Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway - Trail Description

Trail Description

The MSGT extends from the summit of Mount Monadnock to the summit of Mount Sunapee through Cheshire County, Sullivan County, and Merrimack County. The MSG passes through the following incorporated communities: Jaffrey, Dublin, Harrisville, Nelson, Stoddard, Washington, Goshen, and Newbury, New Hampshire.

Mount Monadnock, the southern terminus of the MSG, is the most prominent peak of southeast New England. At 3,165 feet (965 m) high, it is 1,000 feet (300 m) higher than any mountain peak within 30 miles (48 km) and rises 2,000 feet (610 m) above the surrounding landscape. Its bare, rocky summit provides expansive views. Eliza Adams Gorge is a scenic and rocky eastern hemlock-clad ravine located just below the dam spillway on Howe Reservoir. The Nye Meadow Refuge is an important great blue heron rookery managed by the Audubon Society of New Hampshire. Otter Brook and Andorra Forest, 15,000 acres (61 km2), collectively the largest conservation area in southwest New Hampshire, are cooperatively managed by The Nature Conservancy and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and include extensive tracts of northern hardwood forest, wetlands, and rare plant communities. Pitcher Mountain, 2,153 feet (656 m), Hubbard Hill, 1,846 feet (563 m), and Jackson Hill, 2,061 feet (628 m), offer wide views from upland heath barrens and blueberry fields.

Lovewell Mountain, 2,473 feet (754 m), is a rugged monadnock contiguous with the southern part of Sunapee Ridge; several scenic outlooks on ledges provide views of the surrounding countryside. Mount Sunapee, 2,743 feet (836 m), is the high point of a mountainous 10-mile (16 km) ridgeline that spans four towns. The ridge offers scenic vistas from more than a dozen distinct peaks along its length and from the Mount Sunapee ski area on the summit. Other notable peaks along its length include White Ledges, 2,700 feet (820 m), which overlooks Lake Solitude; Lucia's Lookout, 2,500 feet (760 m); an unnamed southern summit, 2,230 feet (680 m); and Kittredge Hill, 2,140 feet (650 m). The commons of Washington and Nelson are small and bucolic classic New England town centers with little commercial development and with architecture dating back to the early 19th century. Washington, 1,507 feet (459 m), is the highest incorporated town in New Hampshire; it is 1-foot (0.30 m) higher than the next-highest town, the ski resort community of Waterville Valley

Notable bodies of water along the trail route include Seavers Reservoir, Howe Reservoir, Chesham Pond, Silver Lake, Childs Bog, Center Pond, Halfmoon Pond, and the mountaintop Lake Solitude.

The MSG is primarily used for hiking, backpacking, and in the winter, snowshoeing. Portions of the trail are suitable for, and are used for, backcountry skiing. Site-specific activities enjoyed along the route include hunting, fishing, boating, and swimming.