Monadnock - Sunapee Greenway

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Features Birding · Commonly Backpacked · Views · Wildlife

A long distance point-to-point trail that takes hikers from Monadnock State Park to Sunapee State Park on a variety of terrain.

For more information, please purchase the Monadnock - Sunapee Greenway trail guide from msgtc.org.

Monadnock - Sunapee Greenway: Section 1
The trail starts at the summit of Mount Monadnock. The trail is unclear from the summit Follow the white rectangular blazes and the white-painted "D's". The trail coincides with the Dublin Trail to the parking area on Troy Road. The trail travels across Troy Road and leaves the parking area. The trail then reaches Old Marlborough Road, and follows it to the right. The trail re-enters the woods, follows a mixture of trails and woods roads. The trail turns right after a stone wall and follows a woods road out to Route 101.

Monadnock - Sunapee Greenway: Section 2
This section of trail starts off bordering the Leighton State Forest. It mostly follows a wooded road for a long stretch to it's junction with Spiltoir Shelter Extension (on left). The trail descends below the dam in Eliza Adams Gorge. Though the small footbridge is chained to some trees, crossing during high water can be dangerous. The trail travels over many mixed roads. Pay attention to the map here. This section of the trail does have a lot of mundane road-hiking after the woods through Nelson Center. The trail continues on to its end at Route 9.

Monadnock - Sunapee Greenway: Section 3
Cross Route 9 and follow the trail to the right. Take a left up Nye Road and follow it to the end. Nye Road ends and the M-S G continues on. The M-S G follows mixed woods roads and trails to the side trail to Crider Shelter. Crider Shelter is down the gravel road to the left; the trail then turns left off the road into a clearcut. The trail follows Center Pond Road for a long while, and then veers left into the woods. This turn-off is easy to miss and was rerouted in the summer of 2020, a bit further on Center Pond Road than before. New version is hillier and far less runnable. The trail weaves through some confusing paths, then comes out into a blueberry scrubland. The trail follows this open area for a ways, then re-enters the woods on the north side. This section of the trail ends at Route 123. To pick up Section 4, cross Route 123 past the parking area, and continue right on Pitcher Mountain Road.

Monadnock - Sunapee Greenway: Section 4
From the parking area off Route 123, follow the forest road behind the gate to the right. Follow this until you arrive at a field, where the trail turns left up the eroded gravel road and climbs to Pitcher Mountain. Here, you can get some decent views. The trail continues through the woods and parallels the road (east side), crosses it, parallels it (west side), then merges with and follows it to the left. This road takes a large turn left, and the landscape changes. The woods give way to another blueberry scrubland. The trail then steadily climbs to the summit of Jackson Hill. When you reach the junction with the (active) logging road, take it to the right. At King Street, take a left. At Faxon Hill, take a right. Follow the white blazes on the telephone poles, and turn right into the open field behind the gate. Follow this to Oak Hill (1,950 ft). Descend to the town of Washington.

Monadnock - Sunapee Greenway: Section 5
From the center median in the town of Washington, head right down Route 31. Follow Half Moon Pond Road to the junction with Lovewell/ Lovell(?) Mountain Road. Continue straight on this old logging road. At the sign for Lovewell Mountain State Forest, take a left uphill. The trail gets much steeper here, leading to the summit.
In a short distance from the summit, there is a small side trail to the left that leads to a small spring. There are two viewpoints atop Lovewell Mountain. The trail descends, sharply, from Lovewell Mountain, to its junction with the Max Israel Shelter. The trail hits a few more small ridges, then descends to Half Moon Pond Road.

Monadnock - Sunapee Greenway: Section 6
From (gravel) Half Moon Pond Road, the trail takes a slight right over Bog Brook. The trail climbs up to its junction with Ridge Link Trail. Next, the trail follows the ridge with some ups and downs to Lucia's Lookout.The trail is steep and rocky through here to Lake Solitude; The trail continues moderately to a road. Take a left onto the Skyway Ledges Trail towards the lodge where the trail ends at Mt. Sunapee.

Flora: Ganoderma, spruce, birch, beech, eastern hemlock
Fauna: Chickadees, nuthatch