I was supposed to make a video about Quannippi Trail, which follows the Merrymeeting River from Rt. 140 to Alton Bay. I really intended to finally do that on this hike… and I tried! Unfortunately (sparing the boring/stressful details I alluded to in my socials post) it did not work out.
But you won’t be surprised that I did take plenty of photos. So for now everyone will have to continue settling for those and written descriptions. I do have other blog entries about Quannippi Trail, so if you’re looking for more details as you pursue the Alton Trail Chaser patch, I encourage you to check those out as well.
On this visit I parked at Jones Field, which put me kind of in the middle of Quannippi Trail. The two ends are road walks, but I didn’t know what condition the trail section was in, so this was the most convenient starting point. Here you can turn left towards the dam and Letter S Road, or right to cross the bridge to the ballpark and continue to the Bay. I did both.
First I scoped out conditions. The bridge was actually “groomed” by snowmobiles coming from the connected snomo trail. So that half was nice and easy. (This section of trail might actually be a good spot for XC skiing!) Meanwhile, the trail along the river has had plenty of foot traffic and was packed enough for bare boots. I would guess that spikes or some sort of traction will be helpful when things turn icy, but right now it’s all wonderful packed powder.
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| relic along the river, presumably part of the old power dam facility |
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| dam off the Letter S Rd. |
The old Alton Power Dam has been getting a lot of attention recently. This spring NH DES will be doing a drawdown to continue engineering and studies, with the intention of removing the dam. (The dam is no longer “in use” and requires very expensive repairs... or risk dangerous failure.) Of course many community members are unhappy with this prospective change. The dam is a bit of a local landmark, and Wentworth Pond, which it forms, is a popular fishing spot. Waterfront home owners along the river obviously don’t want aesthetic changes either. Things are apt to look different after ice-out when they lower the pond, and who knows what will transpire if the dam is decommissioned. So if you haven’t seen the historic dam as it is yet, you might want to check it out while you can!
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| old trestle bridge at Jones Field |
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| hill along the Loop Trail |
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| snomo section of Quannippi Trail |
Coming off of Jones Field is the Loop Trail, which adds some nice wooded distance and elevation on the otherwise mostly flat QT. Snowshoes are helpful on this detour, as it has less traffic than the main trail. It’s currently quite a trudge.
The Loop Trail isn’t always easy to spot during full foliage if you don’t know it’s there, but it is well blazed (ironically better than Quannippi), and each end is marked with a small sign. The first entrance is on the northeast corner of the field. From here the trail meanders up the hill to the old railroad and power line corridor. At the top of this hill, the trail goes left, but shortly to the right would bring you out to the old stone railroad trestles, which flank the Letter S Road below. I didn’t go that way because the trail wasn’t broken out and I was bare booting it (I know, bad hiker!) but next time I will wear snowshoes and check out that view. While I grew up walking and biking the road to that spot, I have never seen the trestles from above, so it might be interesting.
The other end of the Loop Trail pops you out across from the snomo trail and kiosk. Take a right to continue the QT road walk towards Alton Bay, or loop around on the snomo trail (bear left) to return to Jones Field.
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| seaplanes on frozen Lake Winnipesaukee |
Apparently there was a fly-in going on while I was out hiking. A steady stream of small planes buzzed overhead, clearly coming in for a landing on Lake Winnipesaukee’s ice runway. Alton Bay has the only FAA approved ice runway in the lower 48! Another unique way my hometown has “made it on the map.”
I didn’t get a good shot of the landed planes, as I didn’t venture out on the ice. I know, it seems counterintuitive to not trust ice that is obviously holding thousands of pounds, but nevertheless I gave up a better photo angle in favor of staying on land. Honestly, I also just didn’t care enough to walk out there. I primarily took plane photos for Hawk, who is more excited by that sort of thing than I am. It’s undeniably cool, but didn’t hold my interest nearly as much as spotting a Belgian Groenendael. I should have taken dog pics instead! Hahaha
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| a galaxy in ice |
Winter is a great time to hike Quannippi Trail. Broken out snow makes it all easy to follow, and covers the poison ivy that’s in certain areas (particularly near the dam). I’ve not done the Loop Trail outside of winter, so I don’t know its condition in other seasons, but I recall suspecting overgrowth (meaning ticks & possibly more ivy) the first time I did it. If that’s true, now is an ideal time to hike it. The only downside, if you do the entire QT including road walks, is switching between boots for the road and snowshoes for the loop. Unless you trudge like everyone else.
This is a good time to remind people that the Alton Trail Chaser program is not a redlining challenge. Many patch hikers are like me & Hummingbird — slightly obsessive about doing entire trails “so it counts.” But if you want to just hike the trail parts of the QT and skip the road walks, that’s totally fine too! Everything is honor system anyway, so hike your own hike.
But if you don’t hike end to end, the Bay is certainly still worth a short drive to see. If it’s not a winter airport, it’s a bustling summer lakeside. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a New England lake town without ice cream (if you can eat dairy). *If you're dairy free, then head to Market Basket and grab some Cado. Either way, you deserve a treat after hiking!
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