Kinsman Ridge West

Our hike began at the Basin, which is a clearly marked exit directly off 93. If you are coming from the Northbound side, walk under the bridge beneath 93 to get to the beginning of the trail. We enjoyed the Basin for a while before hiking 1.0 mile to the Cascade Brook Trail where we took a right. We took that trail for a 0.5 mile, and then took a left to meet up with the Kinsman Pond Trail for ...

The Basin is just one stop on the Pemigewasset Recreational Trail that follows along I-93 through Franconia Notch. The parking lot for the Basin is easily accessible from either north or south on I-93, and it has it's own exit sign which can't be missed.Park in the lot and follow the signs towards the Basin. While the main attraction here is obviously the Basin itself, hiking through these wood...

The Franconia Notch area of New Hampshire has many roadside adventures to go on, bringing in thousands of visitors every year, but my favorite place in the notch is Lonesome Lake. At 3 miles, the hike is easy enough for the whole family, but most people visiting the notch stick to the roadside attractions, keeping the crowds at Lonesome down. The views around the lake are incredible, looking o...

The White Mountains offer some of the most prime foliage sightseeing (aka 'leaf peeping') in New England. Tourists flock to the Franconia Notch State Park area and surrounding parts of the White Mountains every October, but camping is generally less common. October can be a cold month in New Hampshire, with an average low of about 36 degrees Fahrenheit, but if you have the right gear, the foggy...

 Park at Lafayette Place right off of I-93. It is one of the most accessible trail heads to hit a “4,000 footer” in the White Mountains and has plenty parking. Signage is visible and easy to follow as you begin at 1,800 feet and walk through a wooded campground onto the Lonesome Lake Trail. The trail starts to climb right away but in most conditions no traction will be needed for this first sec...

The best place to park when doing this hike in the winter is at the Lafayette Campground. The campground and parking lot are typically empty in the cold winter months, aside from occasional cross-country skiers on the Pemigewasset bike path. The Lafayette campground parking lot is directly accessible by I-93 north and south. To start the hike, walk through the campground and follow the signs th...