Total Distance :(from parking area to summit) aprrox 2.0 miles
Difficulty Level: Easy/Moderate
Climbed August 17, 1997
Weather conditions: Humid - 80's
Follow Rt. 11 from Gilford or Alton Bay. Signs for the parking area are prevalent. The popular trail begins on what seems to be a logging road and ascends moderately for approximately 0.7 miles. The trail continues on a sharp turn to the left and is marked with an arrow and the word "GO" formed by rocks. (There is also a path that goes straight, this is NOT the trail).
Continue following the trail more steeply over a partly rock covered path. Soon you will come upon another fork in the path and the blue blazes point you in the left direction. This brings you to the first set of ledges and outlook and are easily climbed. Beyond the ledges is open trail again until you reach the next set of ledges and the second outlook. The summit is not far ahead and can be accessed by either climbing the ledges or walking around them on small paths through the woods. The summit affords excellent views of the surrounding lakes and waterways and several other peaks.
We noticed on our descent that we stayed more to the left which brought us around the first set of ledges and would have been in easier climb on the way up. Definitely easier if you are carrying a small child. Some other notes of interest were the uncanny number of "Daddy Long Leg" spiders covering the trail and an impression in the rock of the first ledge that some hikers behind us seem to think looked like some sort of dinosaur fossil (which it did). Of course, we have no validation of that, but that certainly would be incredible and worth hiking the trail just to see it!