Kinsmans via Mt. Kinsman Trail: Trip Report
Today I headed up the Mt. Kinsman Trail from Rt. 116 to North and South Kinsman, two of NH’s 4000-footers. The drive itself is incredible — look closely at the granite along the road, for it contains garnet and is unique to Kinsman Notch. When you’re done hiking, stop by the picturesque Beaver Pond (right by the AT crossing at Kinsman Notch) before heading back to the hostel.
The Appalachian Trail runs along Kinsman Ridge over Mt. Wolf, South and North Kinsman (both 4000-footers), and then descends down to Lonesome Lake. Meanwhile, the ridge continues over the “Cannonballs” and finally ends on Cannon Mountain.
Kinsman Ridge offers spectacular views. In this video I took from North Kinsman, you can see the rest of Kinsman Ridge (the Cannonballs, Cannon Mtn.), Lonesome Lake, all of Franconia Ridge (LaFayette, Lincoln, Little Haystack, Liberty, and Flume), Loon ski mountain, and beyond.
My camera died before I made it to South Kinsman, so you’ll have to come up here yourself and check out the 360-degree views from the summit. Overall an amazing day, and I met lots of great people along the way.
— Serena
Saw a post on VFTT by alexmtn, whom you ran into on your Kinsman hike. Alexmtn posted a link to your site. The place looks and sounds beautiful and I look forward to spending time this summer. Best of luck on your upcoming nuptials and have a great trip in the Alps. See you later this summer. Kerry
Thanks Kerry! Yes, I met Alex on the trail last week, and he was quite encouraging. I appreciate your kind words and look forward to meeting you!