Franconia Ridge

Franconia Ridge

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Fall Foliage Hike to Iron Mountain


Summit: Iron Mountain (2,726')
Trail route: Iron Mountain Trail
Trail conditions: Wet trail, slick roots and rocks, slippery leaves and mud
Weather: Cool temps and cloudy 
Total miles: 3.2
Total time:  2:51

After not hiking for over a month I took a short hike up Iron Mountain and down the other side to the ledges that offer spectacular views. So it was a twofold hike, some leg conditioning and foliage viewing.

The new re-routed trail to the summit is very nice. I took a spur path to an outlook with great views of the Presidential summits. I then continued to the viewless summit that has the remains of a former fire tower. 

There's a steep drop down the other side to the ledges. The extra 0.8 mile to the ledges is well worth the effort. I spent a few moments enjoying the views before starting the hike back up to the summit and down to the trailhead.

The Fall foliage appears to be two weeks late this year so there is still a lot of color out there as well as snow on the high peaks. The next windy day should take down the remaining leaves. It was a very enjoyable hike today and great to be back out on the trail!

Enjoy the photos and video!

Trailhead


Carpet of colored leaves

View from an outlook

Snow-covered Mount Washington summit cone

Mount Isolation in the foreground

Iron Mountain summit

Forest full of color

Enjoying the view

One final view at the end of the hike

Stairs at the trailhead





Having Fun in the Great Outdoors!




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