NH Cohos Trail: Kelsey Notch to Dixville Notch

Windmill service road & ATV trail, looking back south

This last section of the trip was pretty short, maybe six miles. We had no trouble finding the drop off point in Kelsey Notch this time (the gravel service road north of the Baldhead lean-to) and we spotted my car in Dixville Notch at the flume. The trail started out by following the windmill farm service road uphill for a good ways. This road also functions as an ATV trail, but none were out in the morning, and it was a peaceful stroll up the road with occasional stops to look back at the expanding view to the south.

Windmill blade turning in the wind

Eventually I did hear a weird noise, mechanical but not loud. It was the blades of nearby windmills turning in the stiff breeze. The big blades were just visible above the trees, churning away. Another hiking first. It was at this point that the trail finally turned off the gravel road and headed into the woods.

Into the woods!

It's always a pleasure to step onto a wooded footpath after a road walk, not that I don't like the variety that occasional road walks bring to a hike. This part of the trail is called Dixville Bypass on the trail map, and it parallels both an unimproved ATV trail and a line of seven windmills on the ridge to the east.

You're getting your feet wet for sure.

It was  nice woodland walk, slowing down for some wet spots where the trail crossed over expanses of sphagnum moss, and then the trail came to an unimproved ATV road. I didn't see any markings directing me, but the reverse markings made it obvious the trail turned left down the road, and the gps track on my phone verified that. 

Turning left onto an unimproved ATV trail

The road had better footing and no ATVs were out yet, so it went quickly and quietly. I had noticed on the gps track that the guy who recorded the track had taken a wrong turn and then doubled back, so I was on the lookout for the trail to go right somewhere.

ATV trail

A big mudhole and curve in the road marked the wayward spot. There were some signs and markings, but I could see how they could be missed by hikers, especially if the vegetation had grown up in front of them earlier in the season. A big ATV mudhole was a hassle to get around. This is the sort of thing that the hiking trails in Connecticut are reduced to because of illegal ATV usage. A bunch of 14-year-old boys on quads and dirt bikes will race down the middle of busy streets and onto the trails. They've destroyed regional suburban hiking trails built in the 1930s. Their parents will say inane things like "would you rather they were doing drugs?"  As if they aren't doing drugs.

Cohos heads off to the right here 

But in rural New Hampshire, I've seen no sign of illegal ATV use on the hiking trails or snowmobile trails. There's lots of space, a low population, and everyone has their own trail and respects everyone else's trail. It works, and there seems to be mutual respect.

ATVs blocked off of the Cohos with tape and signs. 

This section is called the Wilderness Link on the map. Next up was the Balsams ski slope. And a cell phone tower! I'm always happy to see those. I know some people complain about the towers but I like having cell phone service and you can't have that without towers. The ridge off to the right was lined with the windmills I'd seen earlier, but they had stopped turning.

Ski Slopes for the Balsams Resort - and a cell tower 

The trail followed the open top of the ski slope for a good ways and there were great views walking past the ski lanes.

Great views at the ski lanes

We're going this way

At the far end, the trail headed down the last ski trail, which was marked as the "Easiest Way Down." And it was named the" Connecticut Trail." That seemed maybe a little insulting to Connecticut. Having walked up from Connecticut, though, I have to admit that the New England Trail in Connecticut was probably the easiest part of the journey. So, touché.

The 'easiest way down' is called "Connecticut"

Eventually the trail turned off from the easy ski slope, and from this point down to Dixville Notch there were sporadic signs reflecting usage by patrons of the Balsams Resort. This part of the trail is labeled Table Rock Link on the map. There were random numbers tacked to trees and an educational sign about Yellow Birch.

Random markings presumably associated with the Balsams Resort

Table Rock was magnificent. It's a narrow rock formation that juts far out from the cliff faces that rise dramatically above the mountain pass.  I didn't go all the way out to the end of the rock formation where a group of young people were hanging out. Didn't matter. The views were spectacular from where I was. To the right, Route 26 ran along the bottom of the deep notch, the furthest north of any mountain pass in New Hampshire. To the left, the grand Balsams Resort hotel was framed by Abeniki Mountain to the rear and Lake Giorette in the foreground.

Table Rock, with Route 26 far below

This resort, which is currently closed down for economic reasons, functions as a town hall of sorts and is where they vote. The population of Dixville in 2010 was only twelve. It's one of the first places to declare its results in political primaries, with residents voting shortly after midnight, and as soon as everyone has voted, the results are released. This can be within a minute or two after midnight. Dixville and some other New Hampshire locales compete with each other to see who can publish their results first. Apparently Dixville does pretty well in this competition.

The Balsams Resort

The only thing ruining this incredible vantage was the sound of an ATV motor grinding away far down the valley. The acoustics were such that the sound just bounced its way up to us. It never stopped and I finally left just to get away from the noise. One guy in an ATV was ruining the experience for everyone trying to enjoy this beautiful location. I really wish they would switch to silent electric motors. Harley Davidson is working on electric motorcycles because their sales are falling and the younger crowd doesn't crave noisy engines like their macho elders.  Tesla cars have incredible power and are completely silent.  Electric vehicles have come a long way. It's time for quiet ATVs.

There are a couple different trails that head down from Table Rock. The Table Rock Trail heads most directly and steeply down towards the Balsams Resort, but the Cohos takes a more gentle route via the Three Brothers Trail. I had been worried this might be quite steep, but was pleasantly surprised. Most of it was quite moderate.

A pretty easy hike down

Near the bottom, it did steepen a bit near the top of a deep ravine. The sound of rushing water filled the gorge. According to the guidebook, a woman was seriously injured here when the top of the bank gave way. Ouch.

Top of a ravine

Water levels were low, so the cascades weren't much more than a trickle.

Huntington Cascades

Winter is Coming....and so is a spider

Overall, it was a pleasant stroll down to the bottom of the notch. There was an interesting bridge collapse at the bottom. The bridge wasn't old. Looks like maybe the stringer boards hadn't been fastened to each other very well. What a shame.

Engineering Disasters: Trails Edition

There was a big picnic area and huge dirt parking lot, all empty as I passed through on a Saturday afternoon. At the parking lot I wasn't sure which way to go without looking at the gps track on my phone. It angled to the right across the parking lot, and directly ahead was a small, fenced-in cemetery plot. A sign next to it titled "Earliest Settlers" explained that John and Betsey Whittemore were the first and only settlers of Dixville until 1865. They came in 1812 and suffered through isolated winters with no passable roads. In 1815, Betsey died, and John moved to Colebrook.

Family cemetery plot for John and Betsey Dixville

Cohos Trail markings were directly behind the sign, so I followed those across Route 26 and along a babbling brook a short ways to the Flume Brook Cascade parking area, where my car had been spotted.

Dixville Flume

That was it for this trip, about sixty miles of trail covered, mostly backpacking. And about sixty miles left to the border. But there was lots of work to do at home, and the last stretch would have to wait.