Monadnock Mountain, Monadnock Trails, Monte Rosa, New Hampshire hiking, maps, New Hampshire trails, Jaffrey, Hiking New Hampshire, Mt Monadnock, NH, trails
Monte Rosa
;)
Above: Monte Rosa
Monte Rosa is a crag on the southwest ridge
of Grand Monadnock. It offers fine views of the summit, Perkins Pond, Gap
Mt., Little Monadnock, the southern New England coastal plain, the
Berkshires and Green Mountains of Vermont from its bare ledges and various
viewpoints. To climb Monte Rosa; shortly beyond the Halfway House Site the
Monte Rosa Trail and Fairy Spring Trail head up Monte Rosa. From the summit
of Grand Monadnock, Monte Rosa is accessible by descending via the Smith
Summit Trail. The Cart Path, Mossy Brook Trail and up the Great Pasture Trail is a
scenic way up Monte Rosa. There is a web of Trails that cover Monte Rosa to
make for interesting hiking, away from the crowds of the main trails.
Hiking Trails:
Monte Rosa Trail
leads west at the junction of the White Arrow and Royce Trail about 100
yards beyond the Half-way House Site. Watch for the junction which isn't well signed for ascending hikers. The Monte Rosa Trails is marked with white paint blazes in spots and is well beaten and generally easy to follow. The Monte Rosa Trail junction was the site of an old
picnic grove 100 feet beyond the Halfway House Site. The Monte Rosa Trail crosses Fassett Brook; a vernal stream, then up a steep
section climbs from a hardwood to a spruce forest then levels out for a short stretch. The Monte Rosa Trail crosses Fairy Brook another vernal stream
then climbs up another step up the ridge then passes Sweetwater spring, a stagnant water hole on left then ascends up to the Fairy Spring
trail junction, on right, then Smith bypass, 50 yards ahead on right, then
with some steep spots climbs up Monte Rosa. From Monte Rosa a sign marks Monte Rosa and Fairy Spring Trails. In winter Monte Rosa Trail may
be difficult to follow under a thick blanket of snow.
Alert: There is a hornet's nest on Monte Rosa Trail, many hikers have been stung, August 2010; it is advisable to take the Fairy Spring Trail instead.
Fairy Spring Trail
is marked with yellow paint blazes in spots, is well beaten and is generally easy to follow. The Fairy Spring Trail leads west from the White Arrow Trail (sign) just past the Monte Rosa junction crosses
Fassett brook and passes Fassett's Mountain House Site, on left, then climbs
up a steep spot as the forest turns from hardwoods to spruce, goes past a
cascade on the left when there is good runoff then leads to Fairy Spring,
the path continues on up a few steep spots to Monte Rosa Trail.
Smith Bypass
diverges right from Monte Rosa trail 50 feet up from the Fairy Spring Monte Rosa Trail junction and about .1 mile below Monte Rosa. The Smith Bypass heads through mixed forest to the Tooth and the
Smith Summit Trail.
;)
Above: View from Great Pasture Trail
The Cart Path, Mossy Brook Trail
and Great Pasture Trail
is a round about scenic route to Monte Rosa. The Cart Path starts west,
left from the Old Toll Rd. (junction can be missed easily) 1 mile from 124 near a private residence known as
the Hermitage . In about 50 yards it crosses the Halfway House Trail then
the Metacomet-Monadnock/Royce Trail in 20 more yards then Cart Path crosses
Fassett brook and Fairy Brook and leads through a hardwood forest. The
forest turns to a spruce forest at the junction of the Mossy Brook Trail
(signs). The Mossy Brook Trail follows a pretty mossy brook, even the trail
is mossy. The brook can be a brook bed in a dry pattern. The path crosses
to follow the west bank of Mossy Brook then comes to the Marion/Great
Pasture junction. The Marion trail heads left or west and the Great Pasture
Trail heads right or east across Mossy Brook and the heads steeply uphill. A short
distance up the Great Pasture Trail there's one section can be a steep green
slippery ledge in wet or icy conditions. The upper section of Great Pasture
Trail is on open ledge affording great views across to the distant Green
Mountains of Vermont and to the summit as it leads up to Monte Rosa.
To descend Great Pasture Trail: at the junction of the Great Pasture Trail on Monte Rosa there is no sign. The Smith Summit connecting to the summit is marked by white dots and at the height of land on Monte Rosa, the Great Pasture Trail follows west down open ledges marked by cairns. A short distance down there is a sign for the Great Pasture Trail.
Marian Trail
is a little used mossy trail and care may be needed to follow from Mossy
Brook/Great Pasture junction. The Marian Trail is marked with yellow disks. The Marian trail heads west about 30 yards to an open depression called the Bear Pit then turns north through spruce woods
toward the Marlboro Trail. Closer to the
Marlboro Trail the Marion Trail crosses some bare ledge with some views. The Marian Trail reaches the Marlboro trail at an open ledgy section.
Smith Summit Trail
connects Monte Rosa to the summit and is blazed with white dots painted on ledges. The Smith Summit Trail leads from Monte Rosa past the height of land northeast towards the summit heading to the Tooth then turns left along open ledges
climbs up a short way up to the Amphitheater trail which leads
right, east about 100 yards to Black Precipice and the White Arrow Trail beyond. The Smith Summit
Trail enters spruce woods and continues uphill then on open sunny ledges by
Cranberry Crag then shortly further heads above tree-line with superb
views and is marked by cairns and white paint blazes on bare ledge to
the summit. In winter Smith Summit may be difficult to follow in open ledgy areas.
Monadnock Trails:
Monadnock Trails website: Author, Creator, and photos by Frederick Pitcher 2010
Use of the information on this site is the sole risk of the user. The author is not responsible for the trails or anyone's ability to follow them. In addition to the trails there are certain places in this website described that are off trail. Anyone exploring Monadnock does so at their own risk.
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