Trailside History, White Mountains - The history of the trail system in the New Hampshire White Mountains is amazing; early 19th-century trail builders are true legends of the White Mountains, and they are forever implanted into the history books. Trails built in the 1800s, such as Crawford Path, Davis Path, and Lowe’s Path, are still in use today. And while the building of hiking trails is a great topic, there are also many interesting features along the trails....[Continue reading] ...

Memorial Bridge, Randolph - Built in 1923-1924, Memorial Bridge crosses Cold Brook along “The Link” trail in Randolph, New Hampshire. The bridge was dedicated as a memorial to Randolph's early pathmakers (19th-century trail builders) on August 23, 1924. These early pathmakers are responsible for cutting many of the trails in the Northern Presidential Range....[Continue reading] ...

Presidential Range, Random History - The Presidential Range in the New Hampshire White Mountains is known worldwide for having some of the worst weather in the world. And the main attraction of the range is the mighty Mount Washington. At 6,288 feet, Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States. And with the famed Appalachian Trail traveling through this scenic mountain range, it is a busy area....[Continue reading] ...

Random Trail History, White Mountains - Think about these White Mountains history facts for a minute. Crawford Path is the oldest continuously-used mountain trail in America. Trail maker Charles E. Lowe and Dr. William G. Nowell built Lowe’s Path in 1875-1876. Nathaniel Davis, son-in-law of Abel and Hannah Crawford, built Davis Path in 1845. Nathaniel L. Goodrich (1880-1957) is considered to be the founder of peakbagging in the White Mountains...[Continue reading] ...

Crawford House, Gibbs Brook Dam - If you're familiar with New Hampshire’s grand resort era then you know the historic Crawford House in Carroll. Abel Crawford and his son, Ethan Allen Crawford built the first Crawford House, known as the Notch House, in 1828. Fire would destroy the Notch House in 1854. A second Crawford House was destroyed by fire in 1859. The history of the Crawford House property is a little confusing because some historians refer to the Notch ...

Rock Cairns, Trail Stewardship: A rock cairn is a man-made pile of rocks that marks a landmark or the route of a hiking trail above tree line. They have been used for many centuries and vary in size from one foot to massive piles of rocks. The word “cairn” is Scottish and means a “heap of stones”. Cairns are found throughout the New Hampshire White Mountains and....[Continue reading] ...

Mountain Landscapes, Presidential Range - Today, I am going to share with you landscape scenes from along the Appalachian Trail (AT) corridor in the Presidential Range of the New Hampshire White Mountains. I think its safe to say there is no other place in New England like the Presidential Range.....[Continue reading] ...

Crawford Path, White Mountains - Crawford Path, located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, is the oldest continuously-used mountain trail in America, and for a period of time it was used as a horse trail to Mt Washington. This eight and half mile historical path came to be in 1819 when Abel Crawford and his son Ethan Allen began building a trail to the summit of Mt Pierce, formerly called Mt Clinton. Once north of Mt Pierce, the Crawford ...