On a recent dreary and foggy afternoon after an excellent previous day skiing the classic New England trails of Smugglers’ Notch in Jeffersonville, Vt., four of us decided to spend a couple of hours flying from treetop to treetop. My son Becket, my good friend Lisa Stitt, her daughter Emily and I decided to take to the trees barely a mile down the road from Smuggs to ride the new zip lines at ArborTrek Canopy Adventures.

ArborTrek is a guided tour up in the canopy of maples, birches and hemlocks that spread out off the shoulders of Sterling Mountain. Opened in late 2010, the business offers two courses in winter, the Wild Winter Ride ($87.50), which might take up to two and a half hours to complete, and the shorter, Express course ($65), which was estimated at an hour and a half. With Becket—who had become hooked on ropes courses during a summer adventure in New Hampshire—along there was no question but that we would be taking the Wild Winter Ride. And wild it was…

ArborTrek Adventures guide Erin offers final safety directions before zipping to the first tree stand in the snowy Jeffersonville, Vt. forest. (Jonathan Gourlay photo)

The only requirements are that you weigh between 70 and 250 pounds, can reach up over your head fairly easily, and are at least 11 years old. We all fit the bill, so the four of us were in for a treat!

After being led out to the gear shack, we met our guides, Alex and Erin, who helped us all suit up correctly in our climbing harnesses and helmets, and fitted us with heavy leather work gloves. After adjusting harnesses, our party of eight (we were joined by two equally enthusiastic younger couples) headed outside for a safety rundown on a demonstration zip line that dangled barely seven feet above the ground. We learned how to slow down when directed by pressing down on the zip line behind us with a gloved hand and how to pull ourselves to the tree platform if we stopped too soon. ArborTrek supplies heavy and warm leather gloves to all participants.

After each of us demonstrated our zipping technique, we piled into a van for the short ride up into the woods to begin our adventure.

On the ride I had the chance to think about how ropes courses were growing in popularity at ski areas throughout the east. It was a phenomenon that seemed slow to catch on at first a decade ago, but recently had opened new opportunities for ski areas. Now, not only were ropes courses expanding in the canopy, but many areas had begun building long, high-speed zip lines that stretched down entire mountains.

You're going where?! Lisa's all set to launch into space with no end in sight. (Jonathan Gourlay photo)

At our destination, we scaled our first platform with just a few steps because it was constructed at the edge of a ravine. Each platform has a small step from which to launch, and Erin scaled it to again demonstrate the procedure. She reminded us how our trolleys would be attached to each zip line and explained how our safety line carabiners would rest on the trolleys. She explained we would then clamp our hands, one atop the other, on top of the trolley,  and then she was gone, zooming down the heavy steel cable to a tree off in the distance.

After Erin reached the platform and was safely tethered to a heavy safety cable that wrapped around the destination tree, she signaled back to Alex the “all clear.” Alex asked Becket to step up onto the launching platform. Becket, eager for the first ride of the afternoon, complied and Alex fixed Becket’s trolley and safety carabiners.

“OK, Becket,” Alex said. “Remember to look for Erin’s signal on when to slow down.”

“Yup,” said Becket. He looked back at me and grinned.

“Have a great ride, buddy,” I said.

Becket demonstrates practiced zip form as he comes in for a landing after a long flight. (Jonathan Gourlay photo)

“OK, Becket,” said Alex again, “you can go when you wa…”

Becket jumped forward, throwing all his weight and energy into the first ride of the day and the adventure was on!

After Alex had clipped each of us onto the zip line in turn and had received a clear signal back from Erin on his walkie-talkie, he gave us the green light and we took off.

At the next platform, we were hooked into the same safety cable Erin had been attached to and practiced trusting our harnesses to lean out backward into space. At first, I was a bit hesitant to do it, facing the tree and resting the heels of my hiking boots beyond the edge of the platform to lean back. You know the heavy webbed nylon safety belts can easily hold your weight, but for some of us it takes a little mind work to get over the initial fear and fully trust the engineering.

The second zip line was longer the than the first . . . and so it went to a mixture of “yeehaws!” and “Whoohoos!” for the next couple of hours as the zip lines steadily increased in length. In between pulse-quickening rides of up to 40 mph through the air we learned a little about the surrounding flora and were treated to a Spanish version of “Happy Birthday” for Lisa, who was celebrating her year-end birthday by getting a taste of flight. We also crossed two “rope” bridges to reach a high point of 73 feet up above the forest floor.

At that staggering height we arrived at the longest zip line at about the half-mile point in the tour. It stretched almost 1,000 feet (more than three football fields) over a snow-covered forest floor and shot across a relatively clear opening before disappearing into some trees out … there somewhere. The fog and drizzle obscured the landing platform so it looked like the zip line just disappeared into the mist.

Emily takes off for a flight through the trees at ArborTrek Canopy Adventures in Vermont. (Jonathan Gourlay photo)

On my long ride, I took the time to look around at the landscape and wondered whether any forest creatures watched us two-legged animals laugh like fools as we zoomed from tree to tree. What did the owls, deer and red fox think of us? Did it matter?

We arrived at the end of our journey after one more long zip across an improbable void where we got a demonstration of how to rappel off our last platform back to terra firma. Each in turn made the quick journey down back to ground and as I hung midway before easing my self-belay to glide back to Earth, I speculated each of us must have been ready to return for another trip through the trees. Back in the van for the short ride back to ArborTrek’s base of operations, the animated discussion going on confirmed for me that we had all had an exhilarating day.

Clearly, this is one of those adventures that crosses a lot of boundaries between people “types.”  In skiing, the adrenaline junkies may go for a bumped-up double diamond, but the more cautious types won’t go near it (nor should they, as it could be dangerous to a less-skilled skier).  But here, if you have ANY sense of adventure, you can literally take that leap into the void, overcoming your natural fear.  And, if you’re a confirmed nutcase like Becket, you can jump right in and have a ball. It’s a great way to build ties among family members; an exhilarating experience can be shared regardless of skill levels. Give it a try!

The last ride is a rappel off the final platform as demonstrated here by Becket Gourlay. (Jonathan Gourlay photo)

If you go in winter:

• Reservations are required
• Open Wednesdays through Sundays (but call 802-644-9300 for availability other days)
• Dress warmly in water-resistant clothing you don’t mind getting dirty
• Smugglers’ Notch guests, property owners and pass holders are eligible for discounts
• Children under age 11 must weigh at least 70 pounds and must be accompanied by an adult
• The summer adventure adds two zip lines and a climbing wall ($99.95)

At age 3, Max likes to find new ways to test snowshoes. (Kate Goodin photo)

6:30 am: I’m lying in bed with a slowly-waking-up Max (aka “Boonie”), discreetly trying to keep his attention away from the windows. I’m not ready to get up yet, and I know something that he doesn’t: it snowed last night. He’s not the kind of boy to take this lightly. A heavy frost gets him excited.

6:45 am: He turns his head. It’s just light enough now that he can tell that the world is white. He’s silent for about a second and then, “Ohhhhhhhh…” He scrambles for the window and leans on the sill, banging his head on the glass. Groggy as I am, I smile as his high-pitched 3-year-old voice squeaks with delight, “Snow! I want to go outside!?” It’s a question, a statement and a plea all at once. Who can deny a child with that kind of passion? “Okay,” I say, “Let’s get dressed.”

“I want to go snowshoeing!”

“I know, Boonie, but you have to get dressed first.”

When to Start

Late last winter we had the opportunity to try out some snowshoes for Max. He was just beginning the transition from riding in a backpack carrier for most of our walks to doing more and more on his own two feet. It was time. Not only is he a strong, active boy, but he’s big for his age, and heavy, and it was increasingly obvious that it would soon be impractical to carry him for long distances. Perhaps more importantly, his independence was blossoming and he was eager to interact with the world on his own terms, inspecting and investigating things that caught HIS attention. This has brought so much wonder to my life; with him in the Ergo backpack carrier we used, I was able to share what I found interesting with him, but now he is an active participant, often pointing out, and asking questions about, things that I have missed, things I wouldn’t have thought to wonder about on my own.

Well before he turned 3, Max was perfecting his snowshoe yoga technique. (Kate Goodin photo)

In the winter of 2010/11, when Max was just two-and-a-half, we had a LOT of snow. My husband Doug plows the yard clear between our house and the barn, where our firewood is stacked. This gave Max a good start at playing outside, but he wanted to know what was going on in the rest of the yard. As soon as he tried to step off the plowed area or off the snowmobile trail that runs through our field, he would stumble, sink, and immediately get frustrated at his lack of forward motion. I shoveled some paths for him early in the year, but this obviously wasn’t a long-term solution. We hadn’t thought that he would need snowshoes so soon, but we knew that Max and snowshoes were inevitable, so we decided to start looking. This may sound crazy, but I like to start him on things before he’s ready. Not TOO much before, mind you; I don’t want to discourage him. But let’s put it this way: I wanted him to be comfortable with the IDEA of using snowshoes before he HAD to use them.

With this in mind, we started looking at what was available that would work for someone as small and eager as Max. It’s apparently not that common for a two- or three-year-old to snowshoe on his or her own, at least not very far. At first, the only snowshoes I could find designed to fit him appeared to be cheesy kid things, and I just wasn’t interested in that. I know my son well enough to know that he wouldn’t be, either. He wants his stuff to look and work like Mommy’s and Daddy’s. This is a kid who, when asked what he wanted for Christmas this year, said “Ummmm …chainsaw!” You get the picture.

Last year, we rented Tubbs snowshoes from EMS for him to try and they worked perfectly. Unfortunately, they changed that particular model and we weren’t able to find any to buy. So we started looking at what was on the market  and found a number of other quality snowshoes designed for smaller kids. The question was, would they fit Max? And could he move independently on them?

Lucky for us, Max is big for his age, and his feet are bigger still. His boots last year were size 10s. For this test,  he’s wearing size 11, so he was able to at least try all the models.

Looking At Kids’ Snowshoes: Do Kids Need Different Features?

Max showing off the rotating toe cord on the TSL Freeze. (Kate Goodin photo)

Choosing snowshoes for adults who know what they want to do on them is difficult enough. Choosing snowshoes for Max seemed even more daunting. For example, adult snowshoes basically come in two forms which, I’ve found, make the snowshoes perform very differently. But this difference isn’t always visible just by looking at the snowshoe. It’s in the “toe cord” which is the connection between the binding, which holds the boot, and the deck, which provides flotation. Adult shoes have either “rotating toe cords” which let the tail of the snowshoe drop as you take a step, or “tight” or “fixed” toe cords which restrict the drop of the snowshoe’s tail to varying degrees. Basically, for adults, tight toe cords are more maneuverable, rotating toe cords work better in deep snow.

We found to our surprise that kids’ snowshoes also offer a third option: no toe cord.  The snowshoe deck is bound directly to the foot. In theory, this should be the most maneuverable of all, and a possible advantage for the littlest snowshoers,

We tried to go into this test of kids’ snowshoes without any preconceived notions of which type of toe cord would work best. Keeping an open mind was not as easy as it sounds. I love my current snowshoes (2006 Tubbs Ventures), but my first pair of snowshoes were awful. They had very tight toe cords and constantly flipped snow onto my legs and back. I came home from every snowshoe trek cold and wet. I tolerated them for several years because I loved snowshoeing and I didn’t know there were options. Based on that experience I can’t think why an adult wouldn’t want a rotating toe cord on a snowshoe for general winter travel, and, in fact, that’s exactly what the entire EasternSlopes.com editorial team recommends. When I got the pair I use now it was like discovering that you could buy a car with a roof on it to keep the weather off you. What a great idea!

BUT, in the case of a little kids’ snowshoe, we saw it was possible for tight toe cords or even no toe cords to have their advantages. The maneuverability is definitely a plus. Kids rarely break trail for themselves for any distance. And when you send a little kid out in the snow, you’d better believe they are going to get it all over themselves, snowshoes or no snowshoes. Since they are probably going to be diving headfirst into it, having a little extra flung at them by their snowshoes isn’t going to matter all that much.

That being said, there are snowshoes for little ones that have a rotating toe cord. Somewhat bizarrely, Atlas touts the increased strength of the steel rotating toe cord on its Sprout 17 model while saying that the model for older kids, the Spark 20, has a fixed toe cord for easier maneuvering. Backwards logic? The question was: would a kid as young as three be able to handle the  maneuverability issues inherent with a rotating toe cord?

We decided to let Max’s experience on the shoes be our guide to what worked.

Binding Adjustment, User Weight and Deck Size

The test lineup, left to right LL.Bean Winter Walker 16, Yukon Charlie Junior, Atlas Sprout 17, MSR Tyker, TSL Trappeur. TSL 302 Freeze, Tubbs Storm, and Mom's and Dad''s snowshoes for size comparison. (Kate Goodin photo)

The other matter of concern was the physical size of the snowshoes and the ability to fit them to little kids. Obviously there’s a balancing act here. Bigger snowshoes are harder for a small kid to maneuver–especially a three year old. But bigger snowshoes will hold bigger kids so you’ll get more years out of your investment. Though 21-inch adult trail shoes will work for larger kids, we confined our tests to real “kid size shoes” under 20 inches long

Boot size is a hugely important factor when choosing a kids’ snowshoe. You absolutely must to be able to make the binding snug on their boot or the deal is off. Because Max has pretty big feet, we didn’t have too much trouble with this. Some of the bindings didn’t fit perfectly, but it was hard to tell whether that was because Max’s boots were on the small end of their range, or if it was just because of the design. I will say up front that if your child’s feet are smaller than size 10, I think only one of the recommended models, the MSR Tykers, will fit. Most of the manufacturers listed size 11 as the low end of the scale, but the few we tried last fall with Max’s size 10s tightened down enough to be perfectly functional.

The whole point of a snowshoe of course is to provide flotation in deep snow, keeping the wearer from sinking to their armpits. There is a lot of variability in what the manufacturers say regarding flotation. One 16″ shoe was supposed to provide enough flotation for 100 lbs, while another model, 3 inches longer, only claimed 90 lbs. I don’t think there’s a formula to come up with these numbers. How much sinking in what kind of snow is acceptable before you say someone needs more flotation? Our recommendation is to look at these numbers as a guideline only. According to the manufacturer’s specs, the weight range for the snowshoes we tested is 60-110 lbs. In general, a bigger deck is going to provide more flotation.

We found three models that worked particularly well for both Max and Mom, and we are giving these our top ratings. A fourth model gets a sort of lopsided thumbs up, and the final three didn’t make us so happy for some very specific reasons which may or may not be important to you and your little one. Our three favorite models are amazingly different from each other and worked well in very different ways. You might find that one particularly suits your child while another might not be as good; you’ll have to assess your child’s size, physical abilities and interest and patience levels to choose among the three. We’ve simply listed the top picks alphabetically by brand because they are so different we can’t really rate one as better than the others. Following those are shoes we didn’t rate as highly for our uses. We’ve tried to give very specific reasons why they didn’t work as well for us. Your child and your circumstances may be different and you may find they would work fine for you.

MSR Tykers: Dimensions: 6.5 x 17, Recommended Boot Size: 7.5 kid’s-4.5 men’s, Recommended Maximum Weight: 90 lbs, Toe cord: direct attachment.

The MSR Tykers are miniature versions of the proven adult model, with a binding that will fit the tiniest foot. (Tim Jones photo)

Two strong points we noticed right away on the MSR Tykers: First, the overall quality. These are not cheap plastic toys. In fact, they are basically the long-proven Denali adult shoe in a kid size. In addition to a lot of weight-carrying capacity, they offer some serious traction as well. Second, the bindings are both easy to use and seriously adjustable; three heavy duty rubber straps with holes to hook over metal tabs. And there are so many holes in those straps that if your little one can walk, you’ll likely be able to get these snowshoes secured on his or her boots. And it’s easy for Mom or Dad to do now, and for the child to do later.

Back to traction for a moment: A lot of the traction material on the bottom of the Tykers is plastic instead of metal. Most parents (me included) would likely be a bit freaked out if they’d made a kid’s snowshoe with as much scary looking metal on the bottom as there is on the adult MSR snowshoe. While the side traction bars are made of the same plastic as the decking, there is still a little metal, and there has to be. The plastic provides enough traction for snow, the metal helps dig in to crust and ice. Unless your wee one is going to be making icy, high-angle ascents, this is serious enough stuff to keep them moving. One caution, however: Because there is no articulation between boot/binding and the deck of the snowshoe, the wearer can’t point the toe crampon into a slope. Going up an icy or heavily crusted slope can be difficult. Keep that in mind if you and your little one climb lots of hills on hard snow.

The thing that really sets these MSRs apart is how tightly the snowshoe is held to the foot.  There isn’t a toe cord at all; in fact, there’s no articulation between the boot/binding and the deck of the snowshoe. If you are concerned about your kid getting tangled and tripped by a snowshoe that swings down and away from the foot, these are an excellent choice. Max performed an unauthorized (Mom note: at least I did not authorize it!) experiment and proved that, with these snowshoes on, when Mom’s back is turned, you can actually climb into a freestanding wheelbarrow without tipping it over or falling on your head. So the snowshoes get an A+ for maneuverability. And because the boot is so tight to the deck you don’t get the snow-catapult action you get with a tight toe cord. Add the bonus that these will fit just about the tiniest foot out there, and overall we’d have to say that these are the best entry level snowshoes for really little ones.

TSL 302 Freeze: Dimensions: 7 x 19 Recommended Shoe Size: junior 11-men’s 6, Recommended Weight: 40-110 lbs Toe cord: full rotating

Logging roads and hunters' trails are our stomping grounds. Max had no troubles with the rotating toe cord. (Kate Goodin photo)

Do not let the wild look of this snowshoe fool you. They really work. We had our doubts whether plastic toe crampons and a few steel nubbins in the back would provide much traction, but they really do the job. Max hiked up a hill with snow-covered ice in spots and never slipped once. (Mom note: What kind of mother am I that I guide my child towards the ice to see if his crampons work? The kind of mother who wants to know if his gear works before I let him get into real trouble on what he’s gonna try anyway…)

This snowshoe was one of only two that had a full rotating toe cord, unusual in a kids’ shoe, for the maneuverability reasons stated above. The first time Max tried these it seemed like it might be a bit of an issue, but not much. The second time, he hiked about a mile in the woods on snowmobile tracks and unpacked trails, through puckerbrush and over logs, and he never had a problem. He ran in them, crossed brooks and stone walls,  played hide-and-seek behind trees. Now, don’t get me wrong. He’s not quite three-and-a-half, but he’s been using snowshoes for a year and has tried different snowshoe models all winter. Be realistic when assessing not just your kid’s age and abilities, but temperament and interest level. If she’s easily frustrated or only tentatively interested, then getting tangled up a few times might just make her want to throw the snowshoes in the closet forever.

TSL’s website says shoe sizes for this model start at girls 13, a retailer says they fit junior 11 to men’s 6; we found that they fit Max’s 11s just fine. The binding on these shoes, like the snowshoe itself, is a bit weird looking, but again, don’t be put off by that. Pull on a tab and slide the heel cup back and forth to adjust the length for the individual boot. Once that is set, two Velcro straps hold the boot in. Just Velcro? Yup, just Velcro. As noted, Max walked a mile, over hill and dale, he crawled, he rolled, and the snowshoes didn’t budge.

TSL lists 110 pounds as the weight limit for these. It’s on the higher end, and one independent website says 90 pounds, but they are 19 inches long, two inches longer than the MSRs, so we can believe they’d give a little more flotation. And even as long as they are, the hourglass shape seems to make it easier for a little kid to walk with what amounts to really big feet.

Yukon Charlie’s Junior Series   Dimensions: 16 x 7, Recommended Shoe Size: none given, Recommended Weight: up to 100 lbs, Toe cord: tight

The Yukon Charlie's in action. (Kate Goodin photo)

The Yukon Charlie’s Junior Series Mountain Goat was the big surprise of the test. This is a really nice all-around snowshoe for kids! It has crampons where it needs crampons, front and back. They are aluminum and that’s more than fine on a kids’ snowshoe. Stainless might last longer but aluminum weighs less and if that means another quarter of a mile, out of him before he says, “Mommmmm…carry me!,” I’m good with that. Probably even more to the point, he isn’t likely to be in too many situations where he’ll be putting a lot of wear and tear on the crampons. When you’re crossing a rocky summit and the bare rock alternates with solid ice…that’s when your crampons really take a beating. It’ll be a few years before he’s on a winter hike of that caliber. Several of the other models we tried also had aluminum crampons, as do my snowshoes.

The toe cord on these is fixed. Does it throw a little snow? Yeah, a little. I see no reason to worry about this on a kids’ shoe. If your kid is anything like mine, no snowshoe can compete with the amount of snow he gets plastered on him just by being out in it. And at only 16 inches, there isn’t as much surface area to collect and throw snow to begin with.

I can’t find any mention of what size boot these Charlie’s will fit. They fit on Max’s 11s just fine.

The super-fast release cord on the binding of the Yukon Charlie's. (Kate Goodin photo)

The binding is super easy, not just to get into, but also out of. When the wearer is only three, “out-of” can be just as important as “in-to”. Emergencies happen.

The Yukon Charlie’s Juniors  are rated at 100 pounds of flotation, which seems a bit high for the 16 inch long deck. But even as big as Max is, it’s going to be a while before he comes close to that. If you are looking for a quality first snowshoe for a little kid, these deserve serious consideration. They have become our go-to shoe for everyday use, and with Max, snowshoeing is an every day activity.

If It Ain’t Broke . . .

Tubbs Storm  Dimensions: 19 x 7, Recommended Shoe Size: junior 11-men’s 6, Recommended Weight: 40-90 lbs, Toe cord: tight.

The new Tubbs Storm is a fine snowshoe--except for the difficult-to-use binding. We liked the old style much better. (Kate Goodin photo)

These snowshoes get a kind of lopsided thumbs-up from us. We’ve tried it in two versions, old and new and our verdict is: This snowshoe was perfect…before they changed it. The traction is great, right where it needs to be. The documentation that came with the shoe says the crampon is aluminum, while their website says it’s all stainless. It looks stainless. The deck gives plenty of flotation for his weight, and is rated up to 90 pounds, so there’s lots of room to grow. The toe cord is tight. With a 19 inch long deck you do get a little more snow thrown than with the Charlie’s, but again…adults may want to be out in the snow without being in the snow, but that’s not so true with a kid.

The primary difference between the old Storm and the new Storm, and the reason for our lukewarm recommendation of the new ones is in the bindings.  The old Storm had a binding similar to the the React binding that’s on my adult snowshoes and it worked perfectly; easy to put on, and it stays secure forever. I believe it is the same binding they still use on the Glacier, for older kids. But someone, somewhere in the universe, decided to “improve” a binding that worked perfectly . . .It’s now a single very stiff plastic strap with a ratcheting buckle that requires you to pinch, push and pull all at the same time to  snug it up adequately on small boots. While the new binding will fit Max’s boots, it ain’t quick or easy. When all is said and done, the bindings keep the snowshoes on, which is the point. But . . . based on our experience, we’d recommend looking for a pair of the older style. Some retailers may still have some in stock or you may find them on the used market.

Thumbs Down . . . For Specific Reasons

Redfeather Youth 20 Dimensions: 7 x 20, Recommended Shoe Size: none given, Recommended Weight: up to 80 lbs. Toe cord: tight

Otherwise a fine shoe, the Redfeathers didn't make the cut because they lacked heel traction of any kind. Max slipped and fell several times on a crusty hill that gave him no trouble on other snowshoes. (Kate Goodin photo)

These snowshoes are pretty neat looking. They are 20 inches long, but part of that length is just tail, so it doesn’t add as much flotation as you might think. Redfeather rates them at 80 pounds.The toe cord is the common fixed style (Redfeather calls it a “live action hinge”). We didn’t get to try them in soft snow, but wouldn’t be surprised if the tapered tail reduced any snow-throwing tendencies. We didn’t encounter any “flip” as we tested these on hard-packed snow. And this brings us to our one complaint with this shoe: Where we live and play, crampons are really important. These shoes are lacking 50% of what they should have. There’s a perfectly respectable toe crampon, but nothing under the heel. And that causes problems.

Using these shoes, Max fell three times in rapid succession on a small hill covered with crusty, packed snow. He’d already negotiated this same hill without any trouble on several other shoes. Based on those falls, we  immediately wrote these off as unacceptable for our needs. Yes, snowshoes were originally designed to keep the wearer from sinking in deep powder, but we all use our snowshoes for a lot more now and hard snow on hills is part of life, especially in the East.

However, if you live somewhere where the snow conditions are more consistently fluffy powder, or you always stay on level ground this might be a perfectly good choice; they are clearly well made.

We also had a minor complaint about the toe cap on these binding, a sort-of folded up rubber the toe of the boot slides into. No matter how they shape it, this type of binding while easy to use, always seems to fit less snugly than other designs, especially with a smaller boot. That being said, the bindings fit Max’s 11s, and the rest of the binding, two rubber straps with many holes (similar to the MSRs), was easily adjustable and easy to put on.

If it had a heel crampon, we’d have found this shoe recommendable.

L.L. Bean Winter Walker 16 Dimensions:16 x 8, Recommended Shoe Size: none given, Recommended Weight: up to 60 lbs, Toe cord: fixed

The underboot plate of the L.L. Bean binding creates a tripping hazard when adjusted to the smallest setting. (Kate Goodin photo)

These snowshoes get some rave reviews from folks on the L.L. Bean website. I can only imagine they are from people with larger kids who don’t have to adjust the binding size to fit a little one. In all the above snowshoes, binding size is either adjusted by simply having a binding that cinches down to fit the boot currently in it (the most basic adjustment I can imagine). In the case of the TSLs, adjusting for larger or smaller boots is a very simple matter: Lift the tab and slide. Takes about five seconds. Tip: do it with an empty boot so you’re not trying to hold your kid’s weight up off the thing you are trying to slide, while trying to slide it.

The L.L. Bean shoes annoyed me right out of the box when I realized that, to properly adjust them, I was going to need a socket wrench and a screwdriver. We tried them without adjusting for length, but found on our first outing that with the heel cap in the “larger “position, Max had almost no weight over the toe crampons, rendering them basically useless.

That meant I was going to have to go the wrench and screwdriver route to have any sense of whether or not the shoes performed well for Max.. Now, I don’t mean to be a whiner, but having little fiddly bits of snowshoe (nuts, bolts, crampons) loose on the living room floor was not my idea of fun, especially with an anxious three-year-old on the prowl… Perhaps it annoyed me in particular because it’s not necessary. Not one of the other snowshoes required me to disassemble the binding to get Max’s weight functionally distributed on the heel and toe crampons.

The real problem with the Bean binding revealed itself only after the bindings were correctly sized for Max’s boots. Once the heel cap was adjusted so that his weight was properly over the crampons, the flat plastic bottom of the binding protruded beyond the tips of his boots, tripping him. After less than five minutes, he’d had it and asked to take the shoes off.

You could cut the excess off the front of the plate, but in so doing you would eliminate the possibility of adjusting the binding when your child grew. With the flotation listed for this snowshoe at 25-60 pounds, it’s not like Max was on the small end of the spectrum of potential users of the snowshoe.

Everything else about this snowshoe is fine and it should work very well for larger kids with feet large enough to use the larger binding setting. It has a fixed toe cord, aluminum crampons at toe and heel—all good. Change the binding to something like the one on the Yukon Charlie’s have and you’d have…well, the Yukon Charlie’s…one of our top choices.

The “Kiddie Shoe” Conundrum

While the other snowshoes we tested were, in essence, downsized versions of adult shoes, the two that follow are clearly designed as “kiddie shoes,” and they simply did not perform as well in our conditions.

Atlas Sprout 17 Dimensions: 6.25 x 17, Recommended Shoe Size: none given, Recommended Weight: 30-80 lbs., Toe cord: Rotating

Snow packed in the bottoms of the Atlas Sprout model. This wasn't a wet snowfall. (Kate Goodin photo)

Some of the snowshoes we tested were as short, or even shorter, than the Sprout, but those all had the bonus of looking, and generally, behaving like a small version of an adult shoe. The Sprout has hard plastic decking, like the MSR Tyker, but the MSR is a mini-version of a well-respected adult shoe. This isn’t.

The Sprout , like the TSL Freeze, features a full rotating toe cord. We found it puzzling that Atlas advertises the fixed toe cord on the Spark 20 model (for older kids, remember) as allowing easier maneuvering and then puts a rotating toe cord on the snowshoe for the younger, presumably less coordinated kids. But be that as it may, Max showed us with the TSL 302 that it’s at least possible for a three-year-old to handle a rotating toe cord.

The trouble with this shoe is similar to the problem we had with the Redfeathers reviewed above. While not totally lacking in rear traction, these have no crampon. The underside of the decking is molded into a snowflake pattern—which makes prints in the snow that your kids are supposed to love, by the way. It provides some traction, but not enough for our conditions. And, worse, even in dry snow (at least by eastern standards), we found that the whole bottom of the snowshoe filled up like a cookie cutter with the cookie still stuck in it. This wasn’t in super dry powder, but here in New England we have very variable snow conditions. We might have cured the problem buy spraying the underside of the deck with silicone spray, but that shouldn’t be necessary. Frankly we don’t want snowshoes that don’t perform admirably in, at the very least, most of the conditions we are likely to encounter.

Atlas rates these snowshoes at 80 pounds of flotation. The binding was OK. The toe cap didn’t fit as snugly as others, but it seemed fairly secure and was pretty easy to put on. They don’t mention what boot size it is supposed to fit, but say that the snowshoe is recommended for ages 4-8.

Atlas also makes the the Spark 20, which we did not review. It looks like a miniature version of an adult shoe with front and rear crampons, fixed toe cord, and 120 pound maximum weight. In retrospect, this model would have been more comparable to the others in the test. We intend to test this model as soon as possible. It has the same binding as the Sprout, meaning it should work reasonably well with Max’s boots.

TSL Trappeurs  Dimensions: 20 x7, Recommended Shoe Size:10.5-4, Recommended Weight: 30-65 lbs., Toecord: tight

Max showing off the tails of the TSL Trappeurs. Unfortunately, they easily tangle in the slats of the decking. (Kate Goodin photo)

The TSL Trappeurs looked, on paper, like they might be a good first snowshoe for little kids. They mirror the shape of old-style snowshoe designs, including tails, but they are molded of an extremely rugged plastic that will stand up to hard “kid use.” When we first tested these last season, we went out in after a late-winter storm with no concerns about him getting in the mud where it was exposed. The snowshoes are very simple and plastic and muck rinsed off easily before we put them away.

The recommended weight range for the TSL Trappeurs is 30-65 pounds. The bindings on these are super-simple, just a rubber galoshes-type toe with an elastic heel loop, and should fit boot sizes 10.5 – 4. For some kids this might be great as they would be able to easily put on their own snowshoes as long as they had the finger strength to pull the sturdy rubber. Max. like most kids, likes to do things on his own; and that increases his desire to participate. But we found that, while the simplicity of this design is a great idea, the rubber is, by necessity, such a tight fit on the boot that we can’t imagine a little kid being able to pull it on all by himself or herself. Once they are strong enough to deal with the Trappeur binding, they are probably ready to figure out and use a more “complicated” design.

When Max was two-and-a-half, he had one issue with these snowshoes. He frequently tangled the tails in the lateral perforations in the decking. That long, skinny tail kept catching in the other shoe and tripping him up, which he found frustrating. An older kid with more experience just-plain-walking might not have so much trouble, but since these are supposed to be for little kids…

Our other concern with this shoe was traction. With three rounded-off metal points, two under the ball of the foot and one under the heel, they offer some traction, but it doesn’t compare to our recommended models above. On perfectly flat ground or always in soft snow, this might be fine, but I challenge you to stay on soft snow and flat ground while tramping in the woods in New England.

While it looks simple and cute, these shoes are too simple and too cute to really function. We felt that they would end up disappointing and frustrating a child rather than encouraging him or her to really develop a love of snowshoeing. Fortunately, TSL also makes the excellent 302 Freeze, a much better investment if you want serious snowshoes for your child.

The Takeawy

What’s really amazing in this whole test is that we found so many quality snowshoes for  kids. We proved that, literally, if your child can walk independently, you can choose snowshoe options that will work. Even the snowshoes we didn’t particularly like for our uses were well made and would likely suit someone else. In other words, you definitely don’t have to settle for cheap junk, nor do you need to spend a fortune to get snowshoes that will keep your child smiling and happy on snow until he or she is ready for adult-sized shoes.

Like many of you, I obsess about snow. During the 10 days prior to our trip I kept a daily vigil on Smuggs’ No Bull Snow Report, which I’ve found to be reliable and accurate in the past. Like everyone else this season, my family and I lamented the lack of natural snow. But temperatures were good for blowing the manmade and I knew the snowmakers at Smuggs’ would do a good job. And, we got lucky. Madonna and Sterling mountains, the twin peaks that make up the greatest portion of the resort, were blanketed with between 10 and 12 inches of the real thing during the 48 hours before we arrived.

Chilcoot, an intermediate trail from the summit of Madonna Mountain, shows evidence of Christmas week snowfall. (Gary Hopper photo)

Aside from loving Smugglers’ Notch for its challenging terrain, I have also come to appreciate Smuggs for its attention to families with mixed abilities. In our case, we have two kids who are progressing skiers and my wife is a continually improving intermediate. Sounds like your family, doesn’t it? Smuggs is consistently top-rated for its concentration on the family experience, and  our boys have enjoyed the benefits of the Smugglers’ Notch children’s programs.

On this trip, the boys, Ethan (14) and Becket (12), were booked into a two-hour morning lesson with the Kids Notch Squad and my wife Laura would join the resort’s Snowsport University for two hours of instruction while I re-familiarized myself with the available terrain.

After handing the boys off to Sam Lotto for their group lesson, and telling my wife I’d see her at lunchtime after her class, I joined our friends John and Lisa Stitt and their daughter Emily for a trip up Madonna, the tallest of Smugglers’ three mountains. As we neared the top I drank in the drops and bare boulders of Upper Liftline and looked longingly at Freefall and The Black Hole. Freefall and Upper Liftline would open a week later. The Black Hole was probably another one, or even two good storms away from getting enough cover to ski.

Snow lovers take Rumrunner to get access to Pipeline, Upper Exhibition under the Sterling lift, Highlander Glades and Lower Rumrunner. (Hugh Johnson photo, Smugglers' Notch Resort)

At the top I only glanced south for a minute because we were socked in (on clear days the 360-degree views are stunning), then looked at the ropes blocking the entrance to Liftline. I realized then that in 20 years of skiing at Smuggs, I had never skied Upper Liftline and I’d  only been on the wooded pitch of The Black Hole once – and had to take off my skis and scramble out at that. One of these days, they are going to get ticked off my list.

On this day we were limited to probably 20-25 percent of the area’s trails, but the cover was excellent. Two trips up Madonna revealed loose surfaces integrated into a good carving base on the intermediate ridge-hugging Upper Chilcoot, Link, Lower Liftline and Drifter. Noiseless skiing. And, despite the tops of tall grasses poking through the surface, there was enough fluff on the steeper lead-in to Lower Liftline for a fun dash under the chair with just enough bumps to keep you honest.

But the best run of the morning, and I would repeat it two more times that afternoon, was McPherson’s. It’s a “double falline” pitch connecting Drifter to the M2 liftline. It’s rated an intermediate but that’s only because of its brevity. Ungroomed that day, it was a bit bumped up with  boot-deep “chowder.”

After a trip up Sterling and finding better-than-expected surfaces of dry and loose snow on Rumrunner and somewhat mixed cover on Exhibition, I pulled up at the Ski School building to meet Laura and the boys and get a report on their lessons as our hosts headed back up for another run before lunch.

Over sandwiches and cookies, Ethan, Becket and Laura all reported successful mornings. Becket was pleased that Lotto took the kids into Highlander Glades and down Treasure Run to work on edging skills and planting their poles to initiate turns. (Was it possible I no longer had to chant, “use your poles, use your poles” when I skied with them?) Laura said her instructor, Gary Hopper, offered good advice on keeping her hands up front with her elbows out to “open the gate” with her poles. He also had her rest her poles horizontally on her forearms while skiing to get used to the proper positioning of her upper body. We all commented on the surprisingly good snow conditions as we quickly finished our refueling. We were in a hurry to get back outside and enjoy the snow.

Laura demonstrates her new "open the gate" use of poles and a relaxed stance during her lesson at Smuggs'. (Gary Hopper photo)

We all paired up for another trip up Madonna and another run on Chilcoot. I hung back to watch the kids and Laura ski and could see immediately that all three were skiing with more self-assurance than I had remembered. Becket was flicking his poles on turns, Ethan was more upright and had developed a more fluid turning style and Laura was skiing with hands up and skis shoulder-width apart. Maybe they’d be joining me in Doc Dempsey’s Glades or on Upper F.I.S. on a successive trip!

At $75 for a two-hour lesson, the collective expertise of the Smugglers’ Notch Snow Sport University is well worth the new skills and confidence gained. Whether  you are just starting out as a beginner, (regardless of age), or getting a technique tuneup as a level 8 skier, the instructors are ready to help any snowboarder or skier improve to have fun on the resort’s classic New England trails.

Smuggs is still all about families and our family is looking forward to another visit. More snow and more terrain would just be the icing on the cake.

The only problem is that after a few days of rich, heavy, wonderful food, we often feel like the Hindenburg before it exploded. And, getting out for a bike ride or a run isn’t usually in the cards; there’s usually ice and snow as far as the eye can see.  How to solve the problem?

The water's boiling, the cocoa will soon be ready, all's right with the world! (David Shedd photo)

The answer is simple. Most of us have some place that we can get away for a quick hike on shoes or snowshoes. Town parks, local mountains, even a nice drive through the winter wonderland to a national forest; any of them can get you to a place where you can get out, shake off the blahs, breathe in some cold, clean air…oh, and eat some more!

In our family, stockings are often stuffed with delicacies…and, just as often, those delicacies sit in our pantry waiting for the “right occasion” to use them. And, sometimes, after a few years we look at them, question our sanity for keeping them around that long, and pitch them before we contemplate seat-of-the-pants testing for botulism. Why not solve the problem by throwing them into a backpack instead of the pantry?

Dogs are allowed at Bradbury, which means that Barley gets the rare treat of begging from a rock shelf ABOVE us; didn't change his success rate, however. (David Shedd photo)

2011 was kind to us; December 26 turned out to be a sunny, relatively warm day with just enough bite in the wind to make hot cocoa on top of a mountain sound really appealing. Even with a slow start, Bradbury Mountain in Pownal, ME, was easily do-able for us, about a 40 minute drive from our house. You have your choice of  there’s a short, relatively steep climb to the summit, or longer trails that wind around the mountain. Either way, the views from the top are lovely, and there’s a nice rocky section to put down camp chairs and spread out your picnic. Plus, dogs are allowed and encouraged; for us, that meant that not only we, but also Barley our mutant Golden, could enjoy the fresh air.

So, up we went. With little snow, ice is a guarantee, so traction aids like Kahtoola Microspikes or YakTrax are a good idea when getting out until the snow is deep; trekking poles are even more important. We equipped ourselves with both…a little more weight carried = more calories burned, right? We ended up only using the poles, but there were times we questioned our wisdom, and were glad we had the Kahtoolas in our packs just in case.

And…it was lovely.  A short hike, and we were at the top right at 1 o’clock, perfect timing for lunch. Even after the gastronomic insanity of the past few days, we were hungry; fresh air will do that for you! Out came the “fun food”: smoked baby clams, black olive tapenade on Triscuits, duck pate, and dried figs for dessert. Our Jetboil Sol produced hot water in minutes, and we had Swiss Miss hot cocoa (the sugar free kind, of course; we wouldn’t want to overdo it!) to wash it all down.Pure decadence!

Some good food, hot cocoa, the enjoyment of a lovely day outdoors...our "blahs" are all gone! (David Shedd photo)

After an hour or so of relaxing, watching a few clouds blow by and a few birds flying around, we packed back up again and headed down, Barley taking the lead. The conversation was lighter, the laughter more regular than on the way up; there’s something about being outside that takes away all of the sludge in our bodies and minds. Thanks to our little picnic, in a matter of hours we’d beaten the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion that so often comes after the holidays!

The moral of the story? When you’ve been overstimulated for days and have zero energy, force yourself to get out into Mother Nature’s back yard; it won’t take long before you regain your perspective, your energy, and your sense of humor. And, perhaps best of all, you won’t end up wasting pantry space on those Christmas goodies!

You don't have to be young—or even an experienced skier—to try snowbiking at Pats Peak! (Tim Jones photo)

Though we occasionally write stories for EasternSlopes.com, we are also loyal readers of this publication. We enjoy looking at the many different ideas for getting outdoors and having fun. Some of the things other people do hold little interest for us. But surprisingly often, we find ourselves inspired to do something we thought we had given up, or even to try something totally new and different.

Now, neither of us are skiers. Warner has done some cross-country skiing in the past, but very little in recent years. Edie has never really skied much. But we still read the stories about ski gear, and downhill ski resorts and, when we read Tim’s story on Snowbiking, we both thought that looked like FUN! Most things that fit in the fun category are illegal, immoral, fattening – or dangerous! However, snowbiking looked like it might be interesting and FUN, without being any of those no-no’s listed above. Well, the jury was still out on “dangerous.” FUN or not, taking into account our advanced ages and with our limited ski experience, we both also questioned whether or not we could try snowbiking safely. But one thing EasternSlopes.com has taught us is to never say “never.” So we contacted Tim, who responded with his usual enthusiasm, saying “Yes! Of course you can! ”  And, suddenly, we were committed to a snowbiking adventure.

Once we had our helmets and ski boots, we were ready to be fitted to our snowbikes. Instructors Ben and David made the process easy and fun. (Tim Jones photo)

On a warm(ish) day in late March we found ourselves at Pats Peak in Henniker, NH. We’ve visited a few downhill ski areas before in winter, but only as spectators. This was our first time as participants, and we both have to admit we were feeling some trepidations. However, we found it hard to hold onto any nervous feelings, given the atmosphere we found on the hill. They were celebrating spring with a Hawaiian-themed weekend, and the place was a madhouse. The staff was running around wearing Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts and leis (and some had on shorts!). A little chilly for us, but whatever floats your boat! Everybody was having such a good time. Everybody means a TON of people. Seemed to us that it was much more fun than actually going to Hawaii!

Our first stop was to get fitted for ski helmets. Neither of us had ever had one on our heads before and to our utter amazement they were truly comfortable. Well, that was a nice surprise! Now we understand why both Tim and David insist that everyone should wear helmets on the slopes. They are so comfortable you quickly forget you are wearing them, and with other people whizzing around you on skis and snowboards, there’s a definite safety benefit.

Then we got fitted for rental ski boots. Different story entirely. Miserable things! We saw people actually walking around in the them, and a couple of kids were running! We, however, could just barely walk, and we mean barely. Warner likened walking in ski boots to being a robot with stiff legs and iron boots. However, once the clunky things got buckled into the little tiny “footskis” you wear when snowbiking, they were fine and we (almost) forgot how clunky and miserable they felt when walking.

Riding up the carpet lift was the hardest part of snowbiking to learn. All you had to do was remember to get your little "foot skis" onto the moving carpet with the rest of you . . . (Tim Jones photo)

Suitably attired, we went outside and met our wonderful instructors, Ben and Dave. They were so nice to us! First, they fitted us to the Snowbikes–which look exactly like kids bikes with skis where the wheels would be. There’s a front ski attached to the handlebars so it pivots like a bike wheel, and another one under the heavily padded seat. As already noted, you wear little “footskis” so you can use your feet to stabilize yourself as you slide. Sitting on the flat snow without moving, the whole incongruous setup felt surprisingly stable and comfortable.

Of course in order to have FUN we had to move, and that meant learning how to steer and stop. The instructions for learning a snowbike are very simple, and the movements natural and comfortable. As a result, we learned the basics very fast. The obvious and instinctive way to steer would seem to be to turn the lead ski with the handlebars, but that’s not how it’s done. Instead, you steer by turning your head to look in the direction you want to go. The body naturally and instinctively leans very slightly in the same direction without you even having to think about it, and the bike goes in that direction, almost like magic. To stop, you simply turn your head farther to look backwards up the hill. It’s that easy! Snowbiking turned out to be safe, comfortable and, yes, FUN! With both feet firmly on the snow on their little footskis, and seated comfortably on the snowbike, there’s little chance of falling. In fact, neither of us took a spill while coming down the hill. Even if you did fall while going down the hill, tipping over onto the soft snow from a low sitting position is hardly something to be concerned about.

It only took a few minutes of instruction before we were ready to try the bunny slopes—our first experience at sliding down a ski hill! (Tim Jones photo)

The hardest part of the whole experience was getting on and off the carpet lift. It’s like a flat escalator, or those moving walkways in an airport and it conveys you slowly and comfortably at ground level up to the top of the gentle beginner slope. The only problem we found is that the “moving carpet” is quite narrow and you absolutely have to remember to get your footskis on the carpet part. If you don’t, you fall over—which can be a little embarrassing with people watching. Edie fell once on the durned lift, but even she admitted it was more funny than scary–more of  a slow-motion tip-over than a real fall.

Like anything else, snowbiking requires a bit of practice in order to get the hang of it. Warner found it difficult to remember to keep both arms extended straight rather than bending his elbows. However, after a few runs he found himself doing better at that, and correcting himself whenever he realized his arms were bent. You also have to remember to keep both knees clamped firmly against the padded seat of the snowbike so your feet and their little skis don’t splay out to the sides. That was far less difficult to remember than keeping the arms straight.

With Ben’s careful instruction and watchful guidance, in a few minutes we were making swooping turns down the bunny slope, getting right back on the carpet lift and riding up to do it all over again. It was both exciting and exhilarating and, yes, just plain FUN.

Once you are on the hill, it's time to refine your technique. Warner had trouble remembering to keep his arms straight! as our instructor is demonstrating (Tim Jones photo)

As we were learning on the bunny slope, we  had little kids whizzing around us having a great time. Watching the kids was part of the fun. One little girl in pink (she looked to be about 5) went flying straight down the hill with her father chasing after her  yelling “Wait! Wait!”. She arrived at the bottom, stopped neatly, and turned around to look back as he was racing after her as if to say, “What is your problem?”

By the time our hour lesson was over we had both made a goodly number of runs. We could have stayed longer, but we were both tired by then, and felt we’d made a good start on learning to snow bike. In fact, we even got a license that says we can do the bunny slope without supervision! Aren’t you impressed?

It’s almost December now, there’s snow on some of the ski hills and we’re looking forward to getting down to Pats Peak again, refreshing our snowbiking skills and wooshing down the slopes again. Maybe this time we’ll even take another lesson  and go up on the chair lift! Since neither of us has ever ridden a chairlift, we definitely want an instructor along for that. By the way, if you think you are too old to try something new like snowbiking, keep this in mind… Warner is 77, Edie is 76, and if we can do it so can you. Really, you will have a wonderful time, even if it isn’t Hawaiian weekend!

It was Hawaiian Weekend at Pats Peak and even this tiki statue seems to approve as we proudly display our new "Snowbike Licenses." (Tim Jones photo)

This guide is a sampler of what some would consider the best hikes in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire for viewing fall foliage at its peak, or later; many people miss out on wonderful browns and yellows by thinking “oh, it’s too late, the foliage is past peak”, not to mention the better views created by fewer leaves on the trees. The list of hikes and walks is divided into two groups. The first are the hikes that require a certain level of fitness and agility to accomplish. The second is a grouping of easy rambles that just about anyone can enjoy.

If you are concerned that fall is hunting season, don’t be. Read our story on Hiking Safely In Hunting Season, then get out and enjoy!

Six Wonderful Foliage Hikes

1) Cliff Trail on North Pack, Greenfield

The Cliff Trail from the summit of North Pack Monadnock offers a bird’s-eye view from a cliff on a saddle between Pack and North Pack. In the words of one area hiking diehard, “When the foliage is at its height, the colors are brilliant…. The combination of close-up and distance [views] makes for the best fall foliage viewing.” In the distance, of course, is Mount Monadnock to the west. When it’s clear, you can look south along the undulating topography of the Wapack Ridge all the way to Mount Watatic where it straddles the borders of New Ipswich and Ashburnham and Ashby, Mass. To get there, either start at Miller State Park off Route 101 or find the Wapack Trail trailhead on the south side of Mountain Road.

2) Thumbs Up on Skatutakee, Hancock

Maple is just one of the deciduous varieties ablaze in October in the Monadnock Region. (Jonathan Gourlay photo)

The Thumbs Up Trail connects the tops of Skatutakee and Thumb mountains in Hancock. To get there, you must take the Harriskat Trail across the street from the Harris Center for Conservation Education and head up Skatutakee or take a right turn at Thumbs Down Trail and eventually take a fairly steep climb up Thumb. The hike is about a mile and a half to Thumbs Up, which is about a 1.25- mile-long trail offering different views of the surrounding foliage as well as Hancock itself. You can also connect with Jack’s Pond and Old Dublin Road trails from the top of Skatutakee.

3) White Dot Trail on Mt. Monadnock, Jaffrey
The White Dot Trail climbs 1.9 miles from Monadnock State Park headquarters off Route 124 to the summit of what is reportedly the second-most climbed mountain in the world next to Japan’s Mount Fuji. The White Dot Trail is the shortest and most direct route to the summit and takes hikers over rock slabs much of the time after starting on a dirt road. After the junction with the Cascade Link Trail, the trail ascends a stone staircase. At about the halfway point, you break out of the trees and the surrounding lowlands become visible. After diving back into woods for a bit, you emerge once again and are greeted with magnificent views to the south. There are many ledges from which to view the foliage, and of course the summit provides a full 360- degree aspect. To the northwest is Killington in Vermont; to the north is Mount Sunapee(the other terminus of the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway) with Moosilauke, Lafayette and Mount Washington (which is easily visible when it’s covered with snow while others are bare) in the distance; to the east are the Pack Monadnocks; and to the southeast is Boston and Hancock Tower visible on crystal-clear autumn days.

4) The Shannon Trail on Crotched Mountain, Greenfield
Though the summit of Crotched Mountain has limited views, ledges along the way make the hike well worth it. Views to the south, southwest and west of Mount Monadnock as well as North and Pack Monadnock make this hike interesting any time of year, yet especially so during peak foliage season. The hike to the summit is a classic with families because it is among the easiest to hike, but the Shannon Trail toward the top adds some challenge. The trail is combined with the Summit Trail for much of the hike and becomes more of a test near the ledges, which provide the best views. Access can be gained from Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center off Route 31. Follow signs from Greenfield. At about a mile and a half from Route 31, a gated gravel road on the left marks the trailhead to both Shannon Trail and Summit Trail..

5) Wapack Trail, Temple
The Wapack is a 21-mile trail that stretches from Mount Watatic in Ashburnham, Mass. to North Pack in Greenfield, passing through sections of seven towns. The Wapack is one of the oldest interstate footpaths in the Northeast and essentially follows a ridgeline route along the summits of Watatic, Pratt, New Ipswich, Barrett and Temple mountains before dropping onto a shoulder and crossing Route 101 then ascending the Pack Monadnocks. The section of trail from Temple to Sharon affords open ledges and rocky peaks with impressive ridge views toward Mount Monadnock, the Berkshires and the Green Mountains to the west, Boston to the southeast, and the White Mountains to the north.

6) Bald Mountain and Willard Pond, Antrim
The hike up 2030-foot Bald Mountain is accessed from Willard Pond (a great place for a fall paddle, too), part of the dePierrefeu- Willard Pond Wildlife Sanctuary off of Route 123 in Hancock. The hike encircles Hatch Mill Pond before continuing along the shore of the 96-acre Willard Pond then ascending Bald Mountain, which provides scenic views from rocky ledges over the pond and to points south. From Hancock, take Route 123 north about three miles to Willard Pond Road. After about a mile and half, a parking area marks the trailhead.

One good wind, and the colors blow away. (Jonathan Gourlay photo)

Seven Easy Foliage Strolls

1) Pack Monadnock, Temple
Miller State Park wraps around the shoulders of Pack Monadnock and an automobile road to the summit affords views of Temple Mountain to the south and Mount Monadnock to the west for a day-use fee of $4 for adults ($2 for children 6 to 11; 5 and under and state residents age 65 and over are admitted free). If you are up for the climb, a fire tower, no longer used for detecting fires, affords a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside when the ranger is in. The park is located just off Route 101 near the top of the hill heading east out of Peterborough and is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

2) Cathedral of the Pines, Rindge
Panoramic views of Mount Monadnock and its wide variety of deciduous and coniferous trees are just one of the features of this outdoor memorial to those who have given their lives in service to their country. There is a museum, gift shop and gardens. Located on Hale Hill Road just one mile from Route 119. Open through October 31.

3) Harris Center for Conservation Education, Hancock

You don’t have to climb any mountains to enjoy the foliage at this conservation center. In addition to the hiking trails and free weekend programs at the center, its naturalists often arrange guided walks and “ambles” of interesting public lands around the region. Find a calendar of events at the center’s Programs & Outings page at www.harriscenter.org. Located at 83 King’s Highway.

Views of multiple colors abound from many of the easier hiking trails in southern New Hampshire. (Jonathan Gourlay photo)

4) The Gregg Trail and Dutton Brook Trail at Crotched Mountain, Greenfield
These two recently opened trails are wheelchair accessible and begin just opposite the main entrance to Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center on Crotched Mountain Road. A switch-backing Gregg Trail takes you up to a platform with astounding views to the west, including Mount Monadnock, on a bluff where blueberries grow in late spring. The switchbacks offer great views to the east. At the end of the accessible section, the trail meets the more demanding Shannon Trail that continues across a blueberry reclamation project before diving into the woods for the push up Crotched Mountain. The Dutton Brook Trail is also accessible to wheelchairs and circles a pond just north of the rehabilitation campus. As you approach the rehabilitation center from Route 31, drive up Crotched Mountain Road. Immediately after passing Verney Road and the main entrance, look for access to parking on the left. The beginning of the accessible trails is immediately to the right as you turn in.

5) Wilton Center
The varied colors of beech, birch, oak and maple as well as a variety of ferns of gold and bronze hues line the fields and streets of Wilton Center, a quaint village with large houses, old barns, stone walls, and open views of the Monadnock region. It’s absent of commerce, so the relatively quiet roads are a pleasure to walk when the air turns crisp. You’ll find the center by following the signs for Andy’s Summer Playhouse when approaching on Route 101 from the west or the sign for the First Unitarian Church at a steep uphill right turn across from the Mobil station from the east. Andy’s is a children’s theater housed in a former Grange Hall with a parking lot.

6) Nussdorfer Nature Area, New Ipswich

Red and white oak, beech, poplar and hemlock trees provide the contrasting colors at Nussdorfer Nature Area. The area around Hoar Pond is also populated with a stand of tamarack, a deciduous coniferous species of larch that turns gold in autumn. The Hoar Pond Nature Trail starts with a short, steep climb before easing up and turning into an easier walk with some views to the north and east. The trail eventually winds around to nice views of a bog and pond. There is parking off Old Country Road, which is found from River Road off Route 124. Look for brown and white signs.

7) Edward MacDowell Lake, West Peterborough

Easy walk-to views of birch, poplar, maple, oak, beech, hemlock and alder can be found here. The varieties circle a large flood-control lake and a dirt trail ambles along its eastern shore. The Edward MacDowell Dam was built as a result of the Flood Control Act of 1936 and created a lake that has become a popular local spot for walking the family dog, fishing, and canoeing and kayaking. It affords a variety of scenic vistas as does a walk on top of the dam itself. Find the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers station at the end of Wilder Street off Union Street just west of Nature’s Green Grocer.

This is far from an exhaustive list; there are many more hikes possible in the region.  If you have a favorite you’d like to share, add it to the comments list!

An outdoor wedding is nice, especially when the bride is this beautiful. (Tim Jones photo)

Our friends Rich and Suzanne got married on a late summer Saturday that hinted of coming autumn, so my sweetheart Marilyn and I spent a beautiful, cool afternoon and evening all dressed up with lots of nice people around. They are a wonderful couple, it was a  lovely outdoor ceremony, and a great party after, and we throughly enjoyed the whole experience. But by Sunday morning, we were ready to get away and enjoy the rest of a long weekend being Active Outdoors. I don’t know about you, but I prefer hiking boots to dress shoes.

The wedding wasn’t far from Springfield, Mass. Searching around for nearby opportunities, we chanced upon the AMC’s Noble View Outdoor Center in Russell, Mass. Though we regularly visit AMC lodges and huts in New Hampshire and Maine, we’d never stayed at Noble View. Instant getaway!

I’ve always contended that there are outdoor opportunities everywhere. When we booked our night at Noble View, I asked the volunteer caretaker, Gary Forish, about dayhikes nearby. While there are a number of short hikes which start and end right at Noble View, Gary (like all AMC folks an enthusiastic outdoors person), recommended the Keystone Arch Bridges Trail about 20 minutes away in Chester. Great choice, Thanks Gary!

If you think this ancient stonework on the Keystone Arch Bridges Trail is impressive, wait until you see what's coming . . . (Tim Jones photo)

The trail starts off Middlefield Road about two and a half miles out of “downtown” Chester. At the trailhead you find the first of several large signboards which give you the history of the bridges and the railroad that created them. The trail, which essentially parallels the Westfield River, starts on a rough dirt road–clearly used by off road vehicles–but soon departs for a more sylvan route along a sidehill. Almost instantly you begin seeing signs of the stonework that defines much of human activity in this area. A mile or so out, a modern pedestrian bridge (made of wood and metal, not stone but still functional) gets you across a steepsided gully and a little trickle marked on the map merely as “Unnamed Stream.” Watch your step where the trail tuns and parallels the gully–a slip could prove, well, interesting . . .

You have to scramble down (and then back up) a steep bank to see this view, but it's clearly worth the effort. (Tim Jones photo)

Eventually the path turns again and follows the sidehill until it meets again with the old road near a spectacular span of hand-cut stones dry-laid without an ounce of mortar. Please understand that I don’t use the word “spectacular” lightly . . . this is an absolutely gorgeous structure in a beautiful setting, a worthy destination for a walk (or mountain bike ride). Take a moment while you are here to imagine the work of many hands that produced this testament to human ingenuity and the engineer’s art.

These were the first such railroad bridges constructed in North America and several are still standing proudly when several more modern and presumably “better” bridges in New England had washed away only three weeks before in the floods brought by the remnants of Hurricanes Irene, Lee and Katia. Like the bedrock they rest on, these bridges are going to be here for a very long time.

Marilyn standing alone on the bridge gives you a sense of the massive scale. Imagine this scene in foliage season!

We’d had a leisurely day planned and this was a perfect hike, not too long and not too hard, but rewarding all the same. Compared to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, this is very, very easy walking. By the time we had reached the bridge and taken our photos, the sun was already arcing noticeably toward the horizon. Though we had headlamps in our packs, in case darkness overtook us,  we decided to turn back rather than continue on to explore other bridges farther up the trail. We wanted a chance to see Noble View in full daylight on a bright afternoon. Besides, the unseen bridges will almost certainly lure us to return.

There were the slightest hints of color in a few leaves on this late-summer day. But I can only imagine how beautiful this hike will be in a couple of weeks when the leaves are turning. If you happen to go on this hike on a sunny day when the autumn colors are in full display, please take a photo of the bridge and send it to me (timjones@easternslopes.com). There’s a short trail from the east end of the bridge out to the railroad tracks which offers one of the best vantage-points for a photo. I’d love to see (and share with other EasternSlopes.com readers) what we missed by not being there at the right moment.

Noble Lodging

Even if a family named "Noble" hadn't owed the property in the 1800s, "Noble View" would still be an appropriate name. (Tim Jones photo)

You don’t really notice it as you drive up General Knox Road, up South Quarter Road, then up the long gravel drive to Noble View, but “up” is the key concept in reaching Noble View. When you step between the newly renovated “Double Cabin” and “North Cottage,” the tremendous view to the east grabs your eyeballs and drags them over Westfield and Springfield. You’re slightly surprised that you can’t see the skyline of Boston. Or maybe even the Alps. The view seems to go on forever.

I can tell you for certain it’s even more spectacular at night with city lights twinkling below, and at sunrise on a cold, clear autumn morning when the sky is a brilliant orange. By the way, though the view is definitely noble, the property name came from the Noble family which bought it in 1825. The AMC purchased the property in 1931 and has added to it since. There are 17 miles of hiking and cross-country ski trails on the 360-acres.

A bunk at Noble View is $26/night for AMC members, $28 for non-members. A bedroom with two bunks is $40/$44, four bunks $76/84, you get the picture. There’s no plumbing in the cottages, though there’s a 6-burner range, refrigerator, a good complement of kitchenware and plenty of space to cook for a group.

Three of the buildings at Noble View, like North Cottage shown here, are newly renovated and accessible to people with disabilities. (Tim Jones photo)

There’s indoor plumbing (showers, sinks, toilets, a restaurant-style sink for washing dishes) in a beautiful new bathhouse, but it’s a short walk to get there. The bathhouse has solar panels on the roof which supply most of the electricity used on the property, the toilets are flush-composting models, there’s plenty of hot water. It’s all very green technology and the three remodeled buildings are accessible for people with disabilities.

Noble View gets a lot of use on weekends by Scout groups and various service organizations, but some weekends are empty (what a place for a family gathering!) Midweek, it’s perfect for a quiet overnight getaway with all outdoors around you.

Sad Commentary

The Keystone Arch Bridges Trail intersects at several points with old roads that are, apparently, heavily used by off road vehicles. While I’ll readily admit that I’d prefer to see people getting exercise and fresh air by walking or riding a mountain bike in this beautiful setting, the four- wheelers hadn’t done much damage to the road other than a few deep tire ruts in muddy spots and, perhaps, contributing to erosion in a few others.

Absolutely appalling, however, was the amount of litter—mainly blue Bud Light cans—strewn  along the jeep roads, especially where repeated large “campfires” had been built. Shame on the thoughtless renegades who regularly desecrate this beautiful spot. By the way, in case you are wondering, there weren’t any beer cans at all along the sections of trail accessible only to hikers and mountain bikers.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Snowmobilers,  for example, have done a marvelous job of organizing clubs which, in turn, educate their members on responsible riding and contribute heavily to trail maintenance and upkeep. In my experience, the vast majority of snowmobilers are good citizens. It’s rare to see litter anywhere snowmobilers ride.

To me, it looks like it’s time for the responsible majority in the ATV and 4WD community in this area to step up, organize and educate its members. Maybe the brewing companies could do more to educate their consumers as well . . . Other that that, the only remedy I can see is increased law enforcement.

Another Sad Comment

Apparently, efforts to preserve and protect these amazing stone structures are being frustrated at every turn. See the comment below from David Pierce. . . .

After four years of family vacations spent looking out at Minot’s Ledge Light from the beaches of Scituate, Mass., I was determined to get a close-up look at the venerable old lighthouse that juts straight out of the sea a little more than a mile offshore. After all, I own a 17-foot canvas-and-wood framed tandem kayak bought specifically for salt-water adventures.

Snowy egrets and other waterfowl ply the marshes at the south end of Cohasset Harbor. A beautiful sight! (Jonathan Gourlay photo)

This summer, as  in the past, we rented a house for a week with my wife’s mother, sisters and their families, on North Scituate Beach just down the road from Strawberry Point, the southern entrance to Cohasset Harbor. Across the road from the house was a public beach and behind it was the eastern edge of a tidal marsh that alternately filled and drained twice a day with the tide.

America’s most dangerous beacon
One of the main shipping lanes into Boston Harbor passes Minot’s Ledge, a submerged rock outcropping and the site of numerous shipwrecks in the 18^th and first half of the 19^th centuries. The first Minot Light was built in 1850 of steel, but lasted barely a year before a severe storm ripped it apart, killing two assistant keepers: Joseph Wilson and Joseph Antoine. A granite replacement was completed in 1860 and still stands guard over the active shipping lane.

Because of the shipping lane and the rocks marked by the light, the local kayaking clubs suggest kayakers visiting the light know how to read the water and maneuver around rocks that can be alternately submerged and exposed, depending on the waves and swell rolling in from the sea.

I wanted to share the thrill of digging into oncoming waves and riding them back in with my sons, but because they are not experienced paddlers, I thought I’d break them in easy. A round trip in a heavy-but-stable kayak would be a workout,  so I first invited  Ethan, our 14-year-old, because he would make my hardiest bow paddler.

On day one, late in the afternoon on a perfectly clear day, we pushed off  the kayak into a natural trough bordered by high marsh grass 50 yards behind the house. We couldn’t spend too much time in the boat because the dinner bell would ring early that night and the marshes drain fast once the tide starts flowing out. Ending our paddle bottomed out on mud with the sun going down wasn’t part of the plan.

Bowman Ethan enjoys the solitude and quiet of the salt marsh. (Jonathan Gourlay photo)

Messing around and warming up on flat water
Ethan and I pushed off from the grass just a little before high tide. There was no perceptible movement of water, so we decided to simply paddle into progressively wider channels as we came to them. We zigzagged left and right into ever-wider channels for about 20 minutes, paddling in almost complete silence, the grass and reeds providing a sound buffer that made it seem like we were the last people on earth.

At one point a snowy egret swept across our path 20 yards ahead of us. Presently, we started to hear children’s voices drift in from somewhere across the marsh. The next turn revealed a wider expanse of water and Bassings Beach to our west. The turn also brought more sounds from across the open water ahead of us that was Cohasset Harbor.

“Where do you think those voices are coming from?” asked Ethan. I told him I didn’t know. The voices became clearer and seemed to be very close. Approaching what appeared to be the last bit of marsh jutting out from our right, I spotted a flash of white in the grass. “Egret,” I whispered to Ethan, shipping my paddle and pulling a camera from my dry bag. As we floated silently  forward, I took pictures of what appeared to be an adult snowy egret with a youngster nearby. The youngster wasn’t as tall as the adult and seemed to have some gray on its chest.

After our egret encounter, Ethan and I paddled on. Shortly we approached an obvious division between the marsh and the harbor as a line of rippling water took over from the glassy surface we were leaving behind.

An old WWII-era sub tower stands as a sentinel looking out over the coastline. (Jonathan Gourlay photo)

Then we spotted the source of the lively children’s voices: a dozen or more white hulls under sail were cutting through the water in a cove.

“Sailing class,” I said to Ethan. “That’s where the voices are coming from.”

Once we reached the open water, we made a right turn and headed for the end of Strawberry Point. To our right we could see the top of an old World War II-era sub-spotting tower built among the scrub pines and oak.

We made for the tip of the point and entered the main channel of the harbor. It looked like it would take another half hour, at least, just to reach the point, so, after talking it over with Ethan, we spun around and headed back for the protected marsh. Back in the grass-protected channels, we floated quietly for awhile and listened again to the muted sounds of nature.

Almost to the light. Minot's Ledge is hidden by the tide just east of the Boston Harbor shipping lane that approaches from the south. (Ethan Gourlay photo)

Lover’s Light or bust
A couple of days later, we finally decided to go for the light. The weather looked questionable and I decided the direct route would be best. We rolled the kayak down the road about 100 yards to the end of the seawall and across the stony beach to a tidal pool that was quickly emptying of water. Ethan got in, I pushed us off, and we paddled between two large rock piles, our bow splitting the oncoming two-foot waves with barely a notice.

From there, with the tide on our side, we paddled straight (or, at least, as straight as we could with wind, waves, and tidal current)  toward the light with Strawberry Point stretching off to our left. We passed what appeared to be a partially submerged steel mast with a kestrel perched on top. I passed Ethan the camera.

As we approached a big green “can” buoy which marks the shipping channel, I told Ethan I would need his help to paddle quickly across. He passed the camera back to me and we paddled out into the main traffic lane for ships approaching Boston from the Atlantic. Ship traffic was light, but it was like someone threw a switch and we suddenly encountered a pretty decent swell rolling in from the northeast that added almost two feet to the foot and a half chop we’d been paddling through. I explained to Ethan that, as long as we headed straight into the swell and the waves, they wouldn’t affect our boat. He said the wave action made our trip more fun. Ethan did an admirable job of matching me stroke for stroke to get across the channel quickly.

Safely across, I dug the camera out once again and handed it forward  for him to take pictures. Minot Light is  a 97-foot monolith, impressive up close. We were careful not to approach too close. Jagged rocks hide below the surface, and the waves and tidal currents could easily push us against the unforgiving granite, which could mean disaster in a canvas boat.

The granite monolith is topped by a lens now powered by solar rays. (Ethan Gourlay photo)

The white beacon of Minot Light flashes white once, then four times, then three times, and repeats this pattern every 45 seconds. Local romantics discovered the 1-4-3 sequence to be the same as the letter count in “I love you,” which is why it’s known as the “Lover’s Light.” Today, the light is lit by solar power and continues to warn boats of the hidden hazards and guides large vessels safely in and out of Boston, Hull and harbors to the south.

We rounded the light, passing two anchored fishing boats and headed back toward shore, making for the north end of Egypt Beach, where we were scheduled to meet the rest of our vacation party. But we found ourselves fighting against the tide after rounding the light and instead of heading straight for the shore, we angled to the south a bit, passing a dive boat on the way. A continuous half-hour paddling effort got us near the beach. Ethan kept a sharp lookout for rocks below the surface and cautioned there might be some hidden boulders lurking between two large rockpiles right in our path. The surface wave action revealed no obstructions below, so I convinced him that there was plenty of water to pass and we safely rode the swell toward the shore. After another 20 minutes or so, we negotiated another rock garden and beached the kayak on the smooth sand just a short walk from the North Scituate Post Office.

We were greeted as returning heroes by our family as we stretched legs, backs and arms, happy with our accomplishment. We had finally seen Lover’s Light up close, had viewed our familiar sliver of coastline from a vastly different perspective, and, accomplished our main task of simply messing around in the boat for a while.

MORE KAYAK STORIES:

Three Days On The Water In Northern New Hampshire and Maine: Lake Umbagog, The Magalloway and Kennebago Rivers

Escape The Heat By Paddling the Charles River (Great Views of Boston, Too!)

One Night Getaway: A 28-Hour Couples Vacation With Kayaks

Kennebunk Idyll: First Paddle Of The Year

Salty Kayaking

IF YOU GO:

You don’t need to own your own kayak to paddle south of Boston

Kayak rentals:

Nantasket Kayak

Charles River Canoe & Kayak

Kayak and accessory sales:

Buckles & Boards Ski & Surf

Home rentals:

VacationRentals.com

Lunch break for the entire crew of family and friends at Hugh Gallen Memorial. (Doug Goodin photo)

For the last several years my husband Doug and I have hosted what we call the “Family and Friends Flotilla.” It started as a way to get the entire family together and have some fun and for us to share the kind of activities we enjoy. (You can read about our Flotilla on the Baker River in 2009, and on the Bearcamp River in 2010 here.)

This kind of active family gathering is actually fairly easy to plan. It’s been a great experience for our family, and I highly recommend it for your family, too.

2011 was the fourth annual, Flotilla and this year we added a Friday bike ride to our list of fun things to do during what’s evolved into a full week’s camping trip. Since we were camping near New Hampshire’s Franconia Notch, we thought we would give the Franconia Notch “bike trail” a try. We had heard good things about it from friends and, since it is mostly downhill, it sounded appropriate for our gang of cyclists that ranged in age from 10 to 66 with varied abilities and interests. Doug’s family is from Connecticut and hasn’t seen the wonders of Franconia Notch a bazillion times. Exploring by bike would entice the rest of us to take another, fresh look.

We talked to several people who assured us that the nine-mile ride was easy and mostly downhill, which was good news to our group, most of whom do not spend a lot of time on their bikes. Doug and I ride when we can on the Northern Rail Trail, which runs very near our home, but my bike is a fat-tire single-speed. If I can ride the Franconia Notch trail on a bike with no gears, so can you!

We started at the trailhead for the Skookumchuck Trail, north of the Notch, which led to a few raised eyebrows and (good natured, we hope) comments about false advertising (remember that “mostly” downhill?). From this starting point, the first couple of miles have some uphill pedaling. Still, I didn’t have to walk my single-speed at all (and I don’t get out on my bike all that much). You can avoid the uphills almost entirely by starting at the parking lot at the Lafayette Bridge Overlook, Echo Lake, or at the foot of Cannon, where you can  rent bikes for the trip.

If you do plan to rent, dress appropriately (meaning always wear a helmet and have, at least, sneakers on your feet) and bring water. Other options for renting bikes can be found at Loon Mountain or Rodgers Ski & Sport in Lincoln. Both offer transport to Echo Lake for rentals and personal bikes. Whether you are riding a rental or your own bike, make sure it is in working order and test your brakes, especially if you are going north to south. If you or someone in your group has physical limitations, contact New England Disabled Sports at Loon Mountain: They have hand cycles available and events throughout the summer.

Doug and Max don't have a lot of extra room passing the bollard. This one is south of Profile Lake. (Kate Goodin photo)

Motorized vehicles are kept off the trail at intersections with roadways by bollards. They narrow the space bikes have to pass, so be aware; you are going to see them again and again. They look intimidating at first, but proved wide enough for Doug to get through while towing our son Max in his Schwinn trailer.

Your first real view is of Mt. Lafayette as you cross a bridge that once was part of Rt 3. Ahead is a parking lot with a sculpture of former Governor Hugh Gallen. We had lunch there as some of our crew had apparently not eaten enough for breakfast (nudge, nudge).

Artist's Bluff from the bike path. (Kate Goodin photo)

Use caution when getting back on the bike path. You are about to head downhill, and some of it proved steep, winding, and, for some in our crew, too wild for their blood. They walked their bikes.

Almost immediately the trail starts heading up again and comes out to an unusual (at least for those of us used to the view from the road) look at Artist’s Bluff. A bit more huffing and puffing brings you to Echo Lake and the end of any major uphills. A few of our crew took a quick dip in the lake, despite the wind and whitecaps (Franconia Notch State Park has a nice beach and charges $4 admission for adults; $2 for children ages 6-11; children ages 5 and under and NH residents age 65 and over are admitted free). It was a hot day and the water was reportedly “refreshing.” I think they meant cold.

By this point in the ride, we already had riders running low on water, so it was off to the Cannon Aerial Tramway Base, where we stopped for a long break and lunch for those not hungry earlier, ice cream (for a surprisingly good price!), and a water refill.

It’s a little unclear how to pick up the bike path from the Cannon Tram Base parking lot (the actual path bypasses it), so we sent out a search party to make sure the trail was where we thought it would be, and then a search party to find the search party. Eventually, we regrouped on the trail. The trick is to simply head south out of the parking lot.

The highway isn't far through those trees, but I had this wild looking spot all to myself. (Kate Goodin photo)

Soon you come to beautiful views of the cliffs on Cannon Mountain and Profile Lake. Despite the shouts of my crew to pedal like mad to make it up the hill, I stopped to take pictures. The hill was short but steep and, from a stand-still, I just barely made it on the single-speed without having to walk.

After one sharp left hand turn under the highway, you pedal to the edge of Profile Lake. From here the trail is almost all downhill (no kidding). You go back under the highway, past a great little access point to the tail end of Profile Lake (where we spotted a family of geese), and then come to a blissful respite from pedaling alongside the highway. Enjoy it, because once you get to Lafayette campground, the rest of the path parallels the notch highway for much of the way and traffic is steady on busy weekends.

Some great little pull-out spots along the trail reveal things you would never see otherwise: different views of landmarks you are used to seeing from the road; secret swampy areas where you might see a bear or moose. More than likely, unless you are on the trail when you are not supposed to be, (the trail is open ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset), bears will be in hiding. We did, however, see several telltale, berry-laden bear pies on the path….

This is NOT a bike walk zone! (Kate Goodin photo)

South of Profile Lake, keep your eyes peeled for “bike walk zones.” They aren’t always adequately marked. Keep in mind that this is, technically, a “multi-use” path and the walk zones are necessary for safety reasons. One of them stretches for a while and I can only guess that walking it really does make sense on a busy Saturday or Sunday.

There are several places along the path near The Basin where you can stop and admire, and even take a dip in, the Pemigewasset River. There are enough pools and spots to pull off the trail so that, at times, we had the place to ourselves.

After the Basin parking lot, the bike path passes under I-93 again into a lovely woodsy section along the foot of Mount Liberty, and, beyond that, is the trailhead for Libery Springs Trail. There is a road crossing somewhere in this section that doesn’t appear on my map. It’s by no means a high traffic road, but keep an eye on the kids and the path.

Finally, you’re upon the Flume parking lot before you know it. If you’ve staged a car here, you can drive back to your starting point knowing you’ve experienced Franconia Notch in a new way; you’ve seen the tourist spots and earned your ice cream, too!

We had this beautiful waterfall and the pool below it all to ourselves. (Kate Goodin photo)

If you go:

Franconia Notch State Park Recreation Path distances (Traveling South from Skookumchuck & Rt. US 3)

• Total  mileage: 8.8 miles
• Skookumchuck to Lafayette Brook Bridge scenic vista south end: 1.49 miles (mostly uphill)
• Lafayette Brook Bridge to north end of Echo Lake and junction with Rt.18: 0.68 miles
• North end of Echo Lake to aerial tramway parking lot: 0.59 miles
• Tramway to north end of Profile Lake underpass: 0.54 miles
• North end of Profile Lake Underpass to southern end of Profile Lake hiker parking area: 0.68 miles
• Southern end of Profile Lake parking to Lafayette Campground: 1.3 miles
• Lafayette Campground to Basin viewing area: 1.7 miles
• Basin viewing area to Whitehouse Bridge: 0.88 miles
• Whitehouse Bridge to the Flume: 0.95 miles

Be Prepared:

While there are places, most notably at the Cannon tram building, where you can buy water, snacks, and even good ice cream along the trail, it’s always a good idea to carry water, at least, and your own snacks. This is especially important on a hot day, particularly, if you start at the north end.

Editors’ Trail Notes: More experienced cyclists who like to travel fast and far are not likely to enjoy biking the Franconia Recreation Path, especially on summer and fall weekends when it can get congested. But it can be a joy as a family ride if you pay attention to your own behavior and abilities and those of any children in your group.  The more popular parts of the path around The Basin and other hotspots might require some walking of bikes to be safe. Bring a bike lock for side trips by foot to the notch’s attractions off the path.

My daughter Doris (14) was already up on Cash, a chestnut mare with a glossy coat so fine that you could see the veins through the skin of her well-muscled legs. Doris looked comfortable enough, but I knew that like me, she was feeling a bit of trepidation along with the excitement over this day’s adventure.

A Horse, and a Course, for Everyone

The adventure had begun the night before, when we drove up to Mountain Top. My husband Jed and my 17-year-old daughter Loretta didn’t come with us, mostly due to their busy schedules, but also because Doris and I are the major horse lovers in the family. Although entire-family adventures are great, any parent can attest to the value of one-on-one time with a child, and I was looking forward to spending some “quality time” with Doris.

Mountain Top's sign beckons you from the road. (Jenny Donelan photo.)

Mountain Top is prettily situated along a quiet road about 11 miles from Killington Ski Resort. The resort began as a turnip farm in the 1800s, and became a popular inn during the 1940s. President Eisenhower stayed here in 1955. With its lake and mountain views, year-round activities, relaxed atmosphere, and plush, comfortable accommodations, Mountain Top Inn & Resort is a spectacular place to stay in any season for any reason. This August, we were there for the horses. Mountain Top’s Equestrian Center offers one of the most comprehensive vacation-based horseback programs in the Northeast. The folks there can handle never-ever beginners (or once-in-a-blue-moon near-beginners like Doris and me) as well as expert riders and everyone in between. Mountain Top offers trail rides of different lengths, and also instruction in both English and Western riding, with advanced classes such as Jumping and Introduction to Cross Country Jumping.

Doris and I were signed up for a one-hour trail ride the next morning, which seemed like a prudent way to ease back into the saddle. In the meantime, we were hungry, so as soon as we checked into our cozy room with its quilted bedspreads and view of the lake, we headed straight for the restaurant. We sat outside, like almost all the other guests that night, on a large flagstone patio overlooking the lake (actually Chittendon Reservoir), which was surrounded by the mountains of Green Mountain National Forest. Whether it was the amazing view, the outdoor setting, the laid-back ambiance, or all three, “It reminds me of Europe,” said Doris.

We enjoyed a leisurely meal in the company of fellow diners ranging from large families to couples young, elderly, and in between. Mountain Top is a family place, but it’s also (note for later) ideal for a romantic getaway. Everything was excellent, but we especially enjoyed the corn fritters floating atop a thick corn chowder (all made from local produce).

Doris, perhaps imagining that she is in an outdoor café in Vienna, enjoys a cup of tea on the patio before our ride. (Jenny Donelan photo.)

The next morning, after a big buffet breakfast, Doris and I made the short walk to the equestrian center along a road lined with day lilies, Queen Anne’s lace, and black-eyed Susans. We saw a lab and a collie being walked and I found out later that Mountain Top has five pet-friendly cabins among its lodge, cabin, and chalet offerings. At the stable headquarters, which also serves as Mountain Top’s Nordic Ski and Snowshoe Center in winter, we selected helmets (riding helmets are a must at Mountain Top) and headed out to meet our steeds.

Happy Trails Year ‘Round

While I was contemplating the daunting physics of putting a foot in a stirrup that seemed nearly shoulder high, and swinging my body in some improbable way up over the horse, our guide, Genna Smith, explained that at Mountain Top they like to use a mounting block, “to save the horses’ backs.” (She saved my dignity by not mentioning anything about saving the riders’ dignity.) Once I was up, Genna adjusted the length of my stirrups so I sat more comfortably. She asked me if I knew how to steer and I said I did. In Western riding, which is what we were doing on this trail ride, you hold the reins in one hand and guide the horse with a light pressure of the reins on its neck. As we waited for the other three riders in our group to mount up, Creo decided to meander off somewhere. I pulled back on the reins a bit and said, “Hey, where are you going?” She paused; her tulip-shaped ears swiveled back, then forward; and she stopped. Maybe this was going to be all right.

Our fellow trail riders were also women, two of them an aunt and her niece from Montreal. Our third companion, who arrived last, got to ride Jill, one of the resort’s draft horses. Jill also helps pull the resort’s carriage and sleigh. All three arrived in jodhpurs and riding boots, thereby intimidating, er, impressing us, and all had been staying and riding at Mountain Top for a couple of days. They seemed to know the horses by name, and I was a little envious when we heard them talking about all the riding they’d been doing that week.

This picture of me on Creo is an optical illusion. In real life, this horse was huge, really enormous. You had to have been there. (Doris Donelan photo.)

We set off single file and were quickly into the woods. The trail rides at Mountain Top make extensive use of the resort’s 60 kilometers of Nordic ski trails, many of which wind through the trees. For that reason, even though the day was hot, we had possibly the most comfortable trail ride I have ever had, in the cool of the forest. All the XC skiing trail signs also offered a tantalizing view of what the place would be like in winter – pretty darned amazing. Doris and I are primarily alpine skiers, but maybe that will change. As we looked at some of the winding black trails during our ride, and imagined doing them on straight skis, we were impressed – and intrigued.

We passed through fields of fern and some other type of tall, skinny wild plant that our horses found delicious. They kept swiping mouthfuls of it as we rode along. “It’s like a big salad bar,” said one of the women from Montreal. Although I’d wondered if Doris and I would hold these more experienced riders back, that didn’t seem to be the case. We were all seemed to be enjoying the rhythm of the ride, and the scenery.

Genna turned around and eyed us all for a minute. “Do you want to do some trotting?” she asked. My heart raced. Trotting was outside of my comfort zone at that moment. “Sure!” I said. She set her horse, Wrangler, to a quick trot up a small incline. Creo thought it would be a better idea to bypass trot and proceed directly to canter, and before I knew it we were flying along with a rhythmic ba boom, ba boom (that was the sound of my rear end hitting the saddle). I pulled back on her reins and said “Whoa!” or maybe it was “Hamina-hamina.” In any event, Creo slowed immediately, settling down to a steady trot just like Wrangler’s in front of me and Cash’s behind me. Chugging up the mountain, the breeze flowing past our heads, nervousness gave way to exhilaration as we all hit our strides. After we got to the top of the hill, Doris patted Cash’s neck and I could hear her praising her mount.

Reminders of winter are everywhere at Mountain Top. Here, a snow gun on the left keeps company with the white carriage the resort uses for weddings. Note: Mountain Top makes snow for Nordic skiing. (Jenny Donelan photo.)

At one point, Genna spotted a deer, and we all watched a reddish doe twitching her tail in a shallow wooded depression near the trail. It is amazing how much more you can see from the back of a horse, and how quickly you can move along the rockiest of trails. Horses really are the ultimate all-terrain vehicles; and, with apologies to car and truck enthusiasts out there, you can’t have the same kind of rapport with your F-150 that you do with a horse. At one point, a greenish-blue fly landed on Creo’s neck. She shook her head and flicked her ears and twitched her skin repeatedly, but the bug did not move. Finally I leaned forward, a bit farther forward than I was really comfortable leaning, and shooed the fly away. She was worth it.

Genna, our guide, told us she was from Brandon, Vermont. She is all of 19 years old but has been riding since she was five and looks as comfortable on horseback as I do on my living room couch. Maybe more. She rides competitively and is currently pursuing barrel racing. I asked her if you could really ride at Mountain Top as a never-ever and she said absolutely. The most important things to learn, she explained, are how to steer and how to stop – “especially how to stop.” Yes, another reminder of skiing.

Mountain Top guide Genna Smith (here mounted on Wrangler) is 19 years old and already owns four horses. So many horses, so little time. (Jenny Donelan photo.)

I would talk about the rest of our ride, and about saying goodbye to Creo, but I would get all choked up, so I will let Doris, and then a picture, tell the rest of that story:

 Doris Donelan’s View (From the Top of “Cash”)

Walking up to Mountain Top’s horse-riding center, I was slightly anxious. I had only ridden a horse three times in the past 10 years. I always worry about actually getting on the horse. Those fears were soon eased, as it became apparent that we would all get on our horses by way of a mounting block. After I got settled on my horse, Cash, we were off. Our trail group was very small: just my mom, three women, and me. Any concerns I had about Cash bolting off into the trees soon proved groundless. All of the horses were very well behaved, and we went down our hour-long trail in a neat single-file line.

The trail ride was absolutely gorgeous. We were hardly ever out in the open fields, almost always within the canopy of the trees. I was free to look around me as we ascended and descended. The wildlife was amazing. I saw countless birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and even a deer! When our party arrived at the halfway point, the horses stopped to have a nibble of grass. There was a magnificent view from where we sat on our horses next to a small lake. You could see gray mountains rising in the distance, and endless acres of trees all around.

It seems obvious by this point, but I loved my trip on Cash. Our guide was very nice and knew a lot about the horses and the land. My only complaint was my sore bum after we all got off. I feel the brief trotting excursions I had with my horse might have been the cause of that . . .

My dad Jed and my sister Loretta don’t like horses as much as my mom and I do. However, I do remember a time when we all went on a long trail ride in Colorado that was very fun. On the trail ride at Mountain Top, my mom and I laughed at our abysmal attempts to take pictures while on the back of a bumpy horse. It was fun to do this ride with my mom, especially since neither of us is too impressive on a horse.

Creo is a great horse, though I have to say that all the horses at Mountain Top seem well-trained and well-behaved -- they're just not quite as great as Creo. (Doris Donelan Photo)

Paddling Away

Yes, we were a little saddle sore as we made our way back to the lodge. But only a little. We had just enough time to check out the lake before heading home. Mountain Top has a private beach with canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats, and we couldn’t resist taking a paddleboat out for a spin. We headed out, rounded the buoy, and aimed for shore. On our way in, we both agreed we’d love to come back to Mountain Top. With all the horseback riding, hiking, swimming, boating, horseshoes, clay pigeon shooting, and other activities that Mountain Top offers (not to mention the skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, sleigh riding etc. in winter), you could spend many days here and never be bored. Or, you could spend many days just sitting in a comfy chair and staring at the view, and never be bored.

We definitely plan to ride again at Mountain Top. Maybe we’ll even take some lessons next time. We owe it to the horses.

If you go:

• Riding boots are the best, but sturdy closed-toed shoes work too. Absolutely no sandals or flipflops.

• Wear sturdy long pants, like jeans, or jodhpurs if you’ve got them. You do not want to ride in shorts.

• Make sure you reserve your ride when you reserve your room (Mountain Top has many great riding vacation packages you may want to check out.)

• Be honest with the stable staff about your ability, your height, and weight. They will match you with a horse that will make your time as enjoyable as possible.

To find out more about a riding vacation at Mountain Top Inn & Resort, visit the Equestrian Center web page. To read more about riding and other fun at Mountaintop, see the Eastern Slopes articles Cowgirling in Vermont; Learning How to Ride, Jump Fences, and Shoot! and Whoosh! Pop! Splat! Giggle.