Beginniner/intermedia day hike trail in NH?

“Assuming the weather is okay, I'm hoping to get a day hike up in the NH White Mountains next weekend.

Any suggestions? Looking for a beginner to intermdiate trail that'll take perhaps 4-5 hours round trip.

Thanks!”

“start off rt 2 in the Whites, Appalachia parking lot. Valleyway trail up to Mt Madison. I think that the hut will still be open for 2 weeks. GOOD soup!! No sense hiking in NH and not bagging at least 1 peak!”

“Consider the Welch - Dickey Loop (Welch Dickey trail) for a gentle 4 hour hike with about 1900 feet of rise... the views are great.

You could also do a round trip up Mt. Liberty for a more spectacular view.

For info on these routes and others go to:

Dave Metsky's site”

“hehe.....he said Dickey”

“Welch Dickey is a great beginner dayhike! I snowshoed it last March. The views are nice from both Welch and Dickey Mountains and it is a good loop walk...up one mountain, saddle across to another (read: not much alt gain/loss in between) and down the other. The grades are easy and the path is a nice meander through hardwoods with the obligatory little stream here and there to keep the mountain music flowing. ;)

Have fun!”

“Try Chocura. South of the North COnway traffic mess. Bare rocky summit with great views. A lot of reward for not as much effort and distance.

Was my first climb some 31 years ago this fall (at age 5).”

“Another hike is the Mt Morgan/Mt Percival loop in the Sandwich range which is also a moderate hike with great views of Squam lake.”

“Do you think a 5-year old child can handle doing Welch-Dickey loop? My son is fairly energetic (as are most 5-year olds) and he has been hiking before (though the max he's done thus far is 3 miles, but he had no problems and half of it was up hill).

How long is Chocura? Lee says he did it when he was 5, so that sounds like a good match up for me and my son. :)”

“Dave --

I remember carrying a small red kids pack that I abandoned fairly early on. I remember stopping and negoitating with my Father several times. I slept at the top.

I have friends who have taken their kids (age 8, no problem) and 6 (also pretty easy, justmore ind games) up layfette and washington.

Bribes help. Is there some special treat that he doesn't get at home (e.g candy, gum) that he could get as a reward at the top.

My friend's daughter did Layfette, as a 5 year old, on her own two feet the hole way in exchange for a piece of gum!”

“Some five year olds could do it... especially with a nice long stop for lunch at one of the peaks. Just carry plenty of drink and food treats. You can always turn around after the first peak (instead of doing a loop) if your son is getting tired or cranky.

With kids for day hikes, I used to freeze some of the water or juice I took... it kept other things cold and would melt along the way. They seemed to appreciate it a lot more when it was cold. Given the time of year, you wouldn't want to fully freeze it on this trip.”