Lafayette, Cannon, Garfield, and Beyond

• From the picnic area at the end of Lafayette Campground's south parking area, start on the yellow-blazed Lonesome Lake Trail.
• After 0.4 mile you will reach a junction with Hi-Cannon Trail which goes to the right; stay straight to remain on Lonesome Lake Trail.
• After 0.8 mile you will reach the shore of Lonesome Lake as well as trail junctions with Cascade Brook Trail on the left and Dodge Cutoff on the right while Lonesome Lake Trail continues straight. Turn left here to get on Cascade Brook Trail.
• Follow Cascade Brook Trail for just 0.3 mile until it meets with Fishin' Jimmy Trail. Turn right to take Fishin' Jimmy Trail.
• Follow Fishin' Jimmy Trail, which is part of the Appalachian Trail, for 150 yards which will bring you to a junction with Around-Lonesome-Lake Trail before veering left uphill to reach Lonesome Lake Hut.

• From the hut descend back down to the junction with Around-Lonesome-Lake Trail.
• Turn left to follow Around-Lonesome-Lake along the west shore of Lonesome Lake.
• After 0.3 mile you will reach a junction with Lonesome Lake Trail which is 0.2 mile beyond the point from which you left Lonesome Lake Trail yesterday. Turn left here to head up towards Kinsman Ridge and Cannon Mountain.
• After 0.9 mile you will meet Kinsman Ridge Trail at a T-junction where Lonesome Lake Trail ends. Turn right onto Kinsman Ridge Trail.
• After 0.4 mile on Kinsman Ridge Trail, you will see a junction with Hi-Cannon Trail on the right; keep going straight to stay on Kinsman Ridge Trail.
• After 0.4 mile, you will reach the gravel Rim Trail very close to Cannon Mountain's summit.
• Go straight ahead on the gravel path for 120 yards to reach the summit and observation tower.
• Retrace your steps for 120 yards to return to the junction between Kinsman Ridge Trail and the gravel path. Turn left to continue on Kinsman Ridge Trail which coincides with Rim Trail for 0.2 mile.
• After 0.2 mile Rim Trail continues straight while Kinsman Ridge Trail turns sharply right. Turn right here to remain on Kinsman Ridge Trail which you will follow to its end.
• Descend steeply on Kinsman Ridge Trail for 2.0 miles which will bring you to the parking area for the Cannon Mountain Tramway. En route, you will cross the downhill ski slopes several times so pay attention to trail blazes and signs to stay on the trail.
• From the parking area, take Greenleaf "Trail" which follows a sidewalk through the I-93 underpass, then turns left to follow the northbound ramp for 25 yards, before turning right across a ditch and entering into the woods.
• Climb moderately for 1.5 miles on Greenleaf Trail which will bring you to Eagle Pass which is a narrow route running between Eagle Cliff and the western flank of Mount Lafayette.
• Climb steeply for 1.2 miles more on Greenleaf Trail to reach Greenleaf Hut.

• From the hut, continue on Greenleaf Trail and you'll soon pass Eagle Lakes (two shallow tarns) on your left. A steep ascent up Greenleaf Trail will bring you to the wide-open summit of Mount Lafayette with magnificent views after 1.1 miles.
• From the summit turn left (north) to get on Garfield Ridge Trail which is also part of the Appalachian Trail.
• Descend on Garfield Ridge Trail / Appalachian Trail at a fairly steep rate for 0.8 mile upon which you will arrive at a junction with Skookumchuck Trail which comes in from the left; keep going straight on Garfield Ridge Trail / Appalachian Trail which is marked by cairns and white blazes.
• Follow Garfield Ridge Trail / Appalachian Trail, through ups and downs and rock scrambles, for 2.2 miles which will bring you to Garfield Pond at the base of a hill (the pond is visible from the trail).
• Turn left, following a short, faint spur path, that may be wet in places, to reach the shore of Garfield Pond.
• After enjoying the pond, return to the main trail and turn left.
• Climb steeply uphill on Garfield Ridge Trail / Appalachian Trail for 0.5 mile. At the height-of-land, take a short spur path on the right to the summit of Mount Garfield where there are fantastic views and a foundation from an old fire tower.
• After enjoying the summit, return to the main trail, and turn right.
• Continue on Garfield Ridge Trail / Appalachian Trail for 0.2 mile which will bring you to a junction with Garfield Trail.
• Keep going straight on Garfield Ridge Trail / Appalachian Trail descending steeply for 0.7 mile which will bring you to a junction with Franconia Brook Trail which comes in from the right.
• Continue straight ahead to remain on Garfield Ridge Trail / Appalachian Trail.
• After 1.6 miles of ups and downs, Gale River Trail comes in from the left; stay straight to keep following Garfield Ridge Trail / Appalachian Trail.
• Climb moderately for a final 0.6 mile along Garfield Ridge Trail / Appalachian Trail where it comes to an end upon meeting Twinway and Frost Trail.
• Follow Twinway for 40 yards to reach Galehead Hut.

• From the hut, continue on Twinway, which is also part of the Appalachian Trail, in an easterly direction towards South Twin Mountain.
• After 0.8 mile of steep climbing you will reach the open summit of South Twin Mountain and a junction with North Twin Spur.
• After enjoying the summit, continue along Twinway / Appalachian Trail in a southeasterly direction.
• After 2.0 miles of mostly downhills you will reach a junction with Bondcliff Trail. Turn left to continue on Twinway / Appalachian Trail.
• Just 0.1 mile farther uphill will bring you to the summit of Mount Guyot with yet more great views to enjoy.
• After 1.2 miles, first descending and then ascending, will be a small cairn on the left marking a spur that reaches the true summit of Zealand Mountain after 0.1 mile.
• Continue along Twinway / Appalachian Trail through a descent, and after 1.2 miles will be another spur path – this time on the right – which leads down to Zeacliff Pond after 0.1 mile.
• Hike another 0.4 mile to reach a junction with Zeacliff Trail which comes in from the right; keep straight to continue following Twinway / Appalachian Trail.
• Shortly after this junction, bear right off the main trail to follow a side trail that will rejoin Twinway / Appalachian Trail after 50 yards. Along this side path are magnificent views from the Zeacliff outlook.
• Back on Twinway / Appalachian Trail, descend for 1.2 miles at which point you'll have to cross two branches of Whitewall Brook.
• After the brook crossing, Lend-A-Hand Trail comes in from the left. Bear right and just 0.1 mile from Whitewall Brook you will arrive at Zealand Falls Hut.
• For a post-hike treat, from the front of the hut, follow a short side path that quickly leads to an outlook where Whitewall Brook runs over open ledges before plummeting over the edge of a high cliff.

• From the hut continue on Twinway / Appalachian Trail for 0.2 mile where Twinway ends and Ethan Pond Trail and Zealand Trail begin. Just after leaving the hut while descending a steep pitch on rock steps, look to the right for a short spur path that provides an outlook to Zealand Falls. A bit farther down Twinway, near the base of the steep pitch on the right, is another short spur leading to Zealand River and its cascades.
• Turn left to get on Zealand Trail.
• After 0.2 mile, Zealand Trail reaches a junction with A-Z Trail. Turn right to get on A-Z Trail.
• Follow A-Z Trail, climbing moderately, for 2.7 miles which will bring you to a junction with Willey Range Trail on the right. Stay straight to remain on A-Z Trail.
• Eighty yards farther you'll pass a 0.6-mile spur on the left to Mount Tom; again stay straight to keep following A-Z Trail.
• Descend steeply for 1.0 mile on A-Z Trail upon which it will end where it meets Avalon Trail. Keep going straight to follow Avalon Trail.
• After 1.0 mile of moderate downhills on Avalon Trail you will reach Crawford Depot and be back in the world of trains, automobiles, and shuttle buses.

Click for a larger trail map (it will open in a new window).   

• Take I-93 North through Franconia Notch.
• Once in Franconia Notch State Park (where there is no median strip and the highway signs are brown instead of green), take the first exit after The Basin.
• After driving past The Basin parking area, you will see a sign for "Trailhead Parking 1/4 mile", and then the exit sign will simply say "Trailhead Parking". This is the Lafayette Place parking area even though it isn't signed as such from the highway.
• The trailhead is accessed by taking the pedestrian tunnel beneath the highway to the parking lot on the west side of the notch.

• Take I-93 South through Franconia Notch.
• Once in Franconia Notch State Park (where there is no median strip and the highway signs are brown instead of green), take the first exit after Exit 34B.
• After driving past Exit 34B, take the next exit signed as "Lafayette Place Campground - Trailhead Parking".
• The trailhead is located directly off of this parking lot.

• The trailhead is behind the Crawford Depot and Macomber Family Information Center (visitor center).
• Traveling from the east, AMC Crawford Depot is about 2.7 miles west of the Willey House Historical Site, just before the AMC Highland Center on the left.

• The trailhead is behind the Crawford Depot and Macomber Family Information Center (visitor center).
• Coming from the west, Crawford Depot is about 8.4 miles east of the junction of Rt. 3 and Rt. 302, just after the Highland Center on the right.

• Ethan Pond, Thoreau Falls, Zealand Notch, Zealand Falls, Zealand Pond on 6/06/2009
• Mt. Garfield, Garfield Pond, and Mt. Lafayette on 7/11/2009
• Zealand Mtn, Mt. Guyot, and the Bonds 2-day backpack on 8/14/2009
• Mt. Garfield, Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mtn., Mt. Liberty, Mt. Flume 2-day backpack on 5/21/2009
• Zealand Mtn. and Mt. Guyot from Zealand Falls Hut on 2/01/2009
• Zealand Pond, Zealand Falls, Zealand Falls Hut 2-day backpack on 1/31/2009
• Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mtn. on 10/11/2008
• Zealand Pond, Zealand Falls, Zeacliff on 6/14/2008
• Mt. Hale, Zealand Falls, Zealand Pond on 5/10/2008
• Cannon Mtn. on 10/20/2007
• Zealand Pond, Zealand Falls, Mt. Hale on 8/17/2007
• Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mtn. on 10/21/2000

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