Winter hiking can be intimidating even for an experienced hiker. A little dusting might be no big deal but when do you have to up your game (and your gear)? One would think that, after thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, I’d be full of hiking confidence. And I usually am. But snow and ice can be a game changer and I’m still learning. But I love to embrace the cold and I’ve found five great winter hikes in Franconia Notch that are doable without being overly technically difficult.
Flume Gorge
Length: 2.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 488 feet
I know, this one is kind of the gimme. The basic of basic research on Franconia Notch State Park, in any season, and you will be introduced to the Flume Gorge. It’s wildly popular and, during the peak season, you have to pay to enter. The trail normally takes you through the gorge over built-in boardwalks.
During the winter, however, these boardwalks are taken down and, instead of entering through the ticket booth, there is a small side trail that takes you around the back of the building. There is an alternate route that goes around the gorge part as well, but most of the trail is hike-able and you can still see the gorge. And it is GORGE. (I know, I make this pun every time, no apologies). Regardless of its popularity, this is one of the must-see winter hikes in Franconia Notch.
No additional snow gear is actually needed. Microspikes wouldn’t hurt, extra grip is always a good thing, but they’re not necessary. This is such a popular winter hiking trail in Franconia Notch, the snow will be packed down. There will be some offshoots to viewpoints that have stairs and the microspikes would be extra helpful at these points.
Tips
- The hike is a lollipop loop. I’d suggest going counterclockwise. This way you’ll hit the front end of the gorge first.
- The alltrails page will tell you that the trail is closed. This deterred me in the past but it’s only part of the trail. The winter trail entrance will be to the left of the main building just off the parking lot.
The Basin
Another popular hike is going out to see The Basin. It’s extremely short and, again, so well traveled there is no extra gear needed. It’s short, kid-friendly, and pretty. It connects to a few other trails so it also gives you the option of extending your hike. This is one of the staple winter hikes in Franconia Notch.
Basin Cascades Trail: Kinsman Falls / Rocky Glen Falls / Lonesome Lake
Length:
- Kinsmen Falls: .5 miles past The Basin (one way)
- Rocky Glen Falls: 1.0 miles past The Basin (one way)
- Lonesome Lake: 2.7 miles past The Basin (one way)
Which brings me to the falls and Lonesome Lake. If you continue to follow The Basin Cascades Trail past The Basin you can further your hike. You’ll be able to travel a little ways without any additional gear (especially this year with such little snow) but this is a less hiked trail and I’d definitely recommend microspikes here. Especially if you want to go all the way out to Lonesome Lake.
However, you don’t have to go all the way to Lonesome Lake to get a beautiful, icy hike. There are two sets of falls along the way, Kinsmen and Rocky Glen, which are very neat frozen over.
At 1.1 miles past The Basin, The Basin Cascades Trail will intersect with The Cascade Brook Trail which is also The Appalachian Trail. You KNOW your girl had to walk on the AT for a bit in snowy wonderland. This trail will continue all the way to Lonesome Lake.
Mount Pemigewasset
Length: 3.7 miles out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 1,253 feet
For this hike I used my microspikes and brought my snow shoes. I didn’t use the snow shoes at all as the trail was packed down enough. I enjoyed this trail quite a bit. It posed more of a challenge than the other ones listed without being intimidatingly difficult. And it has a rewarding viewpoint at the top.
Once you reach the top you have the option of either backtracking the way you came, or, continuing onto the Indian Head Trail. The Indian Head Trail will also take you back to route 3 but it’s not a loop. It’s a horseshoe so you won’t be where you left your car. I had one vehicle when I did this so I chose to backtrack but, if you have a large enough group and more than one vehicle, this could be a great option.
Potash Mountain
Length: 4 miles out-and-back
Elevation Gain: 1,387 feet
This hike isn’t within the park itself; the trailhead is off The Kancamagus Highway. To date, this is the most difficult winter hike I’ve done. It’s definitely doable and I never had to endure any sketchy, icy moments which makes Potash Mountain a perfect hike to take winter hikes in Franconia up a notch.
I had a blast hiking this trail. Not all of the trailheads off the Kancamagus will be cleared but this one should be pretty reliable to be open. Even so, this trail is significantly less hiked than the ones within the park. Both microspikes and snow shoes will be needed.
For the beginning of this hike we only needed our microspikes. The trail had been used, but not much. I’d wager just a handful of people since the most recent snow. Before reaching the top everything became completely untraversed and we were the ones breaking the fresh snow, which is when we switched to snow shoes.
At the top we got a view of snow-capped Mount Washington.
Winter Hiking Gear
While most of these trails don’t need much extra (assuming you have appropriate winter clothing) there is definitely a lot of useful equipment.
- Microspikes: These are my number one recommendation. They easily go right onto your boot and help grip. We all know you can slip in even the slightest of ice so, overall, while some of the trails I’ve listed it’s possible going without, I’d recommend microspikes for any winter hike. There will be different kinds, some with actual spikes and various sized spikes, and some that are more like chains. I use the Kahtoola Traction System but there are a lot of options available.
- Snow shoes: Snow shoes are supremely helpful when breaking fresh, deep snow. If you don’t want to buy your own, however, many outdoors stores will rent them to you. This is a great option for first-timers if you’re still deciding exactly how gung-ho you want to be in your winter hiking endeavors.
- Trekking Poles: Trekking poles are always good to help balance and to distribute weight to your arms so not everything is falling onto your legs. Additionally, in the snow, trekking poles can help you check and see how deep snow is before you step in it. I’m a huge fan of Black Diamond trekking poles but, per usual, there’s a ton of options out there depending on what you’re willing to spend. My Dad found a super cheap pair at Costco and, while we can tell they’re definitely not nearly as good quality as mine, he also uses them less and they work for his needs.
Winter hiking in Franconia Notch can be intimidating (let’s be honest, summer hiking in Franconia Notch can be intimidating) but all of these winter hikes in Franconia are completely doable. I hope to get practiced enough to try some more difficult ones next year!
