Parking
Use the dirt hiker lot across Route 18 from Peabody Base Lodge; the Bald Mountain approach starts from this trailhead.
Overview
About Bald Mountain Trail
Why go
- Open summit rock gives a short hike a broad view of Cannon Mountain and Franconia Notch.
Heads up
- The last tenth-mile is steep and involves ledge and boulder scrambling.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Franconia Notch map
Full mapElevation2,011–2,297 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Franconia Notch alerts
- ClosureFlume Gorge Short Trail closed; seasonal closure Oct 26The Flume Gorge Short Trail/Rim Path is closed; before the seasonal closure, visitors must use the full 2-mile loop.Official details
- ClosureCannon Mountain Aerial Tramway closed and retiredThe Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway (Tram II) is closed and retired; do not plan on a tram ride.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Franconia Notch Tour Guide
Your drive to Bald Mountain Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Franconia Notch State Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Franconia Notch audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Artists Bluff and Bald Mountain0:00 / 0:24
“You're nearing the trailhead for Artists Bluff and Bald Mountain, a good short hike if you're comfortable on steep rock and roots. Allow an hour to an hour and a half for the full loop.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Franconia Notch Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cannon Mountain Ski Area and Cannonball Pub
- Echo Lake Beach: Swim or Paddle
- The Forest Feeds the Trout
- Mittersill’s Austrian Roots
- 32 audio storiesacross Franconia Notch’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Moose, Wild Turkey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 29 trails, 33 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Bald Mountain Trail
The short summit optionBald Mountain Trail is about 0.7 mile round trip from the Route 18 hiker lot.
Bald Mountain Trail is about 0.7 mile round trip from the Route 18 hiker lot. Follow the shared approach for roughly a quarter mile, take the left branch, then climb another tenth mile to Bald Mountain's open summit. Turn around there and return the same way. It is a good quick hike if you want a real summit scramble and a wide view across Franconia Notch. The separate Artists Bluff loop is the longer outing from this same trailhead.
A steep, rocky finishThe shared approach is a dirt footpath through trees.
The shared approach is a dirt footpath through trees. The Bald Mountain spur gets steep quickly, and its last tenth mile climbs over ledges and boulders. The tread can be harder to follow where it leaves the trees for the summit rock, so slow down there. Allow about half an hour for the out-and-back, with more time if you want to linger at the top.
Take in both sidesThe open summit gives you views toward Cannon Mountain and along Franconia Notch.
The open summit gives you views toward Cannon Mountain and along Franconia Notch. From the rocks, look for Cannon's ski cuts, Echo Lake and the surrounding ridges; some views open west across the valley. The ledges make a natural place to stop before retracing your steps.
Start at the Route 18 lotBegin at the dirt parking area across Route 18 from Peabody Base Lodge.
Begin at the dirt parking area across Route 18 from Peabody Base Lodge. Dogs are allowed on the hiking trail but must be on a leash no longer than six feet.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Franconia Notch
66 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
38 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
19 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
19 sightingsGreat Blue HeronMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
13 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsRavenMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Franconia Notch. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
