Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway Trail

[Chaco Taco]

http://www.msgtc.org/
Great area of New Hampshire.The town of Peterborough is a sweet little town. Hiking the 48 mile trail Memorial Weekend.

[Monkeywrench]

http://www.msgtc.org/
Great area of New Hampshire.The town of Peterborough is a sweet little town. Hiking the 48 mile trail Memorial Weekend.

Sounds like a fun trip. The MSGT is on my list of trails to hike, but I haven't made it yet. What's the mileage when you figure in getting up and down Monadnock and Sunapee at the beginning/end?

[redseal]

That is a great little trail. Depending on your pace you can do it in 2 - 4 days.

[1azarus]

...on my short to-hike list... Anybody try hitch hiking back to their car?

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[1azarus]

I just got back from hiking the greenway trail, and it is on my short list of the best times I've had hiking. I left my car at the Monadnock Ranger's parking area around 8:30 on Saturday morning, put my pack on, took my 11x17 "Hiker North to Mount Sunapee" sign and walked two miles to the park entrance. I was a bit worried about hitching since the roads near monadnock are little travelled, but, 5 rides, 3 hours and 3 great stories later I was in the Sunapee visitor’s center drinking a cold Gatorade. I do believe that the Monadnock Sunapee trail is the closest short-ish trail to the AT in character. First, there is a great climb at the end… sort of Katahdin-like if you squint. There are perfectly nice shelters. The trails are well maintained AND HAVE WHITE BLAZES. The trails have some road walks – but mostly nice old dirt roads, some pine-needle soft walks, and plenty of rock scrambles. There are confusing places occasionally, so you can feel lost – like the poorly marked sections of the AT. There are ample water sources. The trail goes through Washington NH, where there is a charming General Store with counter service. There is a fire tower, and there are plenty of great view points. I ate more blueberries than I can ever remember eating. So… looking for a mini AT experience? Consider the Monadnock Sunapee trail rather than the Long Trail or a trip to the Whites. The Long Trail is just way harder hiking than the average of the AT and the Whites are off the chart harder than the average of the AT, and way too crowded… you won’t see many people between Sunapee and Monadnock. I spent both of my nights out next to empty shelters – Saturday and Sunday nights in July! I love this trail…

[leatherwheels]

Thanks for sharing your experience Lazarus. Sounds like a great trail to try - putting it on my list. Honestly didn't know it existed until reading this thread.