Boulder Loop Locals LbNA #26173
Map
Nearby Boxes
Add Note
Add Location| Owner: | J.E.S.S.  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Oct 7, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Albany |
| County: | Carroll |
| State: | New Hampshire |
| Boxes: | 2 |
| Found by: | Lynne |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Oct 12, 2023 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Oct 7, 2006 |
Location
The Boulder Loop Trail is six miles west of the intersection of the Kancamagus Highway and Route 16 in Conway. Turn right at the sign to the Covered Bridge Campground and drive through the Albany Covered Bridge. Park in the parking area beyond the bridge and find the trailhead directly across the street. In the winter the bridge is closed so you will have to park before the bridge.
The Trail
We consider this an “ambitious” loop trail which is about 3 miles long and takes you up about 1,000 feet to rocky ledges where there are awesome views of Mt Chocoura and the Swift River Valley. If you are looking for a great place to hike with your family, you will not be disappointed! Be warned though that you should not get close to the edge of the vista because the drop-off is STEEP and could be dangerous for young children. Another highlight is impressive jumbles of large boulders located throughout the hike. One group in particular toward the end of the loop has great overhangs with cave-like areas that the kids had a great time climbing around in.
Clues
The loop begins at about .2 miles from the parking lot. Turn left. You will be taking the loop clockwise. Follow the yellow blazes. In about 45 minutes, you will reach the first vista. You should see a station marker #5. Enjoy the view which is awesome but don’t spend too much time because it doesn’t compare to the ones to follow! Return to the main trail. Almost immediately, the trail takes a left-hand turn. At this point, you will come to a second vista….another great view!! Return to the main trail again. Take about 14 steps to a tree that looks just like an elephant’s trunk! Just a few feet in back of this are two large rocks and wedged between them, in the back is the letterbox. Watch out for bears ;-)
The trail flattens out for a while and then starts to ascend for about 10 more minutes at which point you will come to the main vista. You should see a station 11 marker here. Follow the short side trail to the right which takes you up to the ledges. This first clearing is awesome but if you follow the yellow trail markers through a small patch of trees, down through a couple of boulders and by another small patch of trees, you will come to a breathtaking 270 degree view of the surrounding valley! Check out the Moat Mountains north of the yellow “X” on the ground which marks the end of the side trail. The yellow “X” also marks the spot where you will begin your search for the second box. Standing on the “X,” take 12 steps at 40 degrees. Or, if you forgot your compass, stand so that Mt. Chocoura is at your back. You will come to a six foot wide, flat rock. The box is tucked way up under the right hand corner of that rock.
The last half of the loop is down-hill where you will see lots of cool rock formations.
Enjoy and let us know how you liked the hike!
The Boulder Loop Trail is six miles west of the intersection of the Kancamagus Highway and Route 16 in Conway. Turn right at the sign to the Covered Bridge Campground and drive through the Albany Covered Bridge. Park in the parking area beyond the bridge and find the trailhead directly across the street. In the winter the bridge is closed so you will have to park before the bridge.
The Trail
We consider this an “ambitious” loop trail which is about 3 miles long and takes you up about 1,000 feet to rocky ledges where there are awesome views of Mt Chocoura and the Swift River Valley. If you are looking for a great place to hike with your family, you will not be disappointed! Be warned though that you should not get close to the edge of the vista because the drop-off is STEEP and could be dangerous for young children. Another highlight is impressive jumbles of large boulders located throughout the hike. One group in particular toward the end of the loop has great overhangs with cave-like areas that the kids had a great time climbing around in.
Clues
The loop begins at about .2 miles from the parking lot. Turn left. You will be taking the loop clockwise. Follow the yellow blazes. In about 45 minutes, you will reach the first vista. You should see a station marker #5. Enjoy the view which is awesome but don’t spend too much time because it doesn’t compare to the ones to follow! Return to the main trail. Almost immediately, the trail takes a left-hand turn. At this point, you will come to a second vista….another great view!! Return to the main trail again. Take about 14 steps to a tree that looks just like an elephant’s trunk! Just a few feet in back of this are two large rocks and wedged between them, in the back is the letterbox. Watch out for bears ;-)
The trail flattens out for a while and then starts to ascend for about 10 more minutes at which point you will come to the main vista. You should see a station 11 marker here. Follow the short side trail to the right which takes you up to the ledges. This first clearing is awesome but if you follow the yellow trail markers through a small patch of trees, down through a couple of boulders and by another small patch of trees, you will come to a breathtaking 270 degree view of the surrounding valley! Check out the Moat Mountains north of the yellow “X” on the ground which marks the end of the side trail. The yellow “X” also marks the spot where you will begin your search for the second box. Standing on the “X,” take 12 steps at 40 degrees. Or, if you forgot your compass, stand so that Mt. Chocoura is at your back. You will come to a six foot wide, flat rock. The box is tucked way up under the right hand corner of that rock.
The last half of the loop is down-hill where you will see lots of cool rock formations.
Enjoy and let us know how you liked the hike!