A Place Like No Other: Dixville Notch

While being in the north country, I immediately knew we needed to check out the highlights in the region. The best, most scenic and unique area is certainly Dixville Notch in northern New Hampshire. From steep, jagged cliffs to roaring gorges and flumes, Dixville Notch has it all. Everything can be seen along the 4-mile loop hike which circles the notch, and even follows portions of the Cohos Trail. Dixville Notch is one of those places you need to see to believe.

Table Rock as seen from the roadside.

Just driving through the notch is a beautiful experience, and it helped us get a better look at the place and what to expect. It's recommended to ascend Table Rock first, the most well known part of the loop. With it being only two tenths up to the rock, you think it'd be quick, but in reality, it takes a while, as the trail climbs straight up the sheer walls of the notch. Also, since it rained the night before, the rocks were slick, so care was taken in ascending.

Bella on the trail.

View looking back from the trail.

The trail suddenly flattens out, with a short side trail to the right leading to Table Rock, a sheer, flat ledge jutting out over the notch. The edges of the rock drop dramatically down to the roadside, and the ledge provides grand views into the notch and over to The Balsams, a huge resort on Lake Gloriette. Some mountains can even be seen in Vermont, standing tall above all the sprawling farmland.

Looking across Table Rock with the summit of Sanguinary Mountain easily visible.

The view east through the notch toward Rice Mountain.

The Balsams Resort and Mt.Gloriette from Table Rock.

A westward view toward Monadnock Mountain in Vermont.

The Three Brothers from Table Rock.

We followed the path up to the junction with the Cohos Trail, a long distance trail that runs north-south through northern New Hampshire. Dixville Notch is known as one of the highlights of the trail, and I can see why. The path lead into the woods and began to head down, until it reached the Three Brothers Trail, which we followed for a short time until we reached the viewpoint, which offered views over to where we just were.

The Cohos Trail.

Junction with the Three Brothers Trail.

Table Rock and Lake Gloriette from the Three Brothers.

Sanguinary Ridge and Index Rock seen from the Three Brothers.

Eventually we found ourselves at Cascade Brook, where we crossed and followed the trail parallel to the stream. The water could be heard constantly roaring down below in the ravine. There were a few viewpoints looking down to Huntington Cascade, and many other falls along the brook. It was a mild descent, but the trail eventually flattened out and followed the brook to a broken bridge and the empty picnic area.

Huntington Cascade

Another portion of the falls.

More falls along Cascade Brook.

The final set of falls.

The twisted bridge. It is still safe to walk across.

To continue on the loop, we had to walk through the picnic area over to the old Whittemore Cemetery. The trail continues past the graves and crosses the road, but I went over to what appears to be an abandoned barn in the parking area. The buildings empty, but curiously, there's a room on the side of it with walls made of old road signs. I don't know anything about this building, and it appears it's been here a while. After looking around more, we crossed the road to continue on the trail.

History of Dixville Notch.

The small plot of graves.

The abandoned barn.

Inside the building.

The strange traffic sign room. I have no clue as
to what this could've been or why it's here.

Immediately after reentering the forest on the opposite side of the road, the trail arrived at the Baby Flume, which is basically a much smaller version of the Flume Gorge in the White Mountains. There are a few roaring falls visible in the gorge. The path then continued through the forest for a ways, climbing higher and higher up the mountainside. The trail passed a small viewpoint looking into the notch.

Falls inside Baby Flume.

The upper falls.

The notch as seen from the first viewpoint along
Sanguinary Ridge Trail.

The trail flattened yet again, this time high above the road. We emerged out to the Rendezvous Outlook, which offered an outstanding view through the notch and over into Maine. It was at this point the trail climbed again, this time it continued for a while. We soon reached the junction where the Cohos Trail heads up to Sanguinary Mountain, which we followed for a hundred feet to see a view over The Balsams.

Rendezvous Outlook

Three Brothers and Table Rock from Rendezvous Outlook.

An eastward view from the outlook. Old Speck can barely be seen through the haze.
Signal Mountain is prominent, with Mt.Patience visible to the far right.

The junction.

The view over Lake Gloriette.

Sanguinary Ridge Trail lead steeply down the mountainside, until it reach a sheer ledge with a great view to The Balsams. It reentered the trees for a hundred feet, then emerged onto another ledge with an iconic view toward the opposing side of the notch, and down below to Index Rock, which the trail passes by after going down some stairs in an open scree field. The views from this point are some of the best in the notch!

Table Rock and Three Brothers from the ledge.

Bella in front of the Three Brothers.

The view from the first ledge looking west.

Overlooking the trail ahead, and Index Rock.

Across the scree field and over to Lake Gloriette.

The three rocks as seen all together!

The view back towards Rice Mountain and the notch.

Index Rock and Three Brothers

After crossing a slide, we zig-zagged down a steep slope until we reached the now closed road leading over to The Balsams. To get back to the original trailhead, we had to walk the road a bit, which was no trouble. Overall, Dixville Notch is an amazing hiking destination in the region. It's awesome to find a place like it within all the uneventful terrain of northern New Hampshire around. It's a real treasure, a place like no other.

Moxie Falls in the Winter

Moxie Falls is an impressive drop along Moxie Stream. The primary drop exceeds 90 feet, making it one of New England's tallest waterfalls. Many people visit these falls in spring and summer, but the falls are a completely different story in the winter.

The impressive drop of Moxie Falls.

Before we hiked to the falls, we drove around the small village of Lake Moxie. The town center was host to a few houses, a garage, a helipad, and possibly a meetinghouse. The area was completely desolate and silent, with the exception of the constant noise of the water passing through the dam on Moxie Stream. There were also pleasant views over to Mosquito Mountain and Moxie Bald Mountain, which is situated across Moxie Pond.

Welcome to Lake Moxie!

Another building in the center of town.

Mosquito Mountain towering above Moxie Pond.

Moxie Bald Mountain

Now, it was time to hike to the falls. The trail was busy, and the snow was high, but the trail was packed down and easy to follow. The path is a mile to the falls, and it made for easy walking. The trail then dropped us into the boardwalk area, which is home to several viewing decks looking out to the river.

Looking up Moxie Stream.

After continuing down the trail, we found ourselves at an impressive view of the towering falls. Large formations of ice framed the water as it loudly crashed into more icy masses below. After the drop, Moxie Stream continued to flow down a steep, craggy ravine, lined with several enormous icicles.

Moxie Falls. Notice the blue ice in the bottom right.

A closer look.

While these falls were impressive, they only marked the beginning of our three day excursion to Maine. If your in the area on a hot summer day, or even a cold, chilling winter morning, then you should definitely visit these falls, and the quaint town of Lake Moxie.

Caribou Mountain, In Evans Notch

Before Caribou Mountain, the closest I've ever gotten to the White Mountains of Maine and Evans Notch was The Baldfaces and Shelburne Moriah, which were both amazing hikes. I don't see many blogs on Caribou Mountain, a peak that sits northeast of Evans Notch, and one of the major peaks of the Caribou-Speckled Wilderness. The mountain, along with Kees Falls, are sights that deserve some respect.

Looking south from Caribou Mountain.

Caribou Mountain may be short, at 2,850 feet, but it's views and scenery are far better than many 4,000 footers in New England. The mountain can be done in a loop, and I would recommend going up Mud Brook Trail and down Caribou Trail. Doing this, we got to experience more views. The first views can be found at a series of ledges looking southeast.

The first of many views.

The trail emerges onto lower ledges that look up to the summit. It then winds up to the summit, through scattered ledges. The best spot on the south peak can be found by going over the summit and down through a meadow to a large square ledge. From here, Albany Mountain, Red Rock Mountain, Pleasant Mountain, Speckled Mountain, The Baldfaces, The Royces, and the Carter-Moriah Range can be seen when looking south.

Looking directly west, towards the Carter-Moriah Range and The Royces.

When looking east, Mt.Abram, Mt.Zircon, Spruce Mountain, Buck and Lapham Ledge, and Speckled Mountain (in Peru) can be seen. The Presidentials can be seen to the west as well, but on this day, only Mt.Madison was visible, with some of Mt.Adams and Boott Spur.

Looking northeast from the south summit, towards Mt.Zircon and Spruce Mountain.

Continuing past the south summit, the trail drops and rides atop a very large, flat ledge with views to Mt.Success and North Bald Cap. The north summit had amazing views, in nearly every direction. This summit also includes a large ledge, but there was a few more people than the other peak, as it's common for people to only hike to this summit.

Looking towards the south summit and the Carter-Moriah Range.

The Mahoosuc Range is visible, with views of Mt.Hayes, Cascade Mountain, Bald Cap, North Bald Cap, Mt.Success, Mt.Ingalls, Mt.Carlo, Goose Eye Mountain, Fulling Mill Mountain, Mahoosuc Arm, Old Speck, Baldpate Mountain, and Elephant Mountain. The same peaks to the south can be seen.

The Mahoosuc Range, from North Bald Cap to distant Elephant Mountain.

Directly west, Mt.Waumbek, Black Crescent Mountain, The Weeks, Terrace Mountain, Mt.Cabot, The Bulge, and The Horn can be seen, to name a few. Limited views to the northwest can be found on both peaks, and Saddleback Wind Mountain and Mt.Blue are the only major peaks that can be seen that way.

Looking toward Gorham and the Pilot-Pliny Range in the distance.

We continued down the Mud Brook Trail, past Caribou Springs (which did have water) and to the junction. The Caribou Trail is easy, and water is plentiful. There are several small cascades, but the biggest one is Kees Falls. The trail passes just above the falls, and a steep herd path leads down to the bottom. The rest of the trail was gentle.

GALLERY

Mt.Abram and others from the first few ledges.

Bella posing, with Red Rock and Butters Mountains in the background.

Bella on a ledge. Why not?

Now that I look back, there are a lot of photos of her. This one has Albany Mountain in the background.

Speckled Mountain, Kearsarge North, Eastman Mountain, The Baldfaces, The Royces, and more.

A path to Speckled Mountain?

The north summit, and other peaks of Maine.

The Mahoosucs from the completely open col.

Mt.Moriah, Middle Moriah, Shelburne Moriah, Mt.Waumbek, The Weeks, and more can all be seen.

Looking south from the north summit. This summit had the benchmark.

A closer look at the Mahoosuc Range and Bear and Elephant Mountains.

The big attraction, Kees Falls! Definitely deep enough to swim.

Another unnamed waterfall. I'll nickname it "Mossy Shelf Falls".

Caribou Mountain is a great peak, with amazing views of many notable peaks. This peak is on my 42 With A View list, which has been renamed to Views Of Maine for now, as a few more peaks where added to the list. I will soon have a new page out for the list, that is fully up to date. So far, Caribou Mountain is the best mountain on the list in the White Mountains.