11/12/09 Beech Mountain

Another cool but sunny day--good hiking weather. We started at the Beech Mountain parking area rather than Long Pond which is our usual start in this area. There is a fork at the trail head and we took the right ( we usually take the left but were following the suggestion of some people from New York who really like this section) . This trail offers some spectacular views on the way to the summit of Beech and is not difficult. From the summit we took the West Ledge Trail ( nice views of Long Pond) down to the pond ( little dip for Kelley) and from there the Valley Trail. This is a nice walk through the woods with interesting rock formations. It gains a little elevation to the intersection with the South Ridge Trail. We continued on to the Canada Cliffs Trail and took that and the Beech Cliffs Trail and loop back to the parking area. All of these trails are very pleasant and also have some very nice views. Only one spot on all of these trail that Kelley needed a boost. 3 hours



Beech Mountain Trail




Beech Mountain




Valley Trail




Beside Valley Trail




Beech Cliffs Trail