Mountain climbing a Pond of Security Loop

The Pond of Security is positioned within the space of the White Mountains referred to as the Randolph Neighborhood Forest (RCF). Randolph is a small neighborhood positioned simply north of Rt 2 throughout from Mts Madison, Adams, and Jefferson within the Presidential Mountain Vary. The city has a dense and picturesque community of strolling trails that run between the properties and thru the forested areas abutting the Nationwide Forest. The paths are maintained by the Randolph Mountain Membership which additionally maintains trails, a number of cabins, and a campsite on Mt Adams, which can be found for public use for a modest price.

The mountaineering trails within the RCF are additionally a lot simpler to hike on than many of the trails within the White Mountains, partially as a result of many comply with previous logging roads that had been used to reap wooden. They’re well-signed, well-blazed, and well-tended with quite a few signed viewpoints and spur trails to attention-grabbing pure options and historic websites.

The origin of the Pond of Security place identify dates again to the Revolutionary Battle when 4 Continental Military troopers captured by the British had been paroled on the situation that they return to their households and never combat once more, a typical follow on the time. However, after returning to their properties, they feared that they might be arrested as deserters, in order that they fled into the wilderness, settling on the Pond of Security till the tip of the struggle after they had been welcomed again into their communities.

Hike Description

• Issue: Reasonable, however the blazes could also be arduous to comply with in spots. A GPS or GPS App could be useful.
• Distance: 8.6 miles
• Elevation Acquire; 2,000 toes
• Water: Carry at the very least 2 liters per particular person. Pure water sources can be found however filtering is advisable.
• Trailhead:  Randolph Neighborhood Forest Trailhead (click on for Google map view), positioned on the finish of Randolph Street in Randolph, NH. Proceed following the street for about 1/2 mile after it leaves the pavement and continues on filth and gravel till you attain a big parking space and path kiosk. This trailhead supplies entry to the Peak Path, Mt. Crescent Path, and Carlton Notch Path.
• Blazing: All the trails listed below are blazed, however you do want to concentrate whereas mountaineering to comply with them. When you can’t discover a blaze, flip round and retrace your steps to the final blaze you noticed earlier than resuming.
• Really useful Maps and Guidebooks:
• Season: Mid-Could via October
• Tenting: Tenting just isn’t permitted within the Randolph Neighborhood Forest Portion of this hike and can be prohibited on the Pond of Security.

Trails

• Carlton Notch Path – 1.6 miles
• Crescent Ridge Path – 0.3 miles
• Underhill Path – 1.4 miles
• 4 Troopers Path to Pond – 0.8 miles
• 4 Troopers Path to Neighborhood Forest Street – 3.5 miles
• Neighborhood Forest Street (referred to as Jimtown Rod on older maps) – 0.75 miles
• Carlton Notch Path – 0.3 miles

On the Path

Carlton Notch Path

Observe the filth street you drove alongside to the trailhead parking space a brief distance to the signed starting of the Carlton Notch Path. This can be a tree-lined path that follows an previous logging street. The path crosses one other logging street and resumes on the opposite aspect on a signed path. Trails in Randolph are usually very effectively signed with arrows or blazes.

Observe the Carlton Notch Path because it climbs, gently at first, after which extra steeply to the Crescent Ridge Path. That is the one important steady elevation achieve of the day. The Crescent Ridge Path marks the boundary between the Randolph Neighborhood Forest and the White Mountain Nationwide Forest.

Crescent Ridge Path

Flip left (south in direction of Lookout Ledge) on the Crescent Ridge Path for a really transient 0.3 miles and hike to its junction with the Underhill Path.

Underhill Path

Flip proper onto the Underhill Path (the one path doable) which climbs briefly earlier than switchbacking downhill via the forest in direction of the 4 Ponds Path over a distance of 1.4 miles. This space is a favourite moose habitat so for those who’re fortunate you’ll spy one trotting away from you into the woods. Watch your step although so that you don’t step in Moose scat, which seems to be like piles of brown ball bearings!

The path winds downhill via the forest till it involves a logging street and merges onto the 4 Troopers Path.

4 Troopers Path

It’s straightforward to overlook the signal for this junction, so search for the yellow blazes that proceed via the open forest forward.

The woods get thicker and darker as you get nearer to the pond earlier than you arrive at one other logging street and a well-signed junction. Flip left and comply with the indicators to the Pond of Security, which is on the finish of a gravel street in your proper. Proceed previous the dead-end on the finish of the street, passing a path kiosk and comply with a brief gravel path right down to the shore of the Pond. It’s an enormous pond, however fairly shallow and muddy, so that you in all probability don’t wish to swim in it.

Once I visited final, the street out to the pond was nonetheless gated and closed for the winter, however individuals do drive on the market with kayaks often. A high-clearance car is suggested as a result of the street is reportedly fairly tough to drive on.

4 Troopers Path

For the return journey, retrace your steps alongside the 4 Soldier Path to the UnderHill Path path junction on the logging street and bear proper to proceed alongside the 4 Troopers Path in direction of Randolph Hill.

The trail is fairly apparent, however the yellow blazes are unfold aside each 75 yards or so and could be arduous to find until you’re searching for them.

This can be a good hike within the autumn if you wish to benefit from the foliage and views of the northern Presidential Vary with out encountering plenty of different individuals. That may be stated of all the paths within the Randolph Neighborhood Forest which is a hidden gem of the White Mountain Nationwide Forest.

Really useful Guidebooks and Maps:

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