Ghost Trail: Plymouth to Hebron

Overview map from Gaia, with Plymouth Mtn Trail added

This next section of the Ghost Trail had the greatest uncertainty. Everything north of Plymouth was on AMC's White Mountain National Forest trail maps.  But the only trail maps I could find for the Plymouth Mountain area were online maps like Gaia that are based on user data of questionable accuracy entered onto OpenStreetMap. These maps showed trails going up and over North and South Peak, then up Plymouth Mountain via the Sutherland Trail. No further trails were on the map after that, but there was rumored to be another trail going down the mountain that I hoped to find.  I'd done as much armchair research as I could about these various trails, but I was mentally prepared for things to fall apart and was happy to be day-hiking and not backpacking. 

Notice for thru-hikers: There is no camping allowed anywhere between Plymouth and Hebron. The trails cross private property the entire way. There are accommodations available in both Hebron and Plymouth ($$$). 

Trailhead parking pulloff on Texas Hill Road

Look for this pole

The first challenge was parking in Plymouth. Do not attempt to leave a car all day or overnight in the business district. Every inch is covered with signs restricting how long you can park there. I went up the next street (Russell) and parked in front of some rundown houses that look like rentals for college students. They'll never complain about a car parked out front.

The second challenge was finding the supposed trailhead for what Gaia called the Fauver East Trail. There are no trail signs or other markings, and the trailhead is easy to miss. Gaia had it correct, though. Walking southwest on Texas Hill Road out of Plymouth, the trailhead was located near the top of a steep rise, with enough space on the left for maybe two cars to pull over. 

Trail as seen from the pavement

The section between Texas Hill Road and North Peak was tricky to figure out. There is in fact an unmarked trail where Gaia said the Fauver East Trail would be,  But there are also other trails intertwined with this because the mountain bikers have taken over and it's just confusing. I don't know what the history of this trail section is. Maybe there used to be an old hiking trail used by the fine people of Plymouth to get to Plymouth Mountain, but then some mountain biking college students discovered the hill. It's private property, no conservation easements or whatever, and I fear some day there will be new houses shutting down access. 

I took several wrong turns following the mountain bike paths, but it was nothing too bad. Pay close attention along this section, however, and refer to an online map or a compass. In the southbound direction, heading up the hill on any trail would probably work fine. Just be sure to go uphill and double back if a trail starts heading the wrong way. 

Mountain bikers have created lots of trails near Texas Hill Rd.

At the top of North Peak, the trail came to a "T" with blue markings going both left and right. I took a left and followed the blazes down the hill, checking Gaia from time to time to see if I was on the correct route, because I had no idea if the blue markers were for the trail I was trying to follow, or some other trail not shown on the maps. 

Fauver East Trail has blue markers south of North Peak

At some point I did, in fact, find myself well off the designated route, and went bushwhacking for where I was supposed to be. What I found was a trace of an old trail, marked by old logs that had been cut. I followed that for a bit and suddenly found myself back on the blue-marked trail, which had bent back in my direction. After that, I just followed the blue markers. The online maps don't have the Fauver East Trail quite right, but it's in the ballpark. Just stick with the blue markings. 

Porcupine

There weren't any real views on either North or South Peak. But it was nice terrain and I got to see a porcupine scurry up a tree. The descend from South Peak was quick, and there was a kiosk at the bottom with a map of the trail system. Wish I had that earlier. Everything made sense after that. Coming from the north, I'd intercepted the blue markings about where the "D" is at the top of the map. Interesting how the trail abruptly stops part way down the hill to the northwest. There's a story there I bet. 

Map at the kiosk

Fauver East Trailhead looking northbound

After a quick roadwalk, there's a big hiker parking area for a trail going up Plymouth Mountain. A big sign out front declares that parking is for daytime use only. Another prominent sign lets you know that you're on "Conservation Easement Land" privately-owned but open to walking, hunting, and other non-motorized pedestrian recreation, but no camping or fires. 

Heading up Plymouth Mtn

This was an easy hike up Plymouth Mountain on a well-worn, yellow-blazed trail, that was never steep.  There was only one car in the lot there, so the trail was pretty quiet. It starts out as Fauver Link Trail and then turns into Sutherland Trail after crossing a road.

Junction with an overlook spur

Near the top, there's a spectacular overlook of the White Mountains at the end of a short spur well-marked with a sign to "Pike's Peak." You can look straight up I-93 and Franconia Notch through the White Mountain and other points East. 

Looking north up I-93 towards the White Mountains

Sutherland Trail continues for another quarter mile past the overlook junction to a marker at the summit. There was a false summit right at the beginning with a cairn -- don't be fooled.  This last quarter mile is much more rugged with lots of exposed bedrock underfoot.  A returning hiker warned me to be careful because the rock was slippery. I laughed inside my head, because this was nothing compared to backpacking the Crawford Ridgepole Trail in the rain the other day. This rock was dry. But yes, you could still slip on some steep sections even when it's dry.  

What's next?

I'm not sure if there was another lookout beyond the cairn. There may have been. I was much more focused on finding this phantom "Plymouth Mountain Trail" heading down the west side of the mountain. There was also reportedly a third trail going southwest down the mountain to Camp Mowglis on the shore of Newfound Lake, but that was said to be private. So I needed to get on the correct trail. After much online searching, I had found a map image showing the general location of Plymouth Mountain Trail, and was also able to confirm that this trail actually existed and might have some occasional markings with wolves. But reports differed wildly on how easy it was to follow. Everything from easy to impossible. 

Plymouth Mountain Trail

Piece of cake. The trail was obvious right from the summit marker and was generally easy to follow even without blazing. There were a few adorable wolf markers facing hikers going uphill, just enough to provide confidence that it was a real hiking trail. In some ways it was easy to walk that the Sutherland Trail because it wasn't eroded. There was a partial view of distance mountains about half way down. Best part of the day. It wasn't until the trail got near the bottom that a few spots might be tricky to navigate, especially if you're going uphill. There's a right turn (in the uphill direction) off a snowmobile trail. Keep an eye out for that. 

GPS record of Plymouth Mtn Trail

I recorded a gps track and added that to OpenStreetMap for future hikers (Gaia, AllTrails, and other mapping programs use OpenStreetMap data for their basemaps). The trail ended in the form of a grassy snowmobile trail that came to a "T" with a 4WD section of Pike Hill Road. After continuing downhill on the Pike Hill Road for 0.1 mile, it converted to real street. This was at a hairpin curve in the street, with a bridge over a nice brook just beyond that. There was a tight spot to park on each side of the bridge. The limited parking may be why Plymouth Mountain Trail is not promoted. If you are northbound on Pike Hill Road, follow it over the brook to the hairpin curve, ignore the curve, and go straight onto the 4WD road until you see a snowmobile trail going off to the right. In 2021, there were a couple snowmobile signs on a tree immediately after the turn, but one was falling off. That's the beginning of Plymouth Mountain Trail. 

Plymouth Mountain Trailhead on Pike Hill Road

The rest was all uneventful road walking. There was a construction site along Pike Hill Road with a great view of Mt Cardigan, Newfound Lake, and the ridge leading to Cardigan. That would be my next trip to New Hampshire. 

Mt. Cardigan as seen from Pike Hill Road

The Hebron and Newfound Lake area was a real contrast to the Plymouth area. The former had seen better days, while Hebron was shining and spotless. There was no problem walking along the highway here. The shoulder was plenty wide enough. 

Newfound Lake

We had agreed to meet at the Newfound Audubon Center. A woodland trail lead down to the water, where sections of a dock had been stacked up for the winter. It was delightful, so we had a picnic lunch there and watched the boats go by.  

Audubon Center at Newfound Lake

At this point I still didn't know exactly where my next Ghost Trail section would start, other than somewhere in the Hebron area. I needed to find a place I could leave my car for a few days. I had thought that maybe I could get permission from the Audubon people to leave me car there for the price of a donation, but the building was closed.  Maybe there was some place in the Hebron center where I could get permission. Or maybe the Welton Falls trailhead. So we hopped in the car in search of potential parking. 

Hebron Village Store and Post Office

We stopped at the Hebron Village Store, which was tiny even though the building was pretty big. There's also a Post Office. Thru hikers should not expect much here. They did have a few tables for eating in. It's set in a super quaint New England historic district where every building is tastefully white and no blade of grass is out of place. 

We then searched for the Welton Falls Trail on Valley View Road. We couldn't see anything and I finally stopped and asked a woman walking by if she knew where the trail was. She said there used to be a sign across from a flat grassy area where we were looking and people parked there all the time and went hiking. So we drove past the area a few more times scratching our heads. After a bit, this nice woman flagged us down, said she just talked to her neighbor, and yes, the trail was right in the spot we were looking. Just park on the grass and go up the hill. Okey doke. I gave it a shot, and did indeed find a trace of a path going up the steep open hill full of grass and ferns right where Gaia said it would be. 

The beginning of Welton Falls Trail

The trail came up to a swing at an overlook, which was weird. But I could see a path going off into the woods where Gaia said it would, so it seemed correct. And it was. But I later discovered some construction on the trail just a bit further on and I don't know if this trail is open any longer. Maybe that's why the sign is no longer down by the trailhead. But that's for a later post. 

Along Welton Falls Trail

Parking there looked feasible, so I walked back through Hebron to the Audubon Center and called it a day. It would be two weeks before I was able to return and finish up the Ghost Trail route and SRK Greenway. 

Ghost Trail: Crawford Ridgepole Trail to Plymouth

Crawford Ridgepole Trail on Doublehead Mtn

It was raining when I woke up on a plateau east of Doublehead Mountain, so I hung out for a bit and got a late start.  It was 8:00 am before I hit the trail, leaving White Mountain National Forest behind.  

I stopped to look at something, and a red squirrel came bounding casually up the trail towards me. It just kept coming when I though it would stop and turn around, and then suddenly the squirrel was on my leg. I don't know which one of us was more surprised. After half a second of processing this error, the squirrel jumped off and ran up the nearest tree. I could feel the little claw marks on my leg for half an hour. Truly one of the weirder things I've had happen on a trail. I've had gray squirrels plummet out of tree tops and land with a big thud next to me, but I've never had a squirrel mistake me for a tree. 

Junction with Doublehead Trail

I didn't take many pictures on this next section because it was raining pretty good most of the time. The map showed five peaks along the Crawford Ridgepole Trail before Old Mountain Road, where I'd leave the ridge. It was super slow going. This ridge has lots of bare rock at odd angles, and it looks like it would be a lot of fun day-hiking on a dry day. But backpacking in the rain was not easy. Every step was a potential fall and busted ankle. The trail between Doublehead and Mt. Squam, took me about 1.5 hours and it was only one mile.  At this point it was after 10:00 am, and I had another six miles to get to Old Mountain Road. If the ridge was all like this, I wouldn't get to the turnoff until 7:00 pm. I tried picking up the pace, but couldn't go much faster on the wet rock. 

Squam Lake, from Mt. Squam

With all the rain and blowing mist I was pretty sure I wasn't getting a view, but near the top of Mt. Squam, the wind momentarily blew the clouds aside to reveal Squam Lake down below. Nice! 

Lots and lots of slick rock east of Mt. Morgan

The rain picked up as I made my way over Mt. Percival. I have no idea where that peak was. The ridge was a series of endless ups and downs and there was no sense of arriving at any particular peak. It seemed like there were dozens of peaks. And the peaks shown on the trail maps were not marked in the real world, so the only way to know you had arrived would be by checking a map on your phone, which I couldn't do very well because it was raining. 

There were a couple trail junctions associated with Mt. Morgan that were very confusing. There was a three-way junction with a four-way sign. The sign pointed me directly into the forest where there was no trail. So, umm, do I go right or left? I chose left, and checked Gaia to see if it was correct after a bit. So far so good. Then I came to another junction with one trail heading steeply down the ridge and another with a ladder going up a cliff. I had a moment of terror thinking I would need to go up the ladder in the rain, but just then a couple of angels were walking up the hill (the first people I'd seen in two days) and they said the ladder was just to a lookout and if I continued downhill there was a trail junction for the Crawford Ridgepole Trail. Thank you!

Easy walking west of Mt. Morgan

And just like that, the trail got really easy. No more rock. Also, the rain stopped. And the sun even came out once in a while. Fantastic. 

Squam Lake from Mt. Webster

At some point I passed top of Mt. Webster, but it never felt like it. The trail runs just below the ridgetop there. Then the trail curved uphill a bit towards the top of the ridge and a view opened up of Squam Lake below. Spectacular! I had fun watching the dueling crows and hawk and the low clouds speeding across the sky above the lake. 

Another vista from Mt. Webster

Further on, there was yet another overlook. The sky was blue in places and dark with rain in others. How lucky to get these views on a rainy day.

Another option for descending the Crawford Ridgepole Trail

There was a signage for the Brooks Fisher Trail, which was an option I considered for descending the ridge as an alternative to Old Mountain Road. The trail comes out onto Perch Pond Road. It's not on my AMC White Mountain map, but it shows up on Gaia. I decided against the trail since I wasn't sure what condition it was in, and it actually adds 3/4 mile of roadwalk to the trip. 

Old Mountain Road

The junction with Old Mountain Road was also well-marked. The old road does get some 4WD traffic, based on the tracks and erosion, which is too bad. But it looks like plenty of people walk it as well, and I didn't have any trouble. I was actually able to collect some water breaking out of the hill, although it was a wet day. Still, it was the first collectable water I'd seen since Beede Falls. 

Beede Road on the way to Plymouth

I made it to the bottom around 3:30 pm and was set for roadwalking to Plymouth, but just then my husband pulled up. He had just arrived from Connecticut and was ready to bring me to the hotel for a hot shower and delicious food that did not have nuts or anything freeze-dried. At the same time, I wanted to finish off the road walk, so I was torn. And then it started pouring and my decision was made. I hopped in the car and that was it for the day. We stayed in Ashland because the hotels in Plymouth were mostly booked up due to parents weekend or something at the college. 

Roadwalk to Plymouth

The next day, some very heavy rain was forecast to move in, but there was brief morning window that might be OK. And so I finished up the road walk into Plymouth. The most obvious route was to take Beede Road/Seven Pines Road out to highway 175A. I didn't like the highway when we drove it, though. It was very narrow and windy with little or no shoulder and tons of traffic. So I went a different way that required a short bushwhack through some woods (Smith Rd, Sargeant Rd, Trivett Lane, Herritage Hill Road). 

Pilot Forest off Beede Road
Town of Holderness

There's some town property called Pilot Forest with trails located along Beede Road that I'd noted on my maps "just in case." My husband took a walk through there while I was doing my road walk and he said it was pretty nice. There's a sign out front with a map of the trails, and it does say "no overnight camping unless permitted by the commission." So perhaps there's a way for a backpacker to get permission to stay there if needed, although I imagine most thru hikers would be getting a room in Plymouth.

"No overnight camping unless permitted by the Commission"

The alternative route worked out great, and I was able to avoid walking on the highway until just before the I-93 underpass, at which point the rain moved in and pickup up steadily as I crossed the Pemigewasset River. 

Pemigewasset River

By the time I got to Plymouth, it was really pouring and there were rivers running across the asphalt. But I was able to duck in to a diner where my husband was waiting with some breakfast. Later on we came back to do some shopping, but there really isn't much there for tourists. Plymouth is a college town, so there are a number of places for young people to meet up with friends and grab something to eat or drink. There's a laundromat and a Rite-Aid and a Post Office that thru-hikers might use. If you need a place to sleep, there's a cluster of hotels about a mile north of town. 

Plymouth

Ghost Trail: Flat Mtn Pond to Crawford Ridgepole Trail

Flat Mountain Pond Trail

I packed up my gear in a dark morning mist by headlamp. After my excitement with the bull moose stamping and scraping and peeing away near my tent the night before, I was on high alert as I retrieved my bear bag.  In the dark. It was hanging just a few feet from the moose drama from the night before. I kept looking over my shoulder in case the bull moose returned to his special place. Then I wandered down the dark, misty trail, looking for the moose. All I saw was a lot of tracks, though. 

Beaver Pond detour

Flat Mountain Pond Trail continued easily through the gradually lightening sky along the old railroad bed to Guinea Pond Trail, which was also pretty easy. The most challenging part was getting past a beaver pond that appears to have flooded out the trail. 

Lowlands near Guinea Pond

I tried to get to Guinea Pond for a look, but the unmarked access trail was flooded out, probably by beaver. 

Mead Trail goes up Mt. Israel

And then it was time to head up Mt. Israel via Mead Trail. This would be the last peak of White Mountain National Forest.  The climb up would be about 1100 feet, but the descent would be closer to 1600 feet as the trail drops down from the White Mountains.

Red Eft

The heavy, wet fog changed over to light rain as I headed up the slope. Moody forest. Quiet. Lovely. There was nothing too difficult with the ascent. Just a beautiful White Mountain Forest. 

Mead Trail

The rain let up as neared the top, and I suddenly got a cell phone signal, so I checked the forecast: showers the next five days. Super! I fixed up some food while there was a break in the rain and headed down the hill on the Wentworth Trail. No view in the fog up there, no reason to linger.

Junction with Wentworth Trail, top of Mt. Israel

Mt. Israel non-view

 The showers came and went all the way down. Sometimes the sun almost came out. 

The forest changed as the trail dropped down off the White Mountains. The spruce-fir forest of the mountain top had switched to an oak forest by the time I got to the bottom. It was the first patch of oaks I remember seeing. Oaks are much more common as you go south, so it really punctuated the new terrain I was entering. There were so many acorn-marbles on the trail I had to slow down. 

Mead Base Conservation Center

The trail popped out behind the Mead Base Conservation Center, which appeared to be closed. I thought it was someone's house at first. And then it wasn't all that clear how to get on Bearcamp River Trail, so I just kept to the right without going out to the main road, following a dirt drive that slipped between a small brown building and a parking lot with just one car in it. What I thought was a trail sign just said "TOILET -->". But it was the correct way.  

Bearcamp River Trail follows the dirt drive
behind the little brown building

The drive passed a couple fairly large areas marked for tenting. I had no idea what the deal was there, so I just walked past. It turns out there are three tent sites and you can reserve one for $25 a night (see website). But they were still closed due to Covid. 

Entering Sandwich Notch Park

After a short stroll down the Bearcamp River Trail, the trail enters Sandwich Notch Park, a municipal park that was surprisingly magical that day. Zero people were there at the time, although it clearly gets much love from many people. First there lots of rock features just covered with moss and ferns and liverworts. Then there was the "cow cave." This was a very long, deeply overhanging rock. I've never seen one so long in New England. 

"Cow Cave"

Then there was Beede Falls, where a stream basically drops down off the overhanging rock formation. Wow. I had the place all to myself. In fact I had not seen a human being all day. This was the last water source before heading up the Crawford Ridgepole Trail, which has no water. So I stopped to fill up all my bottles, and it started raining pretty good at that point. There's a lower falls as well which is a "must see", but I just didn't have it in me. 

Beede Falls, just before the rain hit

The trek requires a walk up Sandwich Notch Road for a ways, and it rained pretty good the entire way. It's a gravel road and a couple pickup trucks passed by. Did you know that the official New Hampshire vehicle is a faded black pickup? It's true. The Crawford Ridgepole Trailhead was well marked, though the parking area was small. The trail heads uphill pretty quickly. 

Somewhere along the line, the official trail must have taken a right and I followed the herd path straight ahead. At this point I should note that this trail has blazes, unlike most everything else I'd been following in the White Mountains, and you should definitely follow those blazes really carefully. I did not. I do when I'm in Connecticut, but the trails up in the Whites are different. You just follow the herd path. Which is fine, but once you're on the Crawford Ridgepole Trail, do yourself a favor and look for the blazes. 

Wrong turn:
The most hazardous 20 minutes of hiking in my life

At any rate, the "trail" I was on got steeper and steeper. It was a mud cliff bound with tree roots. Small footholds had been carved into the cliff mud. It was insane. I grabbed desperately onto whatever tree root or sapling I could find, clawing at the ground for a better grip, hauling myself and my gear and three liters of water up the mud cliff inch by inch. What the hell kind of trail was this?? There was no going back down, the only way was to go keep going up. So I did. Eventually the nightmare of trail leveled out. And then... I could find the trail tread. After checking Gaia on my phone, it turned out I wasn't even on the trail. It was off to the right. Eventually I found the real trail, and it had curved around the cliff I had just climbed. So the lesson is: Look for those blazes. Also, the trail managers should put up a sign or something because I was obviously not the only person missing the bend in the trail, and that was super hazardous. 

Forest boundaries per USDA Forest Service GIS map

The rain had let up by that point, and the next step was to find a spot to set up the tent that was within of White Mountain National Forest. The rest of the Crawford Ridgepole Trail is on private property, and I may do some stealth camping at times, but never, ever, ever on private property. The boundaries are complex in this area, with the trail passing out of the National Forest and then back into it again. Gaia, the AMC Trail Map, and an online map hosted by the Forest Service all show an arm of the National Forest protruding south over a level area prior to the summit of Doublehead Mountain. That's where I was headed. 

It worked out great. I found a spot well off the trail that was still within the National Forest, and set up the tent in between periods of rain. Phew!