Mount Willard

Round trip, this hike is approximately 3.2 miles. The altitude is 2800 feet. I would like to start to do some of the 4000 foot climbs with the kids and we are getting close to that goal.

We hiked this mountain on a beautiful day at the end of June. The trail is well travelled by tourists, so if you’re one who likes to hike alone this hike is not for you. There were lots of families, older people and dog lovers hiking on this beautiful Saturday morning. Personally, bumping into other people as a newbie hiker is wonderful and my kids love to ask other people, “Are we there yet?” which always gets a chuckle from fellow hikers:)

It had rained several days before our hike and there are several places on this trail that get MUDDY!!!! Wear hiking sneakers or boots rather than those new, white tennis shoes and you’ll be fine. There are some slick spots when it is wet, so watch your footing.

We started out at around 10AM on our hike and got to the top about noon. What a great place to eat lunch! At noon, the sun is shining right on the rock ledges and it was so warm. I just wanted to curl up and take a nap for the afternoon.

Here is a picture of my two kids at the top of Mount Willard:)

Now back up…….about halfway up the trail on the right, there was a small waterfall and stream. The kids wanted to go in and splash around but I told them that they needed to wait until we were descending to jump in. So here is a picture of them on the way down cooling off in the frigid waters of the Centennial Pool:

When you get to the top and walk all the way to the right across the ledges, there is another trail that goes to another outlook, but it was so overgrown that after a few hundred feet, I couldn’t figure out where the trail even went, so we unfortunately had to turn back. Furthermore, there is supposed to be a trail that goes off the main trail to Hitchcock Flume, but we were unable to find that either. Anyway, we were just happy to get to the top and the views were well worth the hike:)

After hiking down, we found a trail off to the left which meandered through some wildflowers. At the end of the trail was a playground with walking trails and wildflowers everywhere:)

To hike this mountain, turn left onto Westside Road after leaving the cabin. Then turn left at the farm at the end of the road. This is a continuance of Westside Road. Follow Westside Road to the end and turn left onto Route 302. The trailhead is located behind the railroad depot, now the AMC Crawford Notch Visitors Center, about 20 minutes or so up Route 302. I should have kept track of the miles to this destination, but I was too busy looking around.

……..and a stop at Trails End Ice Cream is always a must on the way home! Rt. 302 on the right……