etc. It was a full-blown park.

There was even an ADA trail that goes around to the different points of interest. From the summit we could see Mt. Washington and We could see the Atlantic Ocean. York Beach was not far, and we could almost see the Nubble Light House.

After some exploring we had some coffee. A now tradition with Jack. After our coffee we set out down the mountain. Down the Summit Stairs trail and over on the Big A to Sweet Fern and around and down on Witch Hazel At the end of this trail we came upon the base of an old ski lift or rope tow that started at the top.

Then over to the Ridge trail that took us up to Second Hill. Then down the ridge to Porcupine and back to Cedar and then back out the Norman Mill Trail.

These trails were all nicely maintained and each trail had a few interesting features. Lots of fun. I’ll have to go back and make it over to Third Hill. Just what would be the best approach.

Not sure what these stacked rocked are for

View of our route from Norman Mill Trail to Mount Agamenticus and back.

Halloween And The Devils Den

Caves, Hiking

The Devils Den Cave in Pawtuckaway State Park

Date:	10-31-2025
Location:	Deerfiled, NH
Distance:	3.36 mi
Elevation Gain:	578′
Total Time:	2 hr 39 min
Parking:	20+ cars

I was just in the park the week before but did not make it to the Boulder fields or to the Devils Den. So, I thought this would be a fun to revisit these sites for a little Halloween hike this year.

Liberty decided to stay home so I set out by myself. The sky was overcast when I parked at Round Pond. The drive down to the pond is beautiful but bumpy in some areas. There is not really a parking lot but there are some areas to pull off on the side.

Trees and Cliffs along the Boulder Trail

I started up the Bolder Trail. I love walking among the giant granite walls and huge rocks. I then hopped on to the North Mountain trail. Again, weaving in and out of some giant rocks. A little after that the cave in the side of the cliff became visible.

After a bit more climbing I came to the spur trail for the Devils Den. A small cave in the side of a cliff and popular with rock climbers. I stopped in and got a few pictures. Afterall this was a Halloween.

I continued up toward north mountain. This is a beautiful section of trail. It’s a little steep in some areas but it cuts right through the granite. Towards the top it levels off a bit and there is a rock look out that used to have great views. Now, many of the trees have grown up and blocked the view.

Cliffs and more large rocks beside the trail

A little further down the trail I came to a junction. I decided to go down the North Mountain Bypass Trail instead of continuing to North Mountain. The trail starts off with a very steep and leafy decent. It did go by a giant rock overhang. After that the trail started to mellow out and was more of a rolling hill.

When I got to the road. I followed it back to the other end of the Bolder Trail. So I took that trail back instead of walking the road. On the way back I walked up over some of the giant climbing slabs to get a higher perspective.

Before long I was back at the beaver dam near where I had parked. And then back at the car. Only saw a few people out in the park but there were quite a few cars when I was driving out. Fun little hike.

Foot print of an old tower or sign, I’ll have to go through some older pics of this trail

View of South Mountain. If you look closely you can see the fire tower.

Massive rock overhand on the trail. So cool.

My route starting from Round Pond in Pawtuckaway State Park

«‹ 2 3 4 5 ›»